NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS 143 



internal fat and external condition. They are superior dairy 

 cattle, but capable of improvement by selecting and breeding 

 from the male and female progeny of the best milkers. The 

 instinctive practice of hiding their young they inherit from 

 the white forest cattle. Calves, as a rule, are left with their 

 mothers only for a few days, or in special cases a few weeks, 

 when they are weaned and reared on skim milk, with 

 supplementary food. 



The North Wales Black cattle resemble in many 

 respects the South Wales variety. From the latter they 

 differ in having shorter legs, heavier heads, thicker necks, 

 thicker, shorter, and whiter horns, heavier and more silky 

 coats of wavy hair (neither curly nor bristly), thinner skins, 

 and a better touch. The colour most highly appreciated is 

 black, though there is a frequent tendency to white patches. 

 Red is not an uncommon colour, although not officially 

 recognised. They are not naturally so wild as South Wales 

 cattle, and more resemble the Shorthorn in disposition. It is 

 asserted on good authority that, in certain strains, Shorthorn 

 blood has been introduced to improve the form and develop 

 a tendency to early maturity, but this kind of improvement is 

 gained at the expense of loss of the natural ability to subsist 

 on a scant food supply, and to withstand stress of weather. 

 The most satisfactory way of improving all the hardy breeds 

 which are periodically exposed to trying climatic conditions 

 is to select, for breeding purposes, the best specimens within 

 the breed. Sussex blood has also been successfully intro- 

 duced in the development of the modern breed, but to what 

 extent has not been made known to the public. 



The cows are good milkers, but probably not quite equal 

 to the Pembrokes. As beef-producers they are the better of 

 the two, having broader backs and better flanks and thighs. 

 There is a tendency to be high at the rump and tail-head, 

 flat in the ribs, and slack at the loins, but these defects are 

 being gradually eliminated. The bullocks have been long 

 and highly appreciated as grazing cattle in the English 

 Midlands, under the name of " Welsh Runts." They yield 

 at four years old 50 to 60 stones of dressed beef, which ranks 

 in the London market as prime Scotch. Heifers have 

 also been sent in considerable numbers to graze in Kent, 

 Leicester, and Northampton. 



