36 



veins, are usually an indication of heavy milking. In " dry " cows 

 the size of the milk-veins can be estimated by the dimensions of 

 the milk-wells, through which the veins pass into the abdomen. 



Selection of Bull from a Milking Strain. In selecting a bull for 

 a dairy herd, a pedigree of performance is, along with purity of 

 breeding, of first importance. Not only should the dam be an out- 

 standing milch cow, but the grand-dams on both sides should have 

 been superior milkers, and the sire should conform to the 

 characteristic breed type. In bulls the prominence and width of 

 the rudimentary teats at the base of the scrotum are often thought 

 to be good indications of the milking character of the udders of 

 the next generation of heifers. 



Dual-Purpose Cattle. The greatest degrees of excellence in both 

 beef and milk production are seldom combined in one animal,, 

 but several of the British breeds combine tha two characters 

 extremely well ; the bullocks are good feeders' and butchers' cattle, 

 the cows are good milkers, and though they necessarily carry little 

 flesh when milking heavily, when " dry " they fatten up quickly 

 and produce good carcases. In this connection reference may be 

 made to the general belief among breeders of dual-purpose cattle 

 that the milking capacity of a cow is to some extent determined 

 by her treatment as a calf and heifer. It is supposed that 

 keeping in comparatively poor condition when young and putting 

 to the bull at an early age encourages milk production, while the 

 opposite tends to produce a beefy type of animal. 



Classification of British Breeds of Cattle. In some cases it is not 

 easy to classify the breeds exactly, as different strains vary so- 

 much ; but the following is usually accepted : 



Beef Cattle : 



Some strains of Shorthorns. 



Hereford. Sussex. 



Aberdeen-Angus. Galloway. 



Devon. West Highland. 



Dual-Purpose Cattle : 



Some strains of Shorthorns. 



Lincolnshire Red Shorthorn. Welsh Black. 



lied Poll. Longhorn. 



South Devon. Dexter. 



Dairy Cattle : 



Ayrshire. British-Holstein. 



Jersey. Kerry. 



Guernsey. 



THE SHORTHORN.* 



Origin of the Shorthorn. The Shorthorn, sometimes referred to 

 as " the one cosmopolitan breed," is descended from the old North- 

 East of England cattle, which were numerously represented in the 

 eighteenth century in the counties of Northumberland, Durham, 



* See History of Shorthorn Cattle. Edited by James Sinclair, London 

 Viuum and Co., Ltd.. 1907. 



