

THE BEST BREEDS OF DAIRY CATTLE, 17 



would much like to possess. These were polled cattle, quite as 

 variously coloured as any of our own breeds, and more so than 

 most of them, well-formed animals, and apparently good milkers; 

 but, as they are natives of a tropical country, in a valley whose 

 climate is no less delightful than its scenery is charming, it may 

 be expected that they would not easily suit themselves to the 

 damp and cold of the British Islands. 



The Shorthorns. 



Though I am free to admit that the production of both 

 quantity and quality of milk form the chief duties of a dairy 

 cow, there are other qualities which must also be cultivated and 

 developed. We want a cow to give good milk and plenty of 

 it; but when her career at the milking-pail is over, we want 

 her to convert herself as quickly as she conveniently can into 

 a big and good carcass of beef for the butcher ; and so shall 

 her days be speedily and pleasantly ended, for she knows not 

 anything of the future. What we want of her is to yield 

 plenary profit, alike in her life and in her death to give us 

 liquid milk as long as she can, and solid flesh when she cannot. 

 And hence it is that the Shorthorns are regarded as, on the 

 whole, the best dairy cows the world has so far produced, 

 although our American friends aver that they are not dairy 

 cattle at all, but beef cattle ; which is mere fun on the face 

 of it. 



Take into consideration milk only, if you like, and abjure 

 everything else; then are the Shorthorns " open to be whipped " 

 by several breeds that are not much more than half as big as 

 they. And, indeed, taking all qualities into consideration, the 

 question of size of animal and of the food she eats should be 

 regarded along with the milk she gives. Where milk can be 

 sold atfourpence a quart, and a cow is kept five or six years in 

 the dairy, it may be that the smaller breeds would not be behind 

 the bigger ones in profit to the farmer, even though as butchers, 

 beasts they are not worth more than half as much. But then, 

 it commonly happens that a cow runs barren after one or two 



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