FARMERS' REGISTER— AYRSHIRE BREED. 



201 



The jTyrshire Breed ranks deservedly hiirh in I Mr. Alton, to whom we are indebted for the an- 

 the estimation of dairy-men, and the most ap- nexed portrait, 

 proved form ol the best milkers is thus stated by | 



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"Head small, but rather long and narrow at the 

 muzzle; the eye small, but quick and Uvely; the 

 horns small, clear, bended, and the roots at a con- 

 siderable distance from each other; neck long and 

 slender, and tapering towards the head, with little 

 loose skin hanging below; shoulders thin; fore- 

 quarters light and thin; hind-quarters large and 

 capacious; back straight, broad behind, and the 

 joints and chine rather loose and open; carcass 

 deep, and the pelvis capacious and wide over the 

 hips, with fleshy buttocks; tail long and smaU; 

 legs small and short, with firm joints; udder capa- 

 cious, broad and square, stretching tbrwards, and 

 neither fleshy, low hung, nor loose, Avith the 

 milk -veins large and prominent; teats short, point- 

 ing outward, and at a considerable distance ii-om 

 each other; the skin thin and lose; hair soft and 

 wooll}-; the head, horns, and other parts of least 

 value small, and the general figure compact and 

 well proportioned.'' 



Besides these, there are the Isle of Sky, or West- 

 ern Kyloes, and the Norlands, from the counties 

 of Ross, Southerland, Inverness, and Caithness — 

 which are smaller than those already enumerated, 

 — and a mixed race, partly horned, and partly 

 polled; black, brintUed, dun colored; which are 

 annually driven in large numbers fi'om the north to 

 the English fairs, where they pass under the com- 

 mon appellation of Scots. They partake, in gen- 

 eral, of the Galloway kindliness to fatten, and 

 goodness of flesh; and, on the richer pastures of 

 the south, soon become ready lor the butcher. 



The original fVelsh Breed is supposed to have 

 been the same as that which eiill exists at Chil- 

 lingham, and is said to have been wild in the 

 mountains so late as the reign of King John. 

 From intermixture with lowland cattle, and sub- 

 sequent crosses, various kinds are now found 

 throughout the principality, almost diflering as 

 much from each other as the counties in which 

 they are severally bred. That most generally 

 known is distinctively called the Anglesey breed, 

 though by no means confined to that part of the 

 countr}'. They are chiefly black, slightl}' marked 

 with white, and have thick horns, of a medium 

 length, curving upwards. They are small, and 

 short in the leg, but well pi-oportioned, and clean, 



though not smalled-boncd vnth deep-barrelled 

 bodies, high and wide hips, deep chest, large dew- 

 lap, and thin but commonly rough hides. They 

 were fa\oritcs with Bakewell, who considered 

 them as nearer to perfection — in some points — than 

 any other except his own improved breed. The 

 average weight of their quarters, when fat, at four 

 years old, is from eight to eleven score pounds. 

 They are very quick feeders, and make excellent 

 beef; and the cows are generally good milkers. 



The best kinds of this race of catlle are principally 

 bred in the counties of Cardigan and Glamorgan, 

 and in the southern and midland English counties, 

 where they are in considerable demand for stock- 

 ing inferior pastures. The small and hardy 

 species, reared upon the mountains are commonly 

 termed Runts; but they are fir fom being as 

 despicable as might be supposed from that epithet, 

 tor they support themselves upon the hardest fare, 

 thriving where some others would starve, and 

 they are unrivalled as cottagers' cows. There is, 

 however, a larger breed of brown color intermixed 

 with white, and also having white horns; but they 

 are long in the leg, thin in the thigh, and narrow- 

 in the cliine. They are neither so compact as the 

 black cattle, nor do they fatten so kindly, or make 

 such good beef; but, though not in esteem with 

 the grazier, they are active, and well adapted for 

 the yoke. 



X. The Alderney Breed are so named from the 

 island, on the coast of Normandy, whence they 

 were first imported, although they are also bred in 

 the neighbouring islands of Guernsey and Jersey. 

 The cows are small sized, but the oxen frequently 

 attain a bidk and stature quite dis])roportioned to 

 the female. Their color is either light red, dun, 

 or cream-colored, mottled with white ; the horns 

 short and gracefully curled, and the bone fine. — 

 They are chiefly valued for the dair\-; and the best 

 cows are observed to have a yellowish circle round 

 the eye, with the sldn at the extremity of the tail 

 of a deep yellowish color approaching to orange: 

 a remark, "it may be noticed, that has been made 

 on good milkers of other breeds. 



Although the breeds throughout the Norman 

 isles is nearly similar, yet that of Jersey is said to 

 be better than that of Guernsey : it is certainly 



