CATTLE 



21 



through its breeders have been careful to preserve 

 mid cultivate it* exceptionally high properties in the 

 jiruiliirtimi of meat of the choicest quality. In thi 

 lies tin- chief excellence of the breed, and in these 

 time* the characteristic is one of great value. This 

 property in tin- northern |>olls, combined with the 

 MIII ml system of feeding pursued in Scotland, bos 

 secured ' prime Scotch ' beef the highest favour and 

 longest price in the London market. At one time 



Fig. 3. Polled Aberdeen- Angus Bull and Cow. 



the cows of this breed gave a bountiful yield of rich 

 milk, but owing to the breeders' attention having so 

 long been mainly directed to the cultivation of the 

 fattening properties, they are now only moderate 

 milkers. In recent years the breed has improved 

 considerably in early maturity, and at the London 

 Fat Stock Show in December 1887 it surpassed all 

 other breeds in this important property. At that 

 show the class of polled Aberdeen-Angus steers 

 under two years ( averaging 667 days in age ) gave 

 an average live-weight of 1475 Ib. ; and steers over 

 two and under three years ( averaging 984 days ), 

 1874 Ib. Black is the prevailing colour, but occa- 

 sionally a red calf is dropped. 



The Galloway breed, which takes its name from 

 the south-west of Scotland, where it has existed it 

 is believed for centuries, has an undeniable claim 

 to an ancient lineage. Its 

 origin is lost in the mists of 

 bygone ages, but enough 

 or its history is known to 

 insure for this breed a 

 high position amongst the 

 native races of British 

 cattle. Black and horn- 

 less like the polled Aber- 

 deen-Angus oreed, Gallo- 

 way cattle differ substan- 

 tially from the former, not 

 only in outward features, 

 but also in their inherent 

 properties. They are 

 similar in size, more snaggy and muscular in 

 appearance, having a thicker hide and ranker 

 coat of hair, but they do not mature so quickly, 

 and are not so well suited for rapid house-feeding 

 as the northern polls. But the Galloways are 

 excellent grazing cattle, and for this property 

 they have been highly esteemed for many genera- 

 tions, both in England and Scotland. In recent 

 years they have been exported in large numbers to 

 America, where they have been found admirably 

 adapted for ranching purposes. They are exceed- 

 ingly robust and hardy, and have surpassed several 

 of the other finer varieties on the ranches of the 

 western states of America, where the cattle have 

 to accomplish a great deal of walking in finding 

 food and water. 



From a dairy-farmer's point of view, the Ayr- 

 shire is the most valuable of all the British 

 breeds of cattle. Its origin is uncertain, but it is 

 considered more than probable that its progenitors 

 were of Dutch extraction. Be this as it may, it 

 was well established as a famous dairy breed in 



Fig. 4. Galloway BulL 



Fig. 5. West Highland Cow. 



the south-west of Scotland before the clone of the 

 18th century. The prevailing colour* are brown 

 and white, but some are almost entirely white, 

 others are almost a whole brown. They are wide, 

 low-set cattle, with fine horns curving upwards. 

 They are second-rate cattle a beef- producers, but 

 as profitable general dairy cattle they are unsur- 

 passed. A fairly good Ayrshire cow will give 600 

 gallons of milk in a year, a very large quantity for 

 her moderate size. 



There is no more handsome animal of the 

 bovine species than a genuine representative 

 of the West Highland breed. Almost as large 

 in size as the shorthorn, and quite as well 

 proportioned in the frame, the West Highlander 

 gains in appearance by his rank shaggy coat of 

 hair, long, spreading, gracefully turned horns, and 

 hardy, muscular, and defiant gait. With the Wild 

 White cattle of 

 Chillingham and 

 the tiny little 

 Kerry of Ireland, 

 the West Highland 

 is regarded as the 

 finest existing re- 

 presentative of the 

 ancient cattle of 

 Britain. The 

 breed presents con- 

 siderable variety 

 in size and colour. 

 Dun or yellow of 

 various shades is 

 the prevailing 

 colour, but many are black or brindled. They 

 mature slowly, but their beef is much esteemed for 

 its quality and flavour. They are unequalled for 

 hardiness, and can be kept with advantage where 

 no other breed would subsist. The cattle of 

 Orkney and Shetland differ considerably from the 

 varieties on the mainland, but they are as a rule 

 of an inferior character and small in size. 



The Kerry is the smallest of all the recognised 

 varieties of British cattle. The breed has its head- 

 quarters in the bleak bills and upland pastures of 

 the county from which it takes its name, and having 

 been much neglected by Irish farmers, it forms 

 only a very small proportion of the cattle stock of 

 Ireland, which now mainly consists of crosses 

 between the improved shorthorn and 'old Irish 

 cows,' which were of mixed-bred nondescript 

 character. Kerry cattle are very hardy, and the 

 attributes of the Kerry cow have thus been truth- 

 fully described by Yoiiatt : ' Truly the poor man's 

 cow, living everywhere, hardy, yielding for her 

 size abundance of milk of good quality, and fatten- 

 ing rapidly when required. ' Black is the prevail- 

 ing colour, and their horns are upturned and often 

 peculiarly ' cocked.' There is a sub- variety called 

 the ' Dexter Kerry,' shorter in the leg, thicker in 

 body, and heavier in the flesh than the Kerry 

 proper. 



The extension of dairy-farming in the United 

 Kingdom, and the somewhat meagre milking pro- 

 perties of the greater proportion of British cattle, 

 have led to the importation of large numbers of 

 Channel Island cattle. These often indiscrimin- 

 ately called Alderney cattle comprise the Jersey 

 and Guernsey breeds, supposed to be from one 

 common origin, but known to have been bred in 

 purity in the respective islands of these names for 

 upwards of a hundred years. They are both essen- 

 tially dairy breeds, giving an abundant yield of rich 

 highly-coloured milk. The Jersey is the smaller 

 of the two, and is docile, delicate, and of graceful 

 deer-like form. In the production of beef it is of 

 little value. The Guernsey is not only larger, but 

 also hardier and more generally useful. When in 



