100 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



Form and Characteristics. In size the Red Polls rank 

 below the Shorthorn and other heavy beef breeds. The cows 

 weigh between 1200 and 1300 as a rule, but occasionally one 

 reaches 1500 or more. The bulls range from 1800 to 2200, with 

 occasional individuals reaching 2500 at maturity. 



In color the Red Polls are a deep cherry red. White may 

 appear on the tip of the tail, the udder may be white, and a few 

 small white markings are allowed on the belly. White on any 

 other part of the body disqualifies the animal, as does a black 

 nose or even abortive horns. 



In form the Red Polls are typical dual-purpose cattle. 

 In general the conformation is about midway between the 

 dairy and beef types, as is typical of the dual-purpose breeds. 

 The general form is parallelogrammic. The head and neck 

 are lean and of dairy type, with the characteristic poll. The 

 hind quarters are of moderately good beef form. The udder 

 is usually somewhat pendulous, and the fore quarters are often 

 deficient and irregular in shape. The udder is seldom meaty 

 in character, but usually elastic and mellow in quality. The 

 milk veins and milk wells are usually fairly prominent. The 

 teats are inclined to be irregular in shape, and usually large. 

 In some animals the extreme size of the teats is somewhat 

 objectionable. 



There are no generally recognized distinct types of this 

 breed at present, although different herds vary widely, de- 

 pending upon the purpose for which they have been bred. 

 In some cases the breed is bred only for beef production and 

 the cows are not milked. In other herds the dairy qualities 

 are given first place. This results in wide variations in form 

 and capacity for milk production in different herds. The 

 judging of Red Polls in the show ring has usually been done 



