THE DEVON 477 



and are coarser than the north Devon type, due to the better soil 

 and climate of Somerset. As exhibited in America, the breed 

 shows at a distinct disadvantage, for in the same show ring the 

 beefy type may and does compete with the dual-purpose type. 

 Western breeders appear to favor the north Devon style, while 

 Eastern breeders lay emphasis on the dairy value of the breed, 

 as does, in fact, the Devon cattle association. 



The Devon as a butcher's beast does not attain the high weights 

 of the common beef breeds nor does it fatten as rapidly as some, 

 but kills out extremely well, with small bone and moderate offal, 

 producing the best of beef, fine of grain and of superior quality. 

 Devons in the past have made a good record at the British fat-stock 

 shows, often winning high honors. This applies in particular to the 

 beef type of north Devon. The modern breeders of that section 

 agree that to increase the size will injure the quality and therefore 

 refuse to do so. Sinclair notes one English Devon breeder, whose 

 specialty is steer breeding, who reckons that the weight of a fat 

 Devon steer a little under three years old should be about 800 

 pounds. In 1891 the first-prize Devon steer at the Smithfield Club 

 Show, London, " not exceeding two years old," was five hundred 

 and fifty-eight days old and had a live weight of 964 pounds. 



Devons as milk producers rank very well. New England farmers 

 formerly kept Devon grades, or pure-breds, from which they often 

 secured fair yields. The milk is rich in fat, comparing favorably 

 with that of the Jersey. The breed is essentially unknown in 

 competitive dairy tests in this country. In the " American Devon 

 Record" are numerous examples showing that many cows of the 

 breed are ample dairy producers. E. C. Bliss states that his full- 

 grown cows yield an average of 300 pounds of butter a year. 

 J. W. Collins writes : " I have one cow, Lucky 3784, that has 

 produced 2\ pounds of butter per day for weeks, and I have 

 frequently had others that have made 2\ to 2\ pounds per day." 

 Wallace states that as a breed for milk production "it has been 

 and still is inferior. The cows give but a small quantity of milk 

 and tend to go dry early." Alvord, who knew the breed well, 

 states that some families bred and selected for dairy purposes 

 have made fair milk records, single animals producing 40 and 

 even 50 pounds a day. 



