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THE GENESEE FARMER, 



BREEDS OF CATTLE. 



A "Yornsro Farmer" wishes a description of the 

 various breeds of cattle. We would cheerfully 

 comply with his reqflest,. but it is impossible in the 

 limits of a single article to give him anything at all 

 satisfactory. Perhaps the best thing we can do 

 will be to give the heads, male and female, of the 

 leading breeds, and by thus grouping them together 

 some idea of their general appearance 

 may be obtained. We would recom- 

 mend our young friend to attend the 

 State Fair, to be held this month at 

 Rochester, and then carefully examine 

 the breeds for himself. 



Of the Native cattle little need be 

 said. There are some excellent animals 

 among them,but they are a mongrel race 

 and even with considerable care in se- 

 lecting the best animals to breed from 

 there is no certainty of obtaining uni- 

 formly good herds. Some one has 

 given the accompanying portraitof poor, 

 " Native," and contrasted her with a well-formed 

 Milch cow. The sketch is somewhat overdrawn, 

 perhaps, though it is said to be taken from an 

 actual specimen. 



Of the Thoroughbred cattle, the Short-horn is 

 entitled to ^re-eminence for its early maturity and 

 fattening qualities. Next to it comes the Hereford. 

 It does not mature quite so early perhaps as the 

 Short-horn, but fattens with great rapidity, and the 



the Short-horns, bnt as a rule they are poor milkers. 

 In fact, it is principally for their beef that both the 

 Short-horn and Hereford cattle are to be com- 

 mended. It is true that some strains of Short- 

 horns, that have been bred with reference to their 

 milking qualities, give large quantities of milk and 

 of excellent quality ; but as a general rule, Short- 

 horns, taken aa a whole, are not well adapted for 



MILCH COW. 



meat is [of excellent quality. They have very 

 marked characteristics, and when once seen can 

 never afterwards be mistaken. They are generally 

 of a light or dark red color, with a white face — 

 frequently with white marks on the neck and along 

 the back, and also the under parts of the body. 

 The Herefords make better working cattle than 



[native cow. 



dairy purposes. That they might be bred so as to 

 make excellent milkers, there can be no doubt. 



The Devons, in some respects are not very dis- 

 similar from the Herefords. They are not so large 

 as either the Short-horn or the Hereford. They 

 are active and hardy and make excellent working 

 cattle. It is said that " they have a greater pro- 

 portion of weight in the most valuable joints, and 

 less in the coarse, than any other breed, 

 and also consume less in its production." 

 Their milking qualities are about an 

 average. 



These are the three principal English 

 breeds. The "Long-horns" were at one 

 time widely diffused throughout the 

 midland counties of England, but they 

 have very generally been displaced by 

 the Short-horns, though some excellent 

 specimens are frequently exhibited at 

 the English Fairs. 



The West Highland, or Eyloe, is a 

 hardy Scotch breed that would prove 

 useful in the hilly districts of the Northern and' 

 Eastern States. Their skin is thick but mellow, 

 and is covered with long, black, shaggy hair. They 

 are somewhat slow in coming to maturity, but will 

 fatten where the daintier Durham would barely 

 subsist. Their beef is of the very best quality, and 

 commands in London a higher price per pound 

 than that of any other breed. 



