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Colonial Spanish Cattle in the Usa: History and Present Status

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Colonial Spanish Cattle in the Usa: History and Present Status COLONIAL SPANISH CATTLE IN USA COLONIAL SPANISH CATTLE IN THE USA: HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS GANADO VACUNO CRIOLLO EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS: HISTORIA Y SITUACION ACTUAL Sponenberg, D.P. and T.A. Olson**. *Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 28061 USA. **202-B Animal Sciences Building. University of Florida. P.O. Box 110910. Gainesville, M 3261-0910. USA. Additional Keywords Palabras clave adicionales Criollo Cattle. Cattle Breeds. Razas bovinas. SUMMARY Cattle from the colonial spanish era in the They are well adapted to a humid, subtropical United States persist in small numbers. Spanish environment. They are valued for longevity, cattle were introduced into both the southwest fertility, and resistance to parasites. Historic and southeast of the USA during the establishment uses include the production of work oxen for of spanish missions and private ranches. These forestry and agricultural purposes, as well as southwest and southeast populations were steers for beef and cows for dairy production. subsequently isolated from one another and evolved into distinct types of cattle. The southwest population became the Texas RESUMEN Longhorn. Texas Longhorns are well adapted to dry, extensive conditions, with some populations El ganado bovino de la era colonial española being adapted to the humid conditions of the en los Estados Unidos persiste escasamente. Los Gulf Coast. They are small to medium in size and bovinos españoles fueron introducidos en el SO colors vary considerably. The conformation is y SE de USA durante el establecimiento de las rangy and fairly poorly muscled, although selection misiones españolas y fincas privadas. Estas is changing this. The original, traditional type was poblaciones del SO y SE quedaron aisladas unas valued for the longevity and fertility of the cows de otras evolucionando hacia tipos distintos de and was used in rugged environments. ganado vacuno. The southeast populations of colonial spanish La población del Sudeste se convirtió en el cattle are only recently being standardized into Longhorn de Texas; estos animales están bien a breed, named Florida Cracker Cattle. They are adaptados a las condiciones extensivas, con smaller and more compactly made than the escasez de agua y algunas poblaciones bien Texas Longhorn, and have variable colors and adaptadas a las condiciones húmedas de la Costa horns. del Golfo. Son animales de tamaño pequeño a ArchivosArch. de zootecnia, Zootec. 41vol. (extra): 41, núm. 401-414. 154, p. 1992.401. SPONENBERG AND OLSON medio y su color varía considerablemente. Su resource for cattle breeders in North onformación es de tipo ambiental, pobremente America. musculada, aunque la selección está cambiando It is thought that fewer than 300 estas características. El tipo original, tradicional, cattle were brought to the New World fue apreciado por la longevidad y fertilidad de las by the Spanish (Olson, 1988). In light vacas siendo empleado en ambientes dificiles. of this small founder population it is La población de ganado español del Sudeste remarkable that the derivative Criollo ha sido recientemente estandarizada como raza, populations contain so many different llamada Florida Cracker Cattle. Los animales son phenotypic varieties. Upon their más pequeños y algo más compactos que el arrival the cattle found an environment Longhorn de Texas y tienen variables colores y initially free of devastating diseases encornaduras. and parasites, and the cattle rapidly Están bien adaptados a un ambiente húmedo increased in numbers. These cattle y subtropical. Son apreciados por la longevidad, formed an essential part of the fertilidad y resistencia a los parásitos. Los usos extensive livestock production systems históricos incluyen la producción de bueyes para that were so characteristic of the trabajo con fines agrícolas y forestales así como spanish colonies. They were generally novillos para carne y vacas para leche. left free to fend for themselves, with the excess being gathered as needed. The populations in North America GENERAL HISTORY OF SPA- originally consisted of three groups: NISH CATTLE IN THE USA California, Texas, and the Southeast. The California cattle were an integral Cattle came to the territory of the part of the economy of that area present United States of America before the influx of anglo settlers in during the early years of spanish the middle 1800s. Following the colonial influence in the New World, discovery of gold and the subsequent (Rouse, 1977). Spanish cattle were massive migration of anglos to this originally brought to the Caribbean area the California cattle were islands, and from there were brought eliminated as a distinct strain of to the mainland of both North and cattle. This occurred both from over South America. The origins of these consumption as well as from cattle are not known in detail, and are crossbreeding. The end result