THE UNITED KINGDOM. 129 



Great difficulties must be experienced by breeders and purchasers whilst these two 

 registers are at variance with one another; instead of affording information and 

 assistance, confusion and perplexity must be encountered. As a guide to selecting 

 sires and dams a general register will meet every requirement ; the breeder will be 

 enabled to trace the parentage of any animal he may require, and to form his own 

 judgment as to its individual merits. 



The Guernsey being essentially a dairy breed of cattle, it behooves the island farmer 

 to devote still more attention to the actual yield of milk and butter by the individual 

 members of his herd. Experiments and trials tending to elucidate this matter have 

 been meager in the extreme, and it is only in a very few cases that I have been able 

 to obtain reliable information upon the "subject. On some of the best land in the 

 island a number of animals are still reared which are a discredit to those concerned. 

 At our annual fairs or markets the number of animals exhibited for sale are propor- 

 tionately small. The cause why good and desirable stock is scarce is partly to be 

 attributed to this and partly to the lack of knowledge of good breeding. 



Too little attention has hitherto been given to the use of good bulls ; animals born 

 from indifferent parents, and not possessing a single desirable quality, have been 

 coupled, very much to the detriment of the offspring. A good bull may be used, but 

 the farmer makes the mistake of employing inferior females. The bull being capable 

 of transmitting to his progeny his own peculiar properties, and whatever excellencies 

 he may have inherited from his ancestors becoming marked in it, it will become nec- 

 essary for the breeder who seeks to improve his stock to be careful to make a choice 

 of such animals whose parents have been endowed with those characteristic quali- 

 ties, and which ho seeks to intensify in the offspring. The form, character, and de- 

 velopment of the lacteal system of the females is no less important, and if it is hoped 

 to arrive at success in breeding one must follow out in practice these essential prin- 

 ciples of breeding. By thus selecting our breeding stock, and by a careful and gen- 

 erous system of rearing the offspring, a very great and marked improvement in this 

 valuable breed of dairy cattle will be the result. 



(9) KERRY CATTLE. 



The animal represented in the accompanying engraving was, with 

 seven picked heifers, selected from the celebrated herd of the Knight 

 of Kerry last spring. Like his companions, he is jet black, the color of 

 the purest strain. His height at shoulder is 3 feet 6J inches ; his girth 

 at same point, 5 feet 7 inches. He carries balk for his size, with shape 

 and symmetry, and stands a perfect picture, a model bull in miniature, 

 showing all the recognized bovine points in strong development, with 

 some that are peculiar to himself. 



The qualities of the Kerry are as follows: (1) head rather small, 

 balanced, and tapering; (2) cheeks clean 5 (3) throat full and well set ; 

 (4) muzzle fine; (5) nostrils high, well placed, and rather open; (6) 

 horns well sprung, smooth, rather thick at base, but gently tapering, 

 and tipped with black ; (7) ears small, fine, and of a pink-orange color 

 within ; (8) eyes mild and full ; (0) neck straight and fine ; (10) chest 

 deep and broad; (11) barrel deep and well hooped; (12) ribs well 

 home ; (13) back even and straight from withers to top of hip ; (14) 

 back straight from top of hips to setting of tail ; (15) tail long and fine; 

 (16) hide of good color, slight, loose, and covered with soft hair; (17) 

 fore leg short and straight, full above the knee, fine below ; (18) hind- 

 quarters well filled up; (19) hind legs not too close together and 

 squarely placed ; (20) hoofs small ; (21) udder well rounded, full and 

 capacious, in line with belly and well up behind ; (22) teats well placed, 

 large, and rather far apart; (23) milk veins very prominent ; (24) color, 

 rich black preferable, although there are some very good animals of 

 other colors. 



Although of very small size, the cows yield a large quantity of milk, 

 rich in cream ; they fatten fairly easily upon even poor pasture, and are 

 certainly superior to all other breeds for hardiness and the power of 

 subsisting upon the scantiest herbage. Mr. Pierce Mahony says : 



I have now a good number, but most of them are heifers with their first calf. 

 Notwithstanding this, many of them are giving from eight to ten quarts of milk a day 



H. Ex. 51 9 



