BREEDS OF BEEF CATTLE IN UNITED STATES 239 



Bos indicus. Some of these strains vary so in type, colour, 

 size, and habitat that they are classified as separate breeds. The 

 most important breeds of these cattle are the Krishna Valley and 

 Hissar breeds. These cattle are classed as dual-purpose animals, 

 as many of the females give a good quantity of milk. They are 

 used quite generally in India as milch cows, and are more satis- 

 factory than any other breed of cattle under the severe con- 

 ditions of drought, heat, insect enemies, etc. 



As these cattle have been raised for more than three thousand 

 years in a hot climate, they are only suitable for warm country. 

 Although they are of a different species from our common breeds 

 of cattle, they cross readily with them. The females of this 

 breed carry their calves somewhat longer than other cattle, the 

 period of gestation being about three hundred days. 



The oil secreted by the sebaceous glands of the skin is of a 

 peculiar odour and gives the skin a soft, oily feeling. This 

 peculiarity, combined with the scant covering of hair and the 

 extremely tough hide, affords these animals considerable pro- 

 tection from ticks, mosquitoes, etc. Cattle ticks do not bother 

 the purebred cattle at all, and few of the half-breeds become in- 

 fested to any appreciable extent. 



These cattle stand the heat well, and have great endurance, 

 moving readily in a fast walk or trot. They make the best 

 of work steers if handled constantly by one driver, but they have 

 a nervous disposition, and give considerable trouble where the 

 drivers are frequently changed. They are more nervous than 

 any of our breeds of cattle. When raised in small herds and 

 handled constantly they are quite docile, but if handled under 

 range conditions they become very wild, and stampede or fight 

 readily. The quality of the beef from these animals or from 

 grade Brahmans is slightly inferior to that of either the beef 

 breeds or the dual-purpose cattle, but they dress out a high per- 

 centage of meat. 



In size the bulls range from 1500 to 1800 pounds, and many 

 of them attain a height of 6 ft., while the cows usually weigh 

 from 1100 to 1400 pounds. The various strains of these cattle 

 have different colours, although each strain has a fixed colour. 

 The colours are pure w^hite or a creamy white, silvery grey, red, 

 and dark brown approaching black. The silver grey, with dark 

 fawn on shoulders and neck, and the creamy white are the most 

 popular colours. Many of the animals have brindle stripes ort 

 the body. 



