CHAPTER X 

 BREEDS OF CATTLE 



So much has already been written by authoritative writers 

 about our British breeds of horned stock, that this chapter is 

 bound to cover a certain amount of old ground. To omit it 

 entirely, however, would be to miss the opportunity of recording 

 the result of 20 years' study and observation of the possibilities 

 of improvement in our national herds. The information on 

 which conclusions have been based was not always exact; 

 instructors were frequently prejudiced in their views by affec- 

 tion for some particular breed ; many, alas, of those who supplied 

 information had only their own profit in view when discussing 

 the merits of a particular variety. Yet in spite of these and many 

 other disadvantages one may still hope that the information 

 collected may be of some use in directing future work. Know- 

 ledge would be much more accessible to the student if it were 

 more extensively standardized. At the present moment such 

 things as weight, early maturity, constitutional vitality, milk- 

 yield, quality of flesh, horn, skin, "type," even description of 

 colour, have no precise meaning to the majority of cattle-owners, 

 even among those who have a considerable part of their capital 

 invested in such stock. Nomenclature is so vague that one often 

 has difficulty in understanding its exact meaning, and a fortiori 

 in conveying it to others. Hence it is difficult to write about 

 pedigree cattle ; but as they are for many years to come likely 

 to be our only means of grading up non-pedigree animals, the 

 attempt must be made. 



Perhaps a few rough definitions will help to introduce some 

 sort of order into the descriptions of the different herds, to 

 make the meaning clearer, and to avoid tedious repetition. 



As regards size, it may be said that, when "large" animals 

 are referred to, the following approximate weights are meant: 

 cows at 5 years or more in good breeding condition will 

 weigh about 1,400 lb., when moderately fat some 200 Ib. more; 



