HOLSTEIN CATTLE. 39 



Color. 

 About color, the following is to be remarked. Our cattle-keeping 

 ancestors had many white, besides some red, black and red-spotted 

 cattle. The white cattle of the Batavians are well known, as well 

 as the white cows and oxen of later 3'ears, which were used as 

 presents. In still later years the red-spotted bull and the dun- 

 checkered cow of Paul Potter are well known,/ besides the ordinary 

 piebald with black spots, and the black-pied cattle of Groningen, 

 Friesland and North Holland. At present the black-pied hus 

 the pre-eminence in every variety. 



Horns. 



Another distinguishing mark of the Netherland cattle is the horns, 

 which properly bring them in the class known as Short-horns. 

 The direction of the horns is horizontal in front, rather inclining 

 downwards than upwards ; and this downward curving to the front, 

 with Short-horns, is considered one of the most desirable signs of 

 a proQtable milch cow. 



Flexibility. 



Although these marks denote principally the physiological prop- 

 erty of richness of milk, this does not exclude a disposition for 

 fattening, which depends entirel}' on the manner in which the ani- 

 mals are bred, fed and tended, insomuch that a breeder has in a 

 measure the power to make the animal what he chooses as most 

 profitable to himself. This excellent disposiiion of our cattle to 

 adapt themselves to circumstances, this tractableness or flexibility, 

 although, as a general thing, proper to all races, belonging to the 

 "Costaurus," is a great virtue belonging i^articularly to them, and 

 fits them better than any other breed to be safely transported to other 

 lands, with little or no loss of their milk, meat and fat giving prop- 

 erties, and enables them to be kept there ; in a word, to be entirel}' 

 acclimated there ; witness whereof the cattle transported to France, 

 German}-, Prussia and America. All these keep form, color and 

 properties, and many have even more elegant shapes than our own 

 indigenous animals. . . . 



Instances of heavy cattle have ever been found in our country. 

 Fattened oxen weighing 3,000 pounds have not been rare for three 

 hundred j'cars, nor cows which produced from 1,200 to 1,800 

 pounds of meat and fat. Young cattle, fattened by grazing or 

 otherwise, produce flesh regularly interlarded with fat. This fat is 

 interspersed all over in'equal proportions between the tissues, and 

 even somewhat accumulated in those places which contain the most 

 fat when they are full grown. . . . 