is that variously stated as being from southern these California cattle are now extinct, Spain, the Canary Islands, or perhaps and only played a minor historical even from North Africa. Whatever role in cattle populations. the ultimate source of these cattle, they were a sample of prebreed cattle that came from the geographic extreme THE TEXAS LONGHORN of the distribution of humpless longhorn cattle. They are unique The more central cattle populations among cattle, and are therefore a very occurred in Texas. These cattle came useful, if numerically small, genetic originally from Mexico, and cattle Archivos de zootecnia, vol. 41, núm. 154, p. 402. COLONIAL SPANISH CATTLE IN USA herds from Texas, New Mexico, and drives which are now an integral part northern Mexico interbred and of the history and mythology of the increased to form essentially feral american west. As the central plains populations of cattle on the plains of began to undergo development and Texas (Dobie, 1981; Rouse, 1977 and increased population the newer settlers Towne and Wentworth, 1955). These brought with them eastern cattle, cattle were raised under extensive which generally had a northern management systems. They had european ancestry. These introduced endemic diseases such as babesiosis cattle rapidly succumbed to babesiosis, and anaplasmosis which tended to which acquired the name Texas Fever quickly eliminate newly introduced since the newly introduced cattle cattle from further north or east. As contracted the disease following a result the Texas cattle survived in a exposure to Texas Longhorn cattle. relatively uncontaminated situation The Texas Longhorns failed to exhibit for longer than did the California signs of the disease due to their cattle. The spanish cattle from Texas contracting the organism early in life. persist to the present day. Texas fever eventually closed the The greatest explosion in Texas lucrative cattle trailing business cattle numbers occurred during the because the other states passed laws social disruptions of the war between against the trespass of cattle from the states (Dobie, 1981). This war Texas. This was the first blow to the occurred in 1860 to 1865, during Texas Longhorn as a breed of cattle. which time it was difficult to gather The second and more severe threat cattle. Even when the cattle were to the Texas Longhorn was the successfully gathered it was impossible introduction of improved breeds of to safely drive them to market and sell beef cattle breeds into Texas following them, and consequently the ungathered the eradication of the tick vector of herds grew to huge numbers. Following babesiosis, (Rouse, 1977 and Towne the war these herds were an integral and Wentworth, 1955). Ranchers began part of the economic recovery of to use improved bulls of northern Texas. After the war these cattle european breeding on the local Texas began to aquire the name Texas Longhorn cows, and the introduced Longhorn, by which name they are types quickly supplanted the pure known today. Texas Longhorn. This process began The usual method of exploitation in the late 1800s and accelerated in of these vast herds was to occasionally the early 1900s until by 1925 or so gather them and then to herd them there were very few pure Texas north (Dobie, 1981; Rouse, 1977 and Longhorns in existence. One fact Towne and Wentworth, 1955). In the which is plain in retrospect is that region of Kansas they were loaded although the initial Fl calves were into railroad cars and were taken east phenotypically superior to the Texas for slaughter and processing. This Longhorn, the contribution of the industry gave rise to the long cattle Texas Longhorn was essential to this Archivos de zootecnia, vol. 41, núm. 154, p. 403. SPONENBERG AND OLSON expression of hybrid vigor. As is particularly liked old, productive cows frequently the case, the entire benefit that had twisted horns. Longevity, of the cross was assigned to the fertility, and twisted horns are still improved, imported cattle, and the characteristics of this line today. contribution of the local cattle was Further east, on the Gulf Coast, totally discounted. The result of this were the herds of the Wright family. attitude was that the Texas Longhorn They operated a slaughter house, and was viewed as useless, and only after in the course of moving thousands of its near extinction was it realized that head of cattle through the slaughter it had contributed some very valuable house they started saving out the characteristics to the crossbred calves. Texas Longhorns for breeding in As is typical of landrace their own herds. This is a slightly populations, some stubborn traditional different genetic base than the Yates breeders always kept the original type herds, since it involved the rather of the Texas Longhorn. Most of these random and wide sampling of cattle breeders began collecting and breeding from a larger geographic area. These cattle in the period of the late 1800s cattle largely came from the Gulf up to about 1920. After about 1920 Coast, or had been shipped in from there were very few Texas Longhorns further north in Texas.
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