ANGLESEA CATTLE. 209 



scrotum of the bulls and the udders of the cows being very 

 frequently white — indeed some eminent authorities insist on 

 this as being a " characteristic and desirable feature," denoting 

 purity of breed. A white streak is sometimes found along the 

 chine, but this feature cannot be commended. The horns, which 

 may be broadly described as white with black tips, curving 

 gracefully upwards in cows and oxen, are usually much darker- 

 coloured than in the Pembrokes, and the white portion not so 

 mellow and creamy in appearance. They are perhaps a little 

 larger than the Gastlemartins, and stand on short strong legs ; 

 but they are not so good in the head or shoulder as the Pem- 

 brokes. The head of the ox is very frequently heavy and bull- 

 like. Da vies, in his time, attributed the " bull-like features in 

 the head and dewlap " of the Anglesea ox to the fact that the 

 calves were not weaned in Anglesea until " double the time at 

 which they are weaned in other counties," together with their 

 not being " gelt until they be about a year old ; " but this will 

 hardly account for the persistency of this feature in stock not 

 thus treated. The shoulder is often coarse, and they are in- 

 clined to be flat behind the bladebone. In short, comparing 

 them once more with the Pembrokes, they are altogether coarser 

 in the fore part, but have better hind-quarters and broader 

 loins than their southern rivals. 



As breeding and rearing cattle has from time immemorial 

 been the pride of Anglesea, the development of good dairy 

 qualities in the cows was for ages much neglected. In the 

 beginning of the present century the island but barely pro- 

 duced enough butter and cheese for home consumption. It is 

 not therefore to be expected that the Anglesea cattle, under 

 such a course of treatment and selection, should have inherited 

 great milking powers, and consequently they are in this respect 

 surpassed by many other breeds. 



Mr. T. Congreve, at the Christmas Meeting of the London 

 Farmers' Club a few years ago, speaking as a grazier, deeply 

 lamented that year by year it became more difficult to buy a 

 lot of good beasts to graze. The demand for good grazing 

 beasts is increasing. Our large dairies have relinquished 

 breeding ; our stall-feeders are many of them entirely dependent 

 on the fair and market for their stock. The production of 



p 



