14 AMERICAN KERRY AND DEXTER CATTLE HERD BOOK. 



and having given with her first calf over lo qts. per day during 

 the summer. I do not think the other one comes up to the 

 standard, but she holds out well and giyes rich milk. The milk 

 of all of them is of the first quality as to richness. Butter is ob- 

 tained from the cream in a very short time. Late in October 

 it required less than five minutes churning, by the clock, to 

 bring the butter. A lady who sends for six quarts once a week 

 and who has had much experience, pronounces the production 

 of cream marvelo.us. She says she skims it several times over. 

 I have had excellent milkers of different breeds, and have 

 always been particular as to quality more than quantity; but I 

 obtain from these Kerry heifers as large a quantity of milk as 

 could reasonably be expected, considering their size and age ; 

 and the quality certainly surpasses, on the average, any milk 

 it has been my fortune to see. I have now, besides the im- 

 ported stock, three pure bred bulls, which will be a year old 

 in the spring and summer of 1862, three pure-blood heifers 

 and one steer of the same age, one half-blood Kerry and Shet- 

 land steer, and three half-blood Kerry heifers. All have im- 

 proved wonderfully under my winter regimen. We think all 

 the imported heifers are in calf to Mountaineer, who is in fine 

 condition." 



Mr. San ford Howard contributed an article on "The Kerry 

 Breed of Cattle," to the Report of the United States Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture for the year 1862. This article contains 

 some descriptive matter regarding the breed and conditions un- 

 der which it is kept in Ireland, rather similar to that above 

 credited to him in the Massachusetts report. He calls attention 

 in this article to two subjects not mentioned by him elsewhere 

 that are of interest. He comments on the increase in size of 

 the cattle kept in America. Their growth for the first year 

 was very rapid. When he bought the first five two-year-old 

 heifers, their girth was only four feet, five inches to four feet, 

 six inches. He says, 'T measured two of them a few days 

 since, and found their girth five feet and five feet, six inches, 

 although, from having been pretty well milked down during 

 the season, they are in only middling condition." 



"The purchase of these cattle in Ireland to come to Amer- 

 ica," says Mr. Howard, "attracted considerable attention. The 

 fact was noted in several newspapers, and while the cattle were 

 in Liverpool, many persons called to see them. Singular as 

 it may seem, but few people in England had ever seen a speci- 

 men of the breed. How much this purchase has had to do in 

 bringing the Kerries into general notice, I cannot say ; but it is 

 certain that attention has, within a year or two, been more 



