Back to “Home”    Back to List of “Original Articles About Dexters”

"The Cattle of Britain" - Extracts on Dexters

by Frank H. Garner

published by Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1944

From Chapter 1, Historical Account of the Development of the Cattle Industry, Page 10:

An exceedingly interesting fact arises with regard to black colour, for some historians claim that the native cattle of Britain were black and that the Roman invasion pushed the natives and their cattle into the parts that are now known as Celtic; in those districts the following breeds, that are wholly or partially black, are to be found at the present time, e.g. Galloways, Belted Galloways, Aberdeen Angus, Kerries, Dexters, Welsh Black and Gloucesters, whereas there is no black breed native to the east and south-east of England.

From Chapter 5, Dairy Cattle, Page 98:

The Kerry breed . . . has not spread very widely into this country. It was developed in Ireland mainly in exposed districts where the food supplies were scanty and it seems such conditions have not attracted many of the breed into this country. The breed that is usually black displays extreme dairy type and appears to be relatively rather long on the leg. The udders are usually rather pendulous by way of contrast to those of the Ayrshire breed. The milk is particularly suitable for manufacturing into cheese or butter and, in Ireland, has been used for both purposes. In the past the breed has been rather mixed with the Dexters, and that accounts for the throw-backs that sometimes appear.

From Chapter 6, Dual Purpose Cattle, Pages 111-115 and photos opposite page 144:

Breeds and their Relative Importance

In an attempt to evaluate the importance of the breeds Tables XIX and XX have been compiled from various sources.

Table XIX: Results of Smithfield Show, 1938 - Dual-Purpose Breeds, Beef Characteristics [Part I, Steers]

* Open to steers and heifers

Note: The Shorthorns shown were not from dual-purpose families but from beef strains,

hence no figures are given for Shorthorns

Table XIX: Results of Smithfield Show, 1938 - Dual-Purpose Breeds, Beef Characteristics [Part II, Heifers]

* Open to steers and heifers

Note: The Shorthorns shown were not from dual-purpose families but from beef strains,

hence no figures are given for Shorthorns

Table XX: Dual-Purpose Breeds, Dairy Characteristics [Part I]

* These include Beef Shorthorns also

Table XX: Dual-Purpose Breeds, Dairy Characteristics [Part II]

The figures that give the best impression of the importance of the breeds are those for the numbers of bulls licensed. The predominance of the Shorthorn is most conspicuous, but this figure is liable to some small error because it is not possible to ascertain the number of beef bulls of the breed. If the figures for milk recorded stock are inspected it will be seen that the Shorthorns are by far the most numerous; these figures understate the real situation, for whereas the vast majority of some of the breeds, e.g. South Devon, are milk recorded, only a very small proportion of the Shorthorns are officially recorded.

Turning to the performances as dairy stock the Lincoln Red Shorthorn should be mentioned for it has outstripped its parent breed, the Dairy Shorthorn, though the numbers of recorded stock are relatively small. Some readers may be rather surprised to see the excellence of the Red Poll and also the relatively high proportion of stock kept. As usual, the Dexter shows up very favourably for its efficiency in milk production, i.e. milk per 1,000 lb. live weight, the South Devon being particularly bad in this respect. There is not much to choose between the butter-fat percentages of the recorded cattle, but the Dairy Show records display some big differences. Contrary to the usual experience, the cows of the Dexter breed have given the richest milk at the particular show mentioned; over a number of years the South Devon cows have most consistently done so. It will be noticed that all breeds have produced richer milk at the Dairy Show than they did in the Milk Recording Societies; this may be due to the specialized feeding and management of the cows attending that Show.
Passing to the other table, the outstanding feature is the fact that only the Red Polls are shown at Smithfield as baby beef animals (though the Shorthorn can be included) and in the beeflings only the Welsh are added. In the mature beef sections the Lincoln Red Shorthorn and the South Devons have made good live-weight gains from birth, but neither of these breeds will fatten at young ages; if fed freely when young they merely grow bigger. The Dexter is slow growing and never gets very heavy. The actual quality of beef produced is not indicated in the Table. Undoubtedly, the baby beef from the Red Poll breed is first-class, but it is more difficult to state which breed produces the best quality mature beef, though most would consider the Lincoln Red Shorthorn to be the best. There is no doubt, however, that the pure beef breeds will usually produce better beef than is produced by cattle of the dual-purpose breeds.

Another interesting way of evaluating the breeds is to see the number of bulls licensed, the number of premiums given in comparison to the number of cows recorded. It is quite easy to see that the Lincoln Rod Shorthorns are very widely used for crossing purposes whereas the Red Poll breed is very little used for crossing; the same may be said of the South Devon and Dexter breeds, though figures are not available to substantiate the statement regarding the latter. It would be observed that the numbers of Dexters kept is very small and undoubtedly the breed contributes little to the stock of this country, though with the present tendency for smaller joints there is a case for the breed to be used for crossing for small joints.

At this stage a brief synopsis of the breeds is given. This, following on the description of the type and some indication of the numbers found, will enable the student to estimate the importance of the breeds in British agriculture . . .

Dexters - see illustrations facing page 144 [photos, below] - have been developed in districts of sparse food supply; they are the smallest breed of cattle found in the British Isles. By some authorities they have been described as being miniature Shorthorns; they have relatively large barrels and short legs and they appear in two distinct whole colours, namely, black and red. The breed is kept pure and the cows are used for crossing for beef production where the aim is to produce smaller joints. The Dexters are not early maturing and under no circumstances can they be forced. As beef stock the quality of carcase produced is good but the dual-purpose pelvic girdle is to be seen. They are relatively heavy milk producers but milking presents the real problem, for they often have pendulous udders which are so close to the ground that it is difficult to get a bucket under them. It is found necessary at times to place the cows and heifers on benches to facilitate milking.
 

Back to List of “Original Articles About Dexters”