542 



CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING- 



Mr. Hall adds farther on: 



For the purpose of getting good grades I would recommend your farmers to cross 

 your native cattle with Shorthorn, and only to cross once. I would also recommend 

 the Polled Angus as an animal for improving your stock ; I think the Polled Angus 

 crossed with the Shorthorn would give you an excellent animal for the butchers that 

 is, one cross. I would take a thoroughbred Shorthorn cow and cross her with a Polled 

 Angus bull. I would also cross the Polled Angus with your native cows. I do not 

 think thoroughbred steers sent over to England would fetch any more than other 

 cattle. Whether you would succeed in making anything better than a Shorthorn I 

 would not venture to say, because you have sent some extraordinary cattle into Eng- 

 land. 



The evident merit of the Polled Angus breed (writes the secretary 

 of the Ontario agricultural commission) has induced the commissioners 

 to notice them quite fully. One writer says, with reference to crossing 

 the Polled Angus with the Shorthorn : 



It is probable that the size of the Shorthorn would be somewhat reduced, which 

 might not be a disadvantage, but his quality would not be impaired ; indeed there can 

 hardly be a doubt that the quality of the meat would be improved. On this point, 

 however, we are not left to reason or conjecture, for the cross has been tried with 

 most happy results. A distinguished Scotch authority says : " Of all the varieties 

 of cross-bred cattle there is none more satisfactory or remunerative than the Polled 

 Angus, or Aberdeen, and the Shorthorn. It grows to a large size, shows great apti- 

 tude to fatten, and when killed the fat and lean are found to be distributed through- 

 out in the most desirable proportions. 



My object in making special mention in the present report to the 

 Polled Angus breed is to call the attention of the American stock- 

 breeder to a breed of cattle having many excellent qualities, and a breed, 

 too (as compared with many other kinds and qualities of cattle), of 

 which but little is known. 



NUMBER AND BREEDS OF BLOODED CATTLE IN ONTARIO. 



By reference to the following table it will be observed that for the 

 year ending May 31, 1882 (which is the last available information upon 

 this point), there were but two hundred and seventy head of Polled 

 Angus cattle in this province : 



Number of each class of thoroughbred cattle in Ontariojby county municipalities, as re- 

 turned May 31, 1882. . 



