THE UNITED KINGDOM. 131 



or paddock, and excellent butter-makers. My cattle are never housed, cows in milk 

 excepted, and they seldom get anything but grass and straw in winter. The points 

 of the Kerry are, a small, neat, lively animal, light round frame, narrow rumps, hne 

 bone, limbs rather long, line small head, keen eye, white upstanding horns, with black 

 tips. The popular color is jet black, but a few red and brindled ones sometimes ap- 

 pear. 



We are indebted to Mr. E. O. Pringle, late editor of the Irish Farmers' 

 Gazette, for the following: 



The Kerry cow is a neat, light-made animal, with fine and rather long limbs, fine 

 small head, lively eye, lino white horn, which in many cases after projecting forward 

 is tnrned or cocked backward. The rump is narrow, and the thigh light. The fash- 

 ionable color is pure black throughout, but some are black and white, and others red. 

 The skin should have a mellow touch, and be well coated with hair. The Dexter va- 

 riety is distinguished from the pure or true Kerry in having a round plump body, 

 short and rather thick legs ; the head is heavier, and wanting in that fineness which 

 marks the true Kerry, and the horns are longer, straighter, and coarser. The real 

 origin of the Dexter variety is not well understood, but it is supposed to be the result 

 of special selection. In Ireland the Kerry is much esteemed as suitable for small 

 villa farms, as the cows, although naturally active, are very gentle, and do well 

 when tethered on confined bits of grass. They also thrive when kept constantly 

 honse-fed. We have known a Kerry cow to bo kept for five years in a dark stable in 

 Dublin without irjury to her health. About 12 quarts of milk daily is an aver- 

 age yield for a Kerry cow when she is fairly kept [this is too much. T. L.], and we 

 have known some cows to give as much as 16 quarts daily for a considerable time af- 

 ter calvinsr. The yield of butter is 1 pound from 11 quarts of milk, but we have 

 known a higher percentage of butter obtained. 



Kerry can fatten rapidly when required. This is true when they have been kept 

 as cows or otherwise, for a time on fair pasture, but poor Kerries, especially bullocks, 

 when obtained direct from their native mountain grazings, take sometime before they 

 begin to show improvement. When once they do begin to improve, their progress is 

 rapid, and when slaughtered their flesh is of the best quality, fine in the grain and richly 

 flavored. Their weight, when fat, is from 28 to 36 imperial stone. Extra-fed beasts 

 will make 40 stone. With a few exceptions, the breeders of Kerry cattle have not 

 until recently devoted much attention to the proper maintenance of the breed, and 

 the fact that Kerry cattle have survived the neglect with which they have been 

 treated, without material deterioration, is strongly in their favor. The Knight of 

 Kerry has a herd of Kerry cattle which has been bred with great care for a long 

 period, and other gentlemen in that part of Ireland have also devoted attention to the 

 subject, but the reputation of the breed has been considerably enhanced by tho in- 

 terest which has been taken in it by various gentlemen residing in other parts of Ire- 

 land, who have taken up the breeding of Kerry cattle, not merely as a fancy, but 

 from the intrinsic merits of the breed as dairy stock. 



Mr. P. Chesney, in giving the results of very careful observation dur- 

 ing his experience of the Kerry, says: 



My cows were kept on the same farm and fed on the same pastures as a number of 

 Ayrshires, Shorthorns, and common cows, the only difference in their treatment being 

 that tho largo animals used to receive supplementary allowances df bean-meal, cake, 

 and other dainties which were found at times to be necessary for them. I do .not 

 speak from memory as to the facts I am giving, having before me a register of the 

 quantity of milk given by each of my cows, at that time 38 in number, during the 

 rnoiiths'of one spring and summer, as also of the percentage of cream as tested by the 

 factometer. I should observe, however, that the milk was only measured and tested 

 once a week. 



The farm on which the cows were kept, situated in county Cork, consisted of some 

 300 acres of by no means exceptionally good land, part of it indeed mountain, and 

 other parts reclaimed bog, laid down in artificial grasses. Of course some fields were 

 devoted to meadowiug, and we had considerable facilities for investigation, while 

 others produced grain and root crops, more of the latter, however, than, the former. 

 One kind of forage found especially useful, particularly for young stock, was French 

 furze, which turned a. piece of rough, stony ground into quite a profitable place. 



Up to the time of my going to the farm it had not been the custom to keep much 

 cattle there, and the cows, although good ones, were of no particular breed. But as 

 butter fetched a good price, especially when carefully made, and dairying was more 

 profitable in that locality than other kinds of husbandry, the stock was soon largely 

 increased and Ayrshires and Shorthorns introduced. At one time we in fact had as 

 many as 60 milkers besides a considerable number of calves and heifers. Having 



