THE GALLOWAY 307 



A former secretary of the American Galloway Cattle Breeders' 

 Association, Charles Gray, states 1 that "the Galloways as a breed 

 cannot lay claim to any superiority as milkers. Although many 

 herds have been kept for centuries in the south of Scotland for 

 dairy purposes, yet as a whole the breed has been improved chiefly 

 along the lines of beef production." 



The hardiness of the Galloway is one of its inherited character- 

 istics, and it seems eminently suited to a place on the Western 

 range, where food may be scarce and where the rigors of winter 

 are great. The thick, long coat of hair gives it better protection 

 from cold than is provided any other recognized beef breed in 

 America. It is for this reason and for its rustling ability that the 

 Galloway is attaining more and more popularity on the Western 

 and Northwestern range. 



The hide of the Galloway, with its thick and long fall or winter 

 coat, has a distinct value in itself. Properly tanned, it furnishes 

 a lap robe, overcoat, or floor rug, surpassing in beauty the pelt 

 of the buffalo, now so highly prized. Good Galloway floor rugs or 

 lap robes easily sell for twenty-five dollars, and overcoats of this 

 fur have changed hands at high prices. In the northwestern 

 United States and Canada coats of this fur are very common in 

 winter. Reverend Dr. John Gillespie, during a long life an 

 authority on the Galloway and one of the founders of the Gallo- 

 way Cattle Society of Great Britain, makes this comment on the 

 Galloway skin and hair 2 : 



The skin and hair were outstanding qualities of the Galloway breed. The 

 skin should be moderately thick, but always mellow and soft. The hair 

 should of course be black, but not of a jet or inky black. The breeders 

 liked to see a nice brown tinge, and all the best bred specimens would be 

 found to have that characteristic. The objection to an inky black was that 

 the quality of the hair was not usually so good as when the brown tinge 

 was present. Galloways had always the two coats of hair fully developed. 

 The upper coat should be long and soft, but not too curly. Animals with a 

 very curly coat were generally indifferent thrivers. The under coat should 

 always be soft, close, and silky. This was a very important point in the 

 breed, because on it depended the power of the animal to resist cold and 

 stand exposure. 



1 The Breeds of Live Stock (1916), p. 245. 



2 North British Agriculturist^ November 25, 1891. 



