216 THE CATTLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



to heifers picked up at fairs, and of tlie breeding of which 

 nothing was known. In fact, entries in royal show catalogues 

 frequently run as follows : " Kerry heifer, the property of Mr. 

 A. B. ; pedigree and breeder unknown." These animals had 

 been bought by good judges simply because they had bred back 

 to that character which the old breed possessed. This tendency 

 to breed back to the old type is a feature in the Kerry which 

 proves it to be an original or native breed of cattle, and should 

 be taken advantage of in all attempts to improve the breed. 



The Kerry cow is very docile, and is always a great pet when 

 kept by the owners of suburban villas. She has also the pro- 

 perty of being able to bear confinement ; for instance, we have 

 known a Kerry cow kept for five years in a stable in Dublin ; 

 she had only two calves during that time, and was scarcely ever 

 dry, keeping up a full supply of milk for a large family. We 

 have stated that the breed is small in size, heifers, and some- 

 times even cows, not exceeding 40in. in height at the shoulder. 

 This was the height of Alderman Purdon's very neat first prize 

 heifer, exhibited at the late show of the Eoyal Dublin Society. 

 She had a calf just before the show, although only two years 

 old, and her milk vessels were as large as those of many cows 

 three times her weight. The dimensions of a fat Kerry cow, 

 which was awarded a prize at a show of the Eoyal Dublin 

 Society, are given in the article on Irish Agriculture already 

 referred to — namely, " 38in. in height at the shoulder, 70in. in 

 girth, and 42in. in length from the top of the shoulder to the 

 tail head," indicating " a weight of about thirty imperial 

 stones." Of course, many Kerries run larger, or rather stand 

 higher. 



The Kerry cow is very easily kept, and this characteristic, 

 combined with her milk-producing qualities, well entitles her 

 to the appellation of "the poor man's cow," which has been 

 bestowed upon her. The yield of milk and butter depends, of 

 course, very much on the keep ; but we happen to know that 

 the average yield of milk produced by the Kerry cows belonging 

 to a gentleman who has for many years paid great attention to 

 the breed is about twelve quarts, or three gallons, daily, and 

 the average yield of butter from 61b. to 71b. per week. Some 

 of his cows have produced more, but the quantities stated have 



