THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



531 



breed which is most highly esteemed, so far as you 

 can compare a large beast with a small one, is 

 almost exactly the same. The quality of their tlesh 

 is considered wholly unsurpassed, there being a 

 fine degree of marble mixture of fatty matter which 

 cannot be surpassed. It is well known that the 

 nobility and gentry of England get up our Scotch 

 kyloes as their finest beef. They are in a half wild 

 state, and must be fed fat upon grass, for the High- 

 land ox takes as long to get accustomed with a 

 byre as another to be fed fully fat m it. As milk- 

 ers, they do not excel in quantity ; but the quality 

 is shown by the manner in which they suckle their 

 calves. I need not dwell upon this breed, but go 

 on to a pecuhar breed, viz., that reared in Gallo- 

 way, Aberdeen, Kincardine, and Angus. How 

 that breed has come to be what it is, forms a diffi- 

 cult question. Whether they are a species of the 

 West Highlander somewhat changed, and having 

 lost their horns, I don't know ; but there is a 

 peculiarity regarding them. Those in Galloway are 

 larger and thinner from the heuk to the tail, though 

 not so broad as others; while those in Aberdeen 

 are broader over the back. It may be mentioned 

 that the latter county has at this time the honour 

 and glory of supplying what in the London market 

 is called pure Scots, and they carry the highest 

 price for beef in the London market. In regard to 

 their milking properties, I have the authority of 

 Mr. M'Combie, of TUlyfour, that they are excellent 

 milkers ; and he scouted the idea of an Ayrshire 

 being compared with them in Aberdeenshire. I 

 may mention that his place is by no means a gar- 

 den of Eden, being without shelter on the top of a 

 hill, and yet there are to be seen some of the most 

 magnificent animals you can conceive. Long may 

 the Aberdeen folks have the credit of producing the 

 best Scots for the London market. There is ano- 

 ther breed, called the Fife breed, which is said to 

 have been originally a Dutch breed; but they are 

 very few in number, and are not increasing. There 

 are, perhaps, some present who can say something 

 more about them than I can. I now come to the 

 Ayrshire breed, which is one with which we have a 

 great deal to do. That breed is generally allowed 

 to be superior to all others for quantity of milk. 

 The Ayrshire breeders have, for many years, been 

 driving at that point, namely, good milking qual- 

 ities, and I regret to say that I fear they have done 

 so to the neglect of the feeding qualities. A recent 

 writer, speaking of Ayrshires, says, that one cause 

 of the pleuro-pneumonia is that they are bred too 

 fine, and I am of opinion that there is some truth 

 in this. The same writer also said, that if a breed- 

 er has a first-rate bull, he was put to his nearest 

 relations — to his own mother, daughters, or cou- 

 sins, thus breeding too much in-and-in. What- 

 ever causes operate to produce the effect, I do not 

 pretend to say ; but it is an acknowledged fact that 

 the Ayrshire breed are deficient in beef and grow- 

 ing qualities. They are, generally speaking, nar- 

 row in the chest, and cannot have a large develop- 

 ment of lungs, so that they may be predisposed to 

 take injury or catch cold. In regard to pleura, it 

 is a disease the result of a cold which has hung 

 about the animal for many months without being 

 observed, till it could no longer escape observation, 



and I believe a great deal of it results from cattle 

 being turned out too early in the spring, and left 

 out too long in autumn, and being allowed to hang 

 uj)on their legs at the gate of a field, doing no good 

 whatever. If we go to the original of the Ayrshire 

 breed, it will be difficult to call it a pure breed ; for 

 Mr. Orr, of Grougar, and Mr. Campbell, of Cess- 

 nock, brought Holderness cattle to Ayrshire, while 

 Colonel Dunlop also introduced cows from Guern- 

 sey and Holland ; but of whatever blood it be 

 composed, there can be no doubt that the breeders 

 have been successful in producing a highly esteemed 

 description of cattle. It is quite possible for a 

 person looking about him in Ayrshire to see the 

 difference between the breeds. Near KUmarnock 

 the cattle are tolerably broad in the hook, having 

 white muzzles, and a decided dash of the short- 

 horn. Yellow and white cows denote the Guern- 

 sey breed, while dark brownish red and tawny 

 muzzles betoken the Alderney cow. I happened to 

 be at a meeting at Cumnock some years ago, and 

 saw there what was reckoned the best bull in Ayr- 

 shire. Geordie was his name, I think, and he was 

 the property of Mr. Finlay, of Lyonston, He was 

 of a beautiful dark colour, with horns turning up. 

 I said, " You may call that bull an Ayrshire if you 

 choose ; but if there is not West Highland blood 

 there, I don't know where there is any." I was 

 afterwards informed that one- eighth of his blood 

 was West Highland. I remember a description of 

 Ayrshire cattle with horns turned in towards the 

 eyes. This was called the Crummie horns ; and so 

 completely was this understood, that a good milk 

 cow was called a crummie. It has been found that 

 fashion insists that the horns of Ayrshires are to be 

 turned up, and screwing has been resorted to for 

 that purpose. But a little dash of the West High- 

 land settles that, without any screwing at all. [The 

 speaker then went on to defend the crossing of 

 breeds, as it was only by that means that a perfect 

 animal could be raised, and then went on to speak 

 of the short-horned breed. He said :] The intro- 

 duction of short-horns may be of signal benefit to 

 this country; but I am not far from thinking that 

 if you keep them according to the present English 

 rules you will not be greatly benefited by them. 

 Some of the means at present adopted go to deprive 

 the animal of its milking powers, and render it 

 unnatural in its inclination to take on fat; but if 

 they are made to keep in a good fair growing, 

 breeding state— in fact, in that state of exuberant 

 health which makes them suitable for breeding — 

 the country would greatly benefit by their intro- 

 duction. Unfortunately, the great run has been 

 upon shape only, to the neglect of milking and 

 breeding qualities. I may mention, in confirma- 

 tion of my remarks about the fattening of the short- 

 horn, that I was at the Newcastle show of the 

 English Society some years ago, and was going 

 round the yard with Mr. Booth, of Killerby. He 

 was reckoned the first breeder of fat stock in York- 

 shire, and was only equalled by Mr. Bates, whom 

 he never liked to meet, so close was the competition, 

 Mr. Booth's cattle were very high fed ; and one 

 cow he had at that show— Necklace, I think, was 

 her name— was as magnificent an animal as one 

 could wish to behold : but then she had, as it were, 



