FRANCE. 247 



of the land. It is incontestable tliat the race Bretonne is the most quiet 

 and hardy of all known races, can content itself on less while giving a 

 relatively high return. It is calculated that a cow of this breed will 

 give a pound of milk rich in butter for each pound of hay consumed; 

 there is no other which will yield a like quantity with less than from 

 two to three times the quantity of food. Again, we must consider that 

 this rich milk is produced under circumstances where others would 

 starve. It has been justly styled the " race Bretonne/ 7 useful to the rich 

 and the providence of the poor. 



THE PARTHENAISE BREED. 



The name of " race Parthenaise " is applied to designate the different 

 varieties of a perfectly homogeneous breed found upon the shores of 

 the ocean from the mouth of the Loire to that of the Gironde. 



These varieties assume different names in different localities, and 

 present modifications peculiar to the nature of the soil, treatment, and 

 other economical conditions, without altering the general character- 

 istics of the race. 



In the Loire Inferk'ure they are called "race Nantaise;" in Poitou, 

 " race Poitevine ; " in the neighborhood of Cholet, " Choletaise ; " " Ven- 

 de"enne" in the Vend6 ; " Gatinaise" or " Bocage" in the country known 

 under the name of Gatine or Bocage ; and, lastly, " Maraichine" on the 

 shores of the ocean and the marshes of Saintonge. But the parent 

 stock is that raised in Bocage, an extension of the granite reef which 

 forms the greater part of the peninsular of Bretagne, extending along 

 Bocage and the most wooded parts of the west. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PAETHENAISE BREED. 



The breed of Parthenay has a large and flat forehead, short head, the 

 chaufrein straight and snout large ; the horns are long and tapering, 

 white at the base and black at the extremities ; the neck is short and 

 muscular, the dewlap of moderate size, a little thick ; shoulders long and 

 muscular; withers long and low; chest deep; ribs often flat and low; 

 Hue of the back straight; loins large; haunches wide apart; croup 

 horizontal and well furnished with muscles ; tail deep set ; thighs well 

 muscled and straight ; form nearly a square with the projection of the 

 haunches ; limbs are short but strong, at the joints large, but very 

 straight. The animals of this breed are heavy, slow, but tenacious, 

 robust, and good workers. The ordinary size varies from 5 feet 9 inches 

 to 5 feet 11 inches. When fattened they readily attain 1,100 pounds, 

 live weight. Their skin is nearly as fine and soft as that of the little 

 race Bretonne, and indicates their aptitude for fattening. The only 

 color admitted for these animals is yellowish brown, slighly varied, as 

 it is sometimes paler, and again approaches claret color. The young 

 animals at birth are brown, which changes as they develop into a lighter 

 tint. 



THE PARTHENAISE AS MILKERS AND MEAT CATTLE. 



The cattle of this breed, under the names of "Choletins," "Nantais," 

 or " Parthenais," contribute largely to the supply of the city of Paris, 

 and vary in weight, according to age, &c., from 1,750 to 2,250 pounds. 



The race is not precocious, but at the abattoirs of Paris butchers told 

 me that they preferred them to the more precocious breeds. The cows 



