THE LIVE STOCK OF THE FARM. 5(JI 



which can be traced to good grounds. It has been justly remarked " that 

 some of the very best of the improved Short-horns have been white ones.'' 

 The following is a description of the Short-horn breed, from the pen of 

 R. Smith, in the "Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society :" " He 

 should have a symmetrical and compact form, of sufficient size, on short is] i 

 legs ; the body should be covered evenly with flesh, of a mellow and elas- 

 tic nature, yet firm enough and springy to the touch, following the fingers 

 v. -hen the pressure is withdrawn ; the forehead should be open, without a 

 contracted air about it, and tapering gracefully to the muzzle ; the eye 

 prominent, yet placid ; neck moderately long, nearly running into the 

 shoulders, which should be well laid, gracefully fitting into the fore-quar- 

 rth good over the heart ; the fore-arm, where it joins the body, 

 id and tapering, with fine bone below the knee, and fitting level into 

 tin- girth, and so maintaining a straight line along the whole animal to the 

 ! emity of the hip ; the neck vein should be prominent and well filled 

 up with flesh, running neatly into the shoulder-points, which should not 

 be prominent, (i.e. rough), but well covered, and the muscle on the outside 

 of the shoulder being well developed ; the ribs should spring well and 

 1 from the backbone, increasingly so towards the back rib, which 

 lould be well home to the quarter in fact, the space here (termed the 

 rib) should carry on in a straight line over the hip, gradually taper- 

 on the side bones at the tail, but the quarter must be well packed, 

 lot "scooped out," so to speak; the hip-bones should be dovetailed into 

 le quarter and false rib so completely that one ought to be at a loss 

 rhere to find them i.e. they should not be too recognisable ; the flank 

 ill then, as I have already said, be deep and full, forming a parallel line 

 tin; animal's hack from the bottom of the girth ; the back, again, 

 behind the top of the shoulder all along the vertebra?, should be 

 >vered ; the loins should be wide and thick; the edge-bone, or ri 

 long the quarter should form a straight line in continuation with the 

 back, and should also be well covered (which, in a great many animals, it 

 to the same level: the twist should l>e .straight down 

 tare), in-. wide and deep, containing a great deal of heavy flesh, 



.'11 under the animal: then- should bo a thick 



i of mossy hair, nut sharp, <r what is termed wiry. Altogether, such 

 an animal will have an ease and :' motion as it walks which is only 



attained when the whole formation i feet harmony. There is, in- 



lably , too, a Style and grandeur of appearance unmistakably ^tamping 

 "high caste" Short-horn. Many well l.i.l animals will not f< 

 i, but get patchy, which is fatal to them as show animals, 1. 

 JJ 



