100 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF THE OX. 



The breed has greatly improved since Mr. Aiton described it. 

 The animals have short legs, the neck is a little thicker at the 

 shoulder, but finely shaped towards the head; the horns are 

 smaller than those of the Highlanders, but clear and smooth, 

 pointing forwards, turning upwards, and tapering to a point. 

 They are deep in the carcase, but not round and ample, and par- 

 ticularly not so in the loins and haunches. An Ayrshire cow 

 may give on an average as much as five gallons of milk daily 

 for two or three months after calving. Then for the next three 

 months she may give three gallons daily, and for the four months 

 following this about one gallon and a half. The average quan- 

 tity per year from each cow may be about 600 gallons, worth, if 

 sold as new milk, say, 8d. per gallon, or ^£20 per annum. The 

 profit may be greater if the milk is used for fattening calves, or 

 perhaps if converted into butter or cheese. Three and a half 

 gallons of this milk will yield about a pound of butter (country 

 weight). When one gallon of water is added to four of milk, 

 the butter-milk will sell at 2d. per gallon. 



The Ayrshire cattle feed profitably, and their meat is of good 

 quality. When an Ayrshire cow is sent to England, she loses 

 her superiority as a milker, and begins to accumulate flesh. 



In the Eastern Counties, where arable farming and the rear- 

 ing and feeding of cattle are mainly pursued, the Ayrshire gives 

 place to the Aberdeen, the Angus, and the Teeswater. The cow 

 is there selected on account of its square and massive frame, soft 

 skin, and fine meat-producing qualities. The animals of the 

 Shetland breed are very small and hardy, and noted for the 

 fine quality of their beef. They are easily fattened, even on 

 scanty pastures, and their diminutive size being considered, 

 the quantity of the milk they yield is very large. 



THE POLLED OR HORNLESS CATTLE. 



Hornless or polled cattle are met with in the counties 

 of Suffolk and Norfolk and also iu Galloway^ whence they 

 originally came. 



Now it appears to be the case that the remnants of two dis- 

 tinct breeds of cattle are found in the parks of Chillingham, in 

 Northumberland, and of Chatelherault, in Lanarkshire. One 

 of these consists of middle-horned and the other of polled cattle. 

 The former of these are to be traced in the Devon, the Hereford, 



