160 ON THE WEST HIGHLAND BREED OF CATTLE. 



Highland heifers with shorthorns is a subject which is often dis- 

 cussed, but has probably never been thoroughly attended to ; yet 

 there is no doubt that by careful and judicious crossing, a useful 

 race might be propagated, combining the early maturing, the fat 

 forming, and the milking properties of the shorthorn, with the 

 hardihood, the fine quality of flesh, and the noble appearance of 

 the West Highlander. AVhere crossing has been tried, it has 

 often been done injudiciously, with animals far too young ; thus 

 the offspring would be quite diminutive. But were fine three- 

 year olds from some of the herds already named, crossed with 

 sires like " Ignoramus " or " Edgar," there is no doubt that a 

 race of cattle would be produced, as the auctioneers say, " fit for 

 anything " — breeding, feeding, or dairy, and calculated to with- 

 stand the vicissitudes of almost any climate. Occasionally an 

 English breeder buys a pure-bred Highland heifer, which is 

 crossed with a shorthorn bull, the offspring being again crossed 

 with a shorthorn, and the progeny are not only splendid milkers, 

 but very quick growers, and are everywhere favourites with the 

 butchers when fat. Crossing the Highlander with other breeds 

 than the shorthorn has been tried with a certain amount of suc- 

 cess in some instances, but it has been generally found that no 

 cross produces such satisfactory results as that with the short- 

 horn, as the two breeds have so many points in common, and 

 others so widely different, that mixing the blood seems to incul- 

 cate qualities in the offspring, wanting in both of the breeds from 

 which they are descended. 



Improvement and Conservation of the Breed. — Much has been 

 done in late years with the view of improving the West High- 

 lander, as evidenced by the fine animals which sometimes grace 

 our Christmas and other shows. This improvement is particu- 

 larly noticeable in the Western Islands, where strength of bone 

 has been combined with hair and horn, while in some of the 

 mainland herds there has been wonderful improvement. Much 

 more, however, might still be done, both in the improvement and 

 conservation of this valuable breed. A few years ago sheep 

 farming encroached so much iipon the districts in which the 

 cattle are reared, that it was feared that the shaggy-coated High- 

 landers would become almost extinct; and had prices not become 

 very much higher, there would have been good reason for being 

 alarmed, but from the very fact of the comparative scarcity and 

 the great competition throughout both Great Britain and Ireland 

 for cattle for feeding purposes, in order to supply the increasing 

 demands of the meat-eating population, value was enhanced so 

 rapidly, that breeders were encouraged to pay more attention to 

 raising bovine stock for the market. 



It is a matter of some difficulty to lay down rules for the im- 

 provement of the West Highlander, inasmuch as it is the creature 



