THE CATTLE OP GREAT BRITAIN. 



animals to breed from. More stress should be laid on this 

 point than would at first appear, so-called colour j stock finding 

 a much readier sale than when the predominating colour is 

 white. It may be prejudice, but graziers do not like white 

 stock, and will not have them if possible. They are not con- 

 sidered so hardy as reds and roans, and as store stock, especially 

 if it is intended to do them roughly, they have many disadvan- 

 tages. It is a fact that white animals seem more liable to para- 

 sites than their richer- coloured companions. How this is to be 

 accounted for we cannot vouch, but there can be no doubt as to 

 its truth. Cattle will be found to detoriate, so to speak, in 

 colour, i.e., they will, generation after generation, become lighter. 

 In order to obviate this, it is necessary to keep the colour up to 

 the mark by the introduction of fresh blood of the desired 

 colour, and descended from stock of a similar colour. As regards 

 shorthorns, blood-red sires are now very much more in demand 

 than roans, though the blending may be rich, and it is evident 

 that this results from experience. Eeds are more likely to beget 

 stock like themselves in colour, or at least of a roan colour; 

 whereas roans will often produce white animals. Animals exer- 

 cise influence on their offspring in proportion to the purity and 

 length of their descent ; therefore a pure white bull will be likely 

 to beget more white calves than coloured ones, although all the 

 cows put to him were red ones, always supposing the cows not 

 to be of equal purity of blood. If we start with red as a 

 foundation colour, we can easily get the stock lighter, and there- 

 fore this colour will be found the best. The use of red bulls 

 bred from red stock will, in a short time, influence very greatly 

 the colour of a herd. As farther evidence in the same direction, 

 we may remind our readers that the breeders of Charolais cattle 

 in the centre of France, which should be of a creamy white 

 colour, have introduced English Shorthorn bulls from time to 

 time with great advantage to quality of flesh and early maturity 

 and little risk as to colour, so long as they used only white 

 animals descended from white parents. 



It is a mistake to suppose that well-bred animals require more 

 food, and that of better quality, than rough ones. No doubt a 

 Welsh runt will do well where an average-bred beast would com- 

 paratively starve ; but between the common black-nose, hard- 



