I* The Red Poll and Farm Conditions 5F 199 .R4 N4 Dopy 1 f 8 9 of the I Publishsd in thm Interest Ohio Red Poll Breeder*' Associetion The Red Poll and Farm Conditions a D Copyrighted 1917, by Frank Nelson a a HOMER C. PRICE, President FRANK HARTLINE. Vice President FRANK NELSON, Secjy and Treas. MADISON COUNTY DEMOCRAT PRINT / ' MAR 31 1917 ©a.A458939 List of Members (January, 1917) H. C. Price, Newark, O. .1. J. & R. C. Kranlz. Dover, O. F. Nelson, London, O. Henry S. Kelley, Geneva, O. Jacob Overly, Bainbridge, O. Wm. K. Hirshberger, Lancaster, O. H. E. & J. E. Wynkoop, Eldorado, O. Frank Hartline, Strasburg. O. J. W. Lee. Racine, O. Stump & Etzler, Convoy, O. H. W. Rinkert, West Liberty, O. E. M. Kroft, Mt. Perry, O. M. A. Page & Son, Dennison, O. G. L. Roush, Springfield, O. R. O. Evans, Blanchester, O. Lewis Rodgers, Good Hope, O. N. R. Peffley, Germantown, O. Elmer E. John, Dayton, O. Geo. H. Smith, C. C. Cushman. Mgi.. Chillicothe, O. R. C. Wise, Newark, O. E. G .Norton, Seville, O. U. G. Bradfield & Son, West Jefferson, O. Frank H. Hawley, Le Roy, O. A. S. Bolen, Fremont, O. R. H. Statler. Shelby, O. F. I\L Borst, Bainbridge, O. D Directors Homer C. Price Frank Hartline Frank Nelson J. Wilbur Lee Stump & Etzler J. J. and R. C. Krantz Duai Cows of other Breeders there are—as freaks. But dual type by na- ture and in execution as a Breed there is but One—that one Breed— The Red Poll. The Red Poll and Farm Conditions It is the Law of Average, whatever the field of human endeavor, that sus- tains. This very law, applied to Farm Con- ditions of today, imperatively de- mands that the Cow producing the Milk on the farm must also produce the Feeders and IJie Beef. It is this same Law of Average that, while imperatively demanding a dual- nature and type in the Farm- ers' Cow, has also at the same time, through hundreds of years of appli- cation and test, proved the Red Poll to be the most truly dual-purpose ani- mal. Let us now look into this dual, or two sided, Milk and Beef nature of the Red Poll. If the Red Poll is of true dual type and nature it must, at all times, not only produce milk with the best of the milkers but it must, at the same time, produce Beef with the best of the Beef Breeds. Can the Red Poll do this? It can, second to none. In Milk Production the Red Poll stands fourth in the list in competi- tion with the world. Surpassing even some of the known strictly Dairy Breeds. Beauty No. 31725, one of the The Red Poll and Farm Conditions Record Cows of the Breed, has an official record of 20280 pounds o'^ milk and 891.5 pounds of butterfat. Her weight is 1750 pounds and but for her under line is an ideal, typ- ically formed Beef type animal. Pear No. 24888, weight 1440, is the World's Champion Long Distance Red Polled Cow and is the champion Long Distance Record Cow, over all bi-eeds, in the great Dairy State of Minnesota. Minnesota has one herd of thirty Red Poll Cows with not a Cow- in it whose official record is under 460 pounds of butter fat. Absorb this fact and can you then ask. Is the Red Poll a Milker? In Milk Production the Red Poll surpasses the Jersey, Brown Swiss, Shorthorn and all Guernsey records excepting that of Murue Cowan. Now let us look into the Beef pro- duction of the Red Poll and see how really and truly is the Red Poll nature a dual nature. Here let me say regarding the Dual nature. Such is not a strange or unnatural attri- bute. It is but the embodiment and perpetuation of God's perfect laws in full response to nature's demands of a balance. Mammary development The Red Poll and Farm Conditions at the expense of constitution and vigor, or the ability to lay on fat or weight at the expense of mammary worth, is not God's work. He did not do this. Man did it. Man often thinks he can lift himself by his own boot straps, but he