154 AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



guide, they are held in even greater esteem by the butchers 

 m these colonies than the shorthorns ; although this is not 

 the case at Smithfield. For purposes of improving other 

 breeds, the Herefords are in no respect equal to the 

 shorthorns. 



Devons. Like the Herefords, the Devons, " The Reds," 

 have been preserved pure from the aboriginal cattle inhabi- 

 ting North and South Devon. They are also proving hardy 

 for shipping purposes. The breed were formerly known 

 as the " Middle Horns." They are considerably smaller 

 than either of the previously described breeds, and were, 

 until recently, comparatively little known in Australia. 

 They are now, however, fast rising into notice. It has 

 been said that the grand secret of breeding is to suit the 

 breed to the soil and climate, and where the fattening of 

 cattle is limited solely to natural herbage, the Devons 

 would appear eminently suited to thrive where larger and 

 less hardy breeds cannot hold their own so well. The Devons 

 are better milkers than the Herefords, and next to the Sussex 

 they make the best and most effective workers. In color 

 the Devons are dark-red, without a spot of white. Their 

 skin is somewhat thin, but not delicately so, and they feel 

 and handle like a glove. They are more what a breeder 

 would call " pretty " with fine bone ; but without the 

 squareness of outline so justly appreciated in the 

 shorthorns and Herefords. 



Hornless or Polley Cattle. The development of the cattle 

 export trade is attracting more attention to the polleys. 

 They have long been in favour in New Zealand, and to a 

 lesser extent in Australia. They are gentle and thrive well 

 under the conditions that develop high-class shorthorns. 

 So far dehorning the cutting off of horns, or the dissolving 

 of young horn material by acids has not been practised 

 here to any extent as yet. The true polleys are the 

 favourites for hornless cattle. 



As Beef Yielders. The relative merits of the beef stock 

 may be gathered from the following details of a recent 

 Smithfield Show : The top weights were Shorthorns, 

 23cwt. Iqr. 71b.; Hereford, 23cwt. 201bs.: Sussex, 23cwt. 

 3qrs. 121bs.; Highland, 21cwt. 3qrs. 161bs.; polled, 21cwt. 



