CHAPTER XXVII 



THE POLLED DURHAM 



The origin of the Polled Durham. In consideration of the fact 

 that Polled Durham cattle are either pure-bred Shorthorns or 

 nearly so, the author does not regard it as necessary to devote 

 much space to them other than historical, for otherwise what 

 applies to the Shorthorn applies to the Polled Durham, excepting 

 in the head variation. This so-called breed is divided into two 

 groups, and the origin of each may be discussed separately. 



The " single standard" Polled Durham was the first type of 

 hornless Shorthorn to attract attention in America. This is the 

 result of uniting native mulley cows with pure-bred Shorthorn 

 bulls. Cattle of such blood lines are quite commonly designated 

 as " single standard," because of being eligible to registration 

 only in the Polled Durham Herdbook. When the movement 

 for dehorning got well started nearly twenty years ago, men here 

 and there began to seek combinations by which the horns might 

 be bred off. Some men who were breeders of Shorthorns, or 

 who believed in the Shorthorn type, sought to breed hornless 

 cattle. Among the pioneers in this work were W. S. Miller, 

 Dr. W. W. Crane, R. Clawson, and Peter Shafer of Ohio, J. F. 

 Burleigh of Illinois, J. H. Miller of Indiana, and T. Dunham of 

 Iowa. These men used pure Shorthorn bulls on mulley cows of 

 Shorthorn type, and so finally developed what they termed the 

 Polled Durham breed. Cattle of this breeding were quite like 

 Shorthorns, tending toward the dual-purpose type, were inclined 

 to be leggy, and hardly met the demands of the Shorthorn 

 critics for thickness of flesh. Those that had true polled heads 

 were used for breeding, and thus gradually was developed, mainly 

 in western Ohio, herds of Polled Durham cattle. 



The "double standard" Polled Durham represents the demand 

 of Shorthorn breeders and others for a pure hornless class of 



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