A DUAL-PURPOSE BREED. 823 



is one which may lie dormant if neglected 

 and which is yet susceptible of cultivation to 

 a remarkable degree. At present a large pro- 

 portion of Short-horn breeders devote their at- 

 tention rather to the development of the feed- 

 ing and fleshing qualities of their stock at the 

 expense of the milk-making proclivities. This 

 is a point which needs attention. It is a well- 

 known fact that the best milkers, as a rule, 

 prove the best mothers, rear the best calves 

 and thus become the most reliable sources of 

 profit in the herd. A typical Short-horn cow 

 should require no " wet-nurse " for her progeny, 

 and by a judicious system of selection and 

 management any good breeding herd may be- 

 come noted for its milk as well as for its beef. 

 In this fact lies the chief glory of the Short- 

 horn.* 



State fair tests. We can conceive of no 

 place more thoroughly unsuited for the proper 

 testing of dairy cows than our American State 

 fairs. Few animals can be expected to do 

 themselves justice immediately after a railway 

 journey, set down in the midst of new and un- 



* Space will not admit of our endeavoring' to collect and set forth the 

 many remarkable milk and butter records made by Short-horn cows in 

 England. We are indebted to Prof. W. J. Kennedy of the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station for the portrait of the English-bred cow Dowager 

 3d. which is reproduced in this volume. This cow was bred and owned by 

 Mr. C. A. Pratt, Bushford, Evesham, Eng., and was first-prize winner at 

 the Royal shows of 1892 and 1893, besides proving the best dairy cow by 

 actual test. Her milk record was 68 Ibs. in one day, from which 2 Ibs. 10 oz. 

 of butter were made. She was a magnificent type of the dual-purpose sort 

 and had a butter record of 561 Ibs. in one year. 



