CHAPTER II. 

 THE BEST BREEDS OF DAIRY CATTLE* 



Milk-yielding Capacity. The Shorthorns. Milk versus Beef. Ayr- 

 shires. Red Polled Cattle. Jerseys and Guernseys. Kerrys. 



WAS it not in Household Words that Dickens said : "Should 

 mankind ever return to the worship of animals, the Cow would 

 become the chief Divinity " ? In this striking and beautiful 

 figure of speech our great humourist gave expression to the very 

 high estimation in which the cow is nowadays held by all 

 the most civilised and progressive of nations, with, perhaps, 

 the single exception of Japan. And who shall say that the 

 great moralist's fanciful idea is altogether impossible or even 

 improbable ? or that such worship would degrade the human 

 mind as many forms of worship do which still exist on the 

 earth, or which have passed away? It may be said, in any 

 case, of all the different species in the animal world, that which 

 is represented by the Cow is the one we could least afford to 

 do without ; and it therefore follows that, to say the least, we 

 are bound to entertain a good deal of respect for the animal 

 which is so immensely valuable to the human race. 



With the man whoever he may have been who is tradi- 

 tionally said to have "kissed his cow,'* we may venture to 

 admit that we feel a bit of willing sympathy. 



Milk-yielding Capacity. 



One of the most remarkable facts in connection with pedigree 

 cattle-breeding during the last twenty years is the superios 