never succeeds in doing so. For this very reason, that the Red Poll is a natural, physically balanced animal and has so been bred, coeval with England's earliest history down to the present day, is a guaran- tee to the Farmer that it is a Feeder and Beef animal. There is none supe- rior for the Farmer and cornbelt. This statement is fully substantiated by the records of the past ten or more years of the Slaughter Contest at the International of Chicago. Here, as individuals, the Red Poll Feeders have had to show and compete with the Agricultural Colleges. But no year has passed that has witnessed the RlmI Poll outside the money. At Smithfield Club Show of Eng- land in 1890 a Red Poll Steer dressed 73.72^/r. This, according to the Lon- don Live Stock Journal, has only once been exceeded in England and never by a full blood steer of any breed. Thus in this same law of averages, The Red Poll and Farm Conditions cited above, are more than ample gTounds to prove the Red Poll as a Milker and a Beef Animal par excel- lence. A true, dual type by nature and in execution. Then why be con- tent with any Breed that can not do as well ? Or with a breed that can only do one-half as much? Be that half Milk, or be that half Beef? A better cross than the Red Poll I think does not exist. Seldom is it that the Farmer can, or is called upon to specialize. He must carry forward, at one and the same time, the many diversified fea- tures of the farm. Not solely must he look to Sheep, to the Hogs, Brood mares. Milk, Butter, or the Cattle as feeders with which to fill his feed lots. He must keep his eye on and care intelligently for all. As a single unit, must he carry forward his whole scheme of farm efforts. Not all his Oj^'-gs in one basket, but many eggs in all the baskets is the true farmer's aim and effort. The immutable law of averages compels him to feed, if he would be fed. His land, above all, must be fed if his Family, his Crops and his Bank Account are to be fed. Long, long ago has he learned that 8 The Red Poll and Farm Conditions Manure is King when he is in pur- suit of land enrichment. Equally as long ago has he learned that a large margin of profit is contained in the roughage and by products of his crops. At that time he also learned that Cattle can turn this roughage and waste of the farm into profit bet- ter, quicker and cheaper than any- thing else. Therefore, as the average Farmer is by nature restricted to cer- tain definite lines and must, perforce, diversify efforts as well as crops, let us examine the qualifications of the Red Poll when subjected to average farm conditions. Easy would it be to appeal to the facts of the Breeds history, long patent to the Red Poll student. But it is my intention to take you outside the authentic chan- nels of the Red Poll history. The Red Poll Breeder and Student is as desirous of knowing he is keep- ing the middle of the bovine road, as you are in seeking and finding it. Hence any facts bearing on the sub- ject and coming from extraneous sources, from other than dyed in the wool Breeders, are most welcome facts indeed. Thus it is with pleasure I ap- pend, verbatim, an article from the I) The Red Poll and Farm Conditions pen of Mr. W. J. Kennedy, of the Iowa Agricultural College. This ap- peared in the Breeders' Gazette of Feb. 2, 1914, and was entitled KUTTERFAT PRODUCTION UN- DER FARM CONDITIONS. To The Gazette. — We read a great deal about the phenomenal butterfat records made by cows of the respect- ive dairy breeds. So much publicity is given these feats that the begin- ner is oftentimes led to believe that about all that is necessary to insure success in the dairy business is the purchase of a few cows of this or that breed. It is easy to figure that a few cows producing from 600 to 900 pounds of butterfat each would