1921.] 



The Dairy Shorthorn. 



305 



to the ordinary beginner with a limited amount of capital. In 

 the first place the breed is the most widely-foimd of all breeds, 

 and is the popular general purpose animal in practically every 

 county of England or Ireland. This ensures that wherever 

 they may be bred there is always a market, whether for calves, 

 young stores, down calvers, or fat beasts. 



A second advantage is that it is immaterial whether the 

 beginner is farming a grass farm, a mixed farm, or a farm 

 wholly arable, for the dual-purpose Shorthorn is at home on 

 either one or the other, and is quite adaptable to the feeding 

 and management in either case. Nor does it matter to the 

 owner of the Shorthorn in what form he is marketing his 

 milk product, whether as whole milk, cheese, or butter. 



Further, the Shorthorn is the only established breed of cattle 

 remaining in this country which still has an open herd book, 

 and if the embargo on foreign cattle continues, there is 

 little fear of the Shorthorn Herd Book being closed for many 

 years. Apart from any other consideration, this is of 

 tremendous advantage to beginners, and although the Short- 

 horn Society still requires four crosses from a foundation dam 

 of Shorthorn type before accepting heifers for entry in Coates'& 

 Herd Book, registration may now begin in the Dairy Short- 

 horn Register as soon as an approved cow has yielded 8,000 lb. 

 in one year or 6,500 lb. a year for two consecutive years, 

 provided she is of a suitable Shorthorn type. Thus the 

 beginner's interest, as well as the enhanced value of the cow 

 and her offspring, commences at once, and he may safely 

 add an average of from £5 to £10 in value for each Dure cross 

 by a pedigree Shorthorn milk bull on heifers descended from 

 these registered cowf<, until the descendants in the fourth 

 generation become eligible for the Herd Book proper. After 

 this has been achieved, with sufficient good looks and sound 

 records behind them, there is no reason why they should not, 

 in many instances, realise very high prices and produce 

 valuable breeding animals. 



