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The Country Gentleman s Magazine 



management. Thirty or forty years ago this 

 herd was wonderfully improved by a bull, 

 bought at what was then thought a very high 

 price (120 guineas), out of a Rannoch fold 

 in Perthshire. In Mull, Jura, and especially 

 in Islay, there are fine herds of Highland 

 cattle, the rich pastures of the island last 

 mentioned being very fattening. On the 

 mainland of Argyll no Highland fold is more 

 noted than that of Poltalloch, and for many 

 years Mr Malcolm of Poltalloch's name has 

 always been found among the first-prize 

 takers at the great shows. This stock has 

 been carefully and judiciously managed and 

 improved by periodical importations of fresh 

 blood from the best inland herds, chiefly 

 from the Breadalbane stock. Indeed, through- 

 out the higher grounds of Argyll the class of 

 cattle which one sees on almost every farm 

 is very superior, and there is no better place 

 for getting good Highland heifers than the 

 June fair at Dumbarton, which is the 

 great market for Argyllshire Highlanders. 

 The Earl of Seafield has in recent years 

 established at Castle Grant a fold of High- 

 landers which is rapidly coming to fame. 

 There were numerous remarkably fine herds 

 in the districts of Callander, Balquhidder, 

 Breadalbane, Glenlyon, and Rannoch ; and 

 the names of Messrs M'Laren, Callander, 

 Macdonald, Monachyle ; John Stewart, 

 Donald Stewart, and Charles Stewart, Glen- 

 lyon ; M'Laren, Rannoch, &c., were familiar 

 over the Highlands as famed breeders of stock. 

 During the gradual dispersion of these cele- 

 brated herds there was selected from them 

 with great care and judgment the nucleus of 

 that famed herd owned by the late Marquis 

 of Breadalbane, which, at the time of his death 

 in 1862, was probably the finest in Scotland. 

 For many years Lord Breadalbane took a per- 

 sonal interest in his Highland cattle, and both 

 in their selection and management he had the 

 assistance of his friend and neighbour, the 

 late Mr Stewart Menzies, of Chesthill, than 

 whom there was not perhaps in Scotland a 

 better judge of Highland cattle. The Breadal- 

 bane stock was carefully drafted every year, 

 and the annual October sales afforded, for 

 many years, an excellent opportunity to 



farmers and other breeders of improving 

 their stocks by purchases of pure blood. 

 When the Breadalbane herd was sold in 1863 

 the principal purchaser was the late Duke of 

 Athole, who then founded or rather engrafted 

 on an old stock — for there were at Blair Castle 

 the remains of a traditional breed of white 

 Highland cattle — a herd which has since well 

 maintained at Blair Athole the fame acquired 

 by the Taymouth fold. Many of the animals 

 exhibited from this fold at the Highland 

 Society's shows of late years had, with perfect 

 purity of blood, all the characteristics of the 

 shorthorn as to shape and size. A Highland 

 three-year old ox of the Athole stock, exhi- 

 bited by the Duchess Dowager of Athole at 

 the Perth show in 187 1, was regarded by 

 eminent judges at the show as the perfect 

 model of an ox in shape. 



The management of Highland cattle varies 

 considerably in different districts, and ac- 

 cording to the size of the fold. In the larger 

 and more reputed folds the cattle are at large 

 summer and winter, the breeding cows only 

 being placed in separate pens or sheds at 

 calving time, which is usually from January 

 to March or April. In winter the stock 

 generally get meadow hay or straw, and in 

 many cases a few turnips in the open field, in 

 addition to what rough grass they pick up in 

 woods and other sheltered places ; and it is 

 surprising how they maintain condition under 

 such treatment during the most severe win- 

 ters. For some time after calving, and until 

 the young grass comes on in May, the calves 

 are kept separate from their dams, and let in 

 to them to suckle three times a-day ; but 

 when the cows are turned afield, the calves 

 are turned out along with them, and remain 

 at foot until they are weaned, ivhich is 

 usually done about the beginning of October. 

 The experiment of allowing the cows to calve 

 in the open field, and letting the calf follow 

 the dam at will from birth, has been tried ; 

 but the result was that both cows and calves 

 became very wild, and the cows very dan- 

 gerous to approach. In general, Highland 

 cattle are gentle and good tempered ; but 

 when left to roam at large in the woods or 

 on the hills, where they seldom see the face 



