84 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK i. 



and above all to produce a quality of meat second to none, the 

 Black Polled cattle are remarkable. We have only to note what 

 such breeders as Mr. Hugh Watson of Keillor, Forfarshire, and 

 Mr. McCombie of Tillyfour, Aberdeenshire, did to be convinced of the 

 value of this breed. Quite one-half of the fat cattle once sent from the 

 Xorth of Scotland were crosses between Polls and Shorthorns ; but it 

 is denied that the pure breed of Aberdeen-Angus cattle has been 

 crossed. 



In instituting comparisons between various breeds of cattle, it 

 should, however, not be overlooked that circumstances of climate, 

 locality, and soil exercise an influence more or less marked upon their 

 peculiarities, and upon their aptitude for fattening and yielding milk, 

 or the reverse. The influence of the parents is also to be taken into 

 account, and the way in which these have been reared and fed, the age at 

 which they are used, and the state or condition of their health. The 

 breeder, if he is to be successful, must indeed be perpetually on the look- 

 out for any circumstances and, since these operate in a variety of ways, 

 they form a number, so to say, of directions which are at all likely to 

 exercise an influence, good or bad, as the case may be, on the qualities 

 and peculiarities of his stock. Take, for example, dairy cows. The 

 same breeders set up one class of animal as the best, to the exclu- 

 sion of all others, without taking into consideration circumstances 

 which naturally affect their milk-producing powers, just as if breed 

 were everything, and food or housing were of no account. The two 

 should, if possible, be made to work together. Breed is good, for it 

 enables the dairyman to get meat out of his food ; and it should be 

 remembered, that both the quality and the quantity of the milk, and 

 consequently, to a large extent, of the butter and the cheese made 

 from it, depend more largely upon the breed than upon the food. 

 Take, for example, the breed in Jerseys, Guernseys, Ayrshires, 

 Kerries : in them its salient tendency is milk, even on poor food in 

 the case of the two last-named ; no system of feeding, however good it 

 may be, can cause an inferior cow to yield milk as these breeds do. 



As regards different breeds for the dairy, Dr. Voelcker has 

 some remarks which are likely to be useful in choosing the herd. 

 Breeds which have small cows as, for example, the Kerry or the 

 Brittany, or small animals coming from larger breeds are, as 

 a rule, those which give the richest milk for the same kind and 

 quantity of food. The Jersey gives the richest milk of any of 

 the breeds, though the Kerry is often equal to it. The Ayrshire 

 breed is celebrated for the excellence of its milk. The Shorthorn is 

 usually looked upon more as a fattening breed than as one yielding a 

 good dairy cow ; but certain " families " of the breed give dairy cows 

 which cannot be surpassed as milkers, and yet are almost equally 

 famous for their aptitude to lay on fat, and to improve in condition. 

 The Yorkshire cow is a favourite in many districts, and is the cow par 

 excellence of the London dairies ; it is closely allied to, and indeed 

 is " eventually a Shorthorn." It is more useful, however, for the 

 quantity than for the quality of the milk which it yields, quantity 



