ON THE WEST HIGHLAND BREED OF CATTLE. 15 



autumn months and brought them to the Cumberland estates. 

 There they were allowed to run upon the rough pastures, and 

 had a daily allowance of sweet meadow hay and turnips thrown 

 upon the lea-rig. Their progress was most marked ; they soon 

 made prime fat, and theVe was great demand for them to grace 

 the tables of the wealthy. But prices have gone up very materi- 

 ally within a few years, a circumstance it must be confessed 

 which has had a serious tendency to prevent English buyers from 

 entering into transactions so freely. The glory of Brough Hill, 

 so far as Highlanders are concerned, has almost, if not entirely 

 departed, and the shaggy coats have long ago disappeared from 

 the margin of Bassenthwaite Lake. In the present autumn, 

 (1873) the demand for Kyloes is very good, buyers being well 

 represented at the various markets. Highland stirks make 

 L.6, 10s. to L.8; two-year olds, L.10 to L.14; three and four-year 

 olds, L.15 to L.19; and some choice animals, as far as L.21 and 

 L.22. Before the extraordinary rise in the price of cattle, from 

 L.10 to L.12 was thought a high figure for the choicest descrip- 

 tions. In 1849 the rates were: — Stirks, L.3 to L.5, 10s.; two- 

 year olds, L.7 to L.8 ; and three and four-year olds,L.9 to L.10, 10s. 

 So much for the change in the times. 



The West Highlander as a Ifilker. — Great diversity of opinion 

 exists as to the milking properties of the West Highlanders. 

 Some farmers aver that, as a rule, they do not yield a large 

 amount of dairy produce, while others are quite sanguine in their 

 belief that they excel as pail cattle. Of course, the circumstances 

 under which the test is applied may have considerable influence 

 either one way or the other. Notwithstanding their extreme 

 hardihood, the roughness of their coat, and the length of horn 

 which are characteristics quite opposed to those possessed by the 

 pure-bred shorthorn, they have so many points in common with 

 the breed alluded to, in the short legs, the level back, the sym- 

 metrical trunk, the broad chine, the expansive chest, the w^ell- 

 arched ribs and breadth of loin, that they can scarcely fail to 

 produce a good supply of milk when properly treated. An 

 eminent breeder says: — " In breeding for the dairy, the Kyloes 

 have now the preference to every other breed. This superiority 

 they have no doubt attained by judicious selection and breeding 

 exclusively from such animals as secreted the most milk, as well 

 as by persevering experimental observations. Good judges can 

 now pretty accurately point out a profitable dairy cow from the 

 development of certain points in her conformation." The High- 

 lander is justly noted as a breed inclined to carry inside fat, and 

 it is an established fact that the better the milking qualities of 

 any breed, the more fat the animals are calculated to carry inside 

 and vice versa. 



The West Highland as a Breed for Crossing. — The crossing of 