sup- port a fair sized family in compara- tive luxury. So much for the theory, but what are the actual facts ? These wonderful feats are interest- ing and useful in that they show the possibilities of doing unusual things, when the surroundings are all favora- ble and high records, not economical returns, are the chief consideration. With our high-priced land, feed and labor the cornbelt farmer will be com- pelled to pay more attention to the dairy end of the cattle business in the 10 The Red Poll and Farm Conditions future. Some will make a specialty of dairying. For such men a special purpose dairy breed should be used. It has long since been demonstrated that the good special purpose dairy cow, when given the proper feed, care and management, is one of the most economical machines known to man for converting roughage and concen- trates into food products. Other men, and they compose a large constitu- ency ,do not care to make a specialty of dairy farming. They wish to do some milking in connection with beef production. Some of these men will milk their cows and rear the calves on skimmilk and grain. Others will milk about one-half of their cows and allow the other half to suckle two calves each. This practice prevails on the highest-priced lands of England and Scotland and has proved to be very profitable. I have been making a rather care- ful study of the dairy test association work which is being conducted by the extension department of Iowa State College. The work has grown from year to year and has been very help- ful to farmers of Iowa. In 1909 two associations were organized in Black- 11 The Red Poll and Farm Conditions hawk county. The two assoications contained 46 herds with a total of some 688 cows. The work commenced on June 11, 1909. A man was placed in charge of each association. He did the testing- and tabulated the daily feed an dmilk records kept by the farmers. The results of the first year's work show just what is hap- pening under average farm condi- tions. These men did not know whether their cows were profitable or not. They wanted to know the truth about each cow and were much inter- ested in the final outcome. Out of the 688 cows in the two as- sociations 505 completed the full twelve months. They were of the following breeding: 7 Shorthorns, 218 grade Shorthorns, 19 Holsteins, 56 grade Holsteins, 6 Guernseys, 25 grade Guernseys, 3 Jerseys, 37 grade Jerseys, 16 grade Herefords, 3 grade Red Polls, 1 grade Angus, and 114 of mixed breed. Out of these 505 cows 32 made 300 pounds or better of butterfat. In breeding they were a.s follows: 1 Shorthorn, 16 grade Shorthorns, 5 grade Jerseys, 4 grade Holsteins, 1 Guernsey, 3 grade Guern- seys, 1 grade Hereford, and 2 grade Red Polls. 12 O^OOO-qOiCnjs.CCtOh-' >lu^H Shorthorn- Angus Grade Shorthorn Grade Shorthorn Grade Shorthorn Grade Shorthorn Grade Shorthorn Grade Holstein Grade Guernsey Grade Shorthorn Grade Jersey 3' crq COOO-qoSCsOOOOOtDOs tococo^fxcnas-qooi-^i-i cnbo«ooi^^^^c^c^booo •;^J-J^:^;nq spunOfj ?O?OC£>l-^CD000000t-'5 •:^Bj-j8:^:^nq JO punod jad :^so3 00P>.CO asa>asooto05H-'i-iooi •paaj JO ;soo 0\ to k to C5 «£> *~:j as io Iq •••••• ^yo.id 5H 3 S 0-2 32 5^ ©is Average T}< LC CO Ti< tH ?ri C7i l- (MO5C>C0TfL-00O "^^sS profit Lti i;© 00 L-^ CO d CO s mad f butt hat 1' he de per cow tCLOlO-^LOt-L— LO ^ ^ B llowance i; f pounds o e shows t ind g^ives t Average cost 00«OCit-OiO.O'X> ■>*00«OCOCi(NCi « of feed CO Oi L- L- Tl^ «£> Tt t-^ h: per cow. COCOCOTtCO(MCOCO K- a '-, CA rr A-verage cost per pound oot-oooooooo ol cS-2^ lOOi-iocaasotM be 0; arged; e numt) lowing 2 montl butter-fat iH"^COt-CO00iHTj< tH tH tH 1— 1 tH tH 1— 1 per cow. «o c; z^aZ Average lbs. OlOOfMlOOOO-^ .225 0)5 butter-fat C0THrfT} CsOOCXJOOIOOtHCO ^ ^■^H^ per cow. (M'b^^ t on ere •ket bet ^^^0 '" Oi C ^^ ^^Bi> ""