RETROSPECTIVE REFLECTIONS. 



and all three breeds were, and are now used for the same purpose, 

 namely, speed. It would appear, therefore, to be much the same 

 thing when crossing dairy breeds of cattle is being carefully con- 

 sidered, to keep the object in view. 



Let us take the bull Belmore. He is a very dark red in colour, 

 of good quality as a dairy bull 01 the ordinary Illawarra district 

 type. However, if we come to examine his photo we are at once 

 struck by a peculiarity in his general outline. He was bred by 

 Mr. William Moles, oi Tongarra, Albion Park. Sire, Orion, dam 

 Eureka. Orion was bred by Mr. Hugh Dudgeon, Jamberoo, and 

 Eureka was of the McGill strain of dairy cattle. Thus it will be 

 seen that there was the blood of the Red Lincoln in Belmore's sire 

 and dam which would account for his very dark red colour and 

 peculiar outline. Coming direct from a long chain of prize-win- 

 ners, Belmore was also a consistent prize-taker. 



Looking at the question: What constitutes an Illawarra dairy Dur- 

 ham or Shorthorn? as some authorities term those splendid types 

 of dairy cattle, which are illustrated in this book, it cannot be said 

 that there is one aspect deep enough to exhaust the real composi- 

 tion of any one of those really genuine dairy animals; no one term 

 or definition for their general appearance or perfections, though, 

 of course, one representation of it is more just and exact than 

 another, and in the writer's opinion that representation should be 

 defined as Durham- Ayrshire. Even when the idea formed of the 

 type is very complex, it should be allowable for the sake of conr 

 venience, to consider its aspect, however indistinct under the above 

 definition. Thus, with all our intimate knowledge of animal life 

 and of the structure peculiar to dairy cattle of both sexes, we 

 have not yet arrived at a true definition of any one of them; but 

 are 'forced to enumerate properties and accidents by way of de- 

 scription when called upon to decide which is the better of any one 

 of two animals, when placed side by side for comparison. But 

 the question arises: Have we been able to define the qualifications, 

 either from the standpoint of breeding or general appearance? Our 

 answer must be a most emphatic No! This is patent from the fact 

 that our best recognised judges of dairy cattle have discarded bulls 

 and heifers that afterwards proved to be of the highest possible 

 utility as sires and dams. 



That the beef Shorthorn has been evolved from the Longhorned 

 Durham, by a judicious system of in-and-in breeding, and feed- 

 ing, has been clearly proved in these pages; and", further, that the 

 milk-producing qualities of any of the modern Shorthorns are the 

 result of atavism, or crying-back, to their original ancestors, has 

 also been demonstrated. That being so, why not call these "cry- 

 backs" by their proper name milking Durhams? 



Those of us who have seen the progeny of these cry-back bulls 

 developed into heavy milk-producing cows, also know that it only 

 requires mating- them with beef Shorthorn bulls of probably the 

 same tribe as their sire, to convert their progeny into cows that 

 could scarcely sustain the life of their own calves, thus reverting 

 back to the beef-producing type again. The very fact of this 

 happening as it does with consistent regularity, has been the Water- 

 loo of all our dairy Shorthorn breeders whenever they have attempt- 

 ed to establish a purebred dairy Shorthorn herd. It is not that 

 they could not succeed in their ambitious project; but they never 

 seem to have the time, patience, and money at their disposal, pro- 

 vided they had the necessary knowledge, to carry it out success- 

 fully, and in consequence they fell back on the quickest expedient 

 of getting milk-type and milk-quality combined, by silently and 



231. 



