230 



CATTLE 



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. 



The Galloway as a meat producer, as has been indicated, has 

 always ranked high. For many years large droves of Galloways, 

 said to exceed twenty thousand a year, were driven from Scotland 

 into England and fattened and sold for beef, where they met 

 with much favor. Galloway cattle have never been raised in 

 large numbers excepting in the Galloway district, and so have 

 not usually been important factors in the show ring, at least out- 

 side of Scotland. Until recently the steers have not attracted 

 attention in America, and as yet have not attained the highest 

 honors of the American shows in open competition. They feed 

 uniformly and smoothly, patches and rolls being uncommon. 



The cross-bred Galloway has a distinct place in the meat mar- 

 ket of England, for the mating of white Shorthorn bulls on Gal- 

 loway cows has produced a famous class of blue-gray feeders 

 which kill out surpassingly well, often reaching 65 per cent. 

 The Iowa Agricultural College has experimented some with this 

 breeding, and has shown a few choice blue grays at the Inter- 

 national Live Stock Exposition at Chicago. From time to time 

 " prime Scots" are quoted in the English markets, and in this 

 case these are often blue grays. In 1892 the champion steer 

 at the Smithfield show, England, was a cross between a Gallo- 

 way cow and Shorthorn bull, which at 1250 days weighed 

 2276 pounds, an average daily gain of 1.82 pounds from birth. 



