124 DOMi:STlC ANIMALS. 



The Ox. — In the ox, the masculine characters, so prominent in the 

 bull, are softened ; the neck is carried nef^rly straight from the top of 

 the shoulders, without an arch; and the general frame is lighter, but 

 the points of excellence are the same. 



The Cow. — Cows of a coarse, angular, gaunt figure may give good 

 milk, and that in abundance, as, indeed, was the case with some of the 

 old unimproved breeds ; but it is desirable, and moreover it is possible, to 

 unite qualities as a milker with such an aptitude to fatten as will render 

 her valuable when dry, and profitable to the butcher. In a cow thus 

 constituted, the head must be long, rather small and fine ; the neck 

 thin and delicate at its junction with the head, but thickening as it ap- 

 proaches the shoulder and descends to the chest ; the breast should be 

 at least moderately broad and prominent, with a small dewlap ; the 

 chine should be full and fleshy; the ribs w^ell arched, and the chest bar- 

 relled; the back straight, the shoulders fine, the loins wide, the hips 

 well formed and rounded, the rump long; the udder should be moder- 

 ate, with a fine skin, and of equal size both before and behind ; the 

 teats should not be too large or lax, and they should be equi-distant from 

 each other. If the vascular system be well developed, the milk-vein, 

 as it is termed, is generally la^ge; and though this vein is not connect- 

 ed with the udder, but carries the blood from the foreparts to the in- 

 guinal vein, still it has been taken, and with some justice, as the criterion 

 of a good milker. The eyes should be clear, calm, and tranquil, indica- 

 tive of a gentle temper ; the skin thin, but mellow ; and the hair soft. 

 Cows thus admirably formed will often yield from twenty to twenty-four 

 quarts of milk daily, and some, in the springtime, in good pasturage, 

 even thirty, or more. The milk may, perhaps, yield less butter in pro- 

 portion than that of some other breeds of cattle ; but it would appear 

 that, as the cow advances in age to her sixth and seventh year the milk 

 becomes richer ; and it is well known that the extensive dairymen of 

 London prefer a cow which has had a third or fourth calf, and is five 

 or six years old, to a younger animal. 



We are perfectly aware that Mr. Culley ("Observations on Live 

 Stock,") considers it as an impossibility to unite good milkers with good 

 feeders; for, he says, whenever wq attempt both, we are sure to get 

 neither in perfection: — "In proportion as we gain the one, in the same 

 proportion we lose the other; the more milk, the less beef; and the 

 more we pursue beef, the less milk w^e get. In truth, they seem to be 

 two diff'erent varieties of the same kind, for very different uses ; and if 

 so, they ought most certainly to be differently pursued by those who 

 employ them. If the dairyman wants milk, let him pursue the milking 

 tribe; let him have both bull and cows of the best and greatest milking 

 family he can find ; on the contrary, he that wants feeding or grazing 

 cattle, let him procure a bull and cows of that sort which feed the 

 quickest, wherever they are to be found. By pursuing too many ob- 

 jects at once, we are apt to lose sight of the principle ; and, by aiming 

 at too much, we often lose all. Let us only keep to distinct sorts, and 

 we shall obtain the prize in due time. I apprehend it has been much 

 owing to the mixing of breeds and improper crossings that has kept us 

 so long from distinguishing the most valuable kinds." Mr. Culley 



