Rural School Leaflet 1225 



is popular. The color markings in the Ayrshire are not so regiilar as the 

 black and white of the Holstein. Often a white Ayrshire cow will be 

 flecked with red instead of being marked in large patches or in any regular 

 way. ; 



The best way to learn the different characteristics in color is to see 

 animals of each breed. It is suggested to teachers that the children 

 be encouraged to tell what kinds of cows they have at home and to describe 

 the colors. Visits to good dairy herds in the vicinity of the school will 

 increase the interest in the subject and give the children first-hand study 

 of animal life. Farmers who are good dairymen arc proud of their herds 

 and are pleased to have them noticed. 



The beef breeds 



There are comparatively few of the four great beef breeds — Shorthorn, 

 Hereford, Hallo way, and Aberdeen-Angus — in New York, as this is 

 primarily a dairy State. At one time Shorthorn cattle were in demand 

 in New York, however, and in 1873, the highest price ever paid for a cow, 

 $40,000, was paid for 8th Duchess of Geneva, a Shorthorn. Beef cattle 

 have given way to dairy cattle, and there are no large herds of beef animals 

 except in one or two places. The influence of the Shorthorn blood has 

 been left in the grade and the scinb herds, however, and there are many 

 animals resembling Shorthorns. The grades of the other beef breeds 

 are not nearly so nmnerous. 



The Shorthorn. — The colors found among Shorthorn cattle are red 

 and white in great diversity of proportions. There are wholly red animals 

 and wholly white animals. Then there is found in large numbers the 

 roan, a mixture of the red and the white with the colors grading impercep- 

 tibly into each other through a mixture of the red and white hairs. 

 In some cases the colors are distinct, and the outlines of the patches of 

 red are clearly defined. The illustration on page 1226 is that of a roan 

 Shorthorn cow with some parts of the body graded into clear white and 

 with other parts nearly a clear red. 



The Hereford.— The characteristic color markings of the Hereford cow 

 are her white face, white line on the back, white underline, white mark- 

 ings on the legs, and white switch. There is no definite extent prescribed 

 for these colors, but the face is always clear white, and the outlines of 

 the other white markings are distinct. The body is a solid dark red. 



The Aberdeen-Angus.— The Aberdeen-Angus cow is solid black and is 

 distinguished from the Galloway by having shorter and straighter hair. 

 The Angus cow is polled; that is, from birth she has no horns. 



The Galloway. — The Galloway cow is also solid black with the best 

 coat of hair of any of the breeds of cattle. The hair is rather long and 



