No. 144. 1 49 



There is as much accounting for the taste of the catlle-breeder 

 in over-looking this fault in his cow, as the Valaison who doats 

 upon a wife deformed by the goitre, )'et both have their admirers. 

 The male, in shape, beauty, and strength, falls far below the fine- 

 limbed and deep mahogany colored Devon, with his clear, ele- 

 vated horns. The purest type of the Simmenthaler is very rich 

 in cream and of a fine yellow color. 



The cows of the valleys of the Saone, in the cantons of Frieburg 

 and Emmen, in Berne, from whose fine udders flow the milk that 

 makes the well-known Gruyese and Emmenthaler cheese, have a 

 large long frame. Their fore and hind quarters, together with 

 the head, neck, and tail, are very dark, the rest of the body white. 

 There is another race in the canton of Appenzal, the pied cow, 

 which is very much admired fur dairy purposes. These are all 

 of the larger races, and from them spring the heaviest cattle for 

 the shambles and rank the highest for the cheese manufacturer. 

 To these breeds may also be added the strong and muscular 

 working cattle of Soldebrunn, teams of which lend a charm to that 

 landscape. There is a smaller race of cattle in the canton of 

 Schweitz that give richer milk for butter, and is better adapted 

 to the climate, soil, and grasses that grow about the mountains. 

 There is also a little cow in the valley of Hasli, the region near 

 the head waters of the river Aar, that on the score of economy 

 for the mountains, far surpasses all other races of neat cattle. 

 She bears an enormous udder, and her milk will make, accord- 

 ing to quantity, the richest cream of all the different races of the 

 country. 



It may be safely set down that the Swiss cows are very excel- 

 lent for dairy husbandry, particularly of the hardier mountain 

 breeds. The large towns throughout the country are well supplied 

 with good pure milk, at a reasonable rate. Indeed the prices do 

 not vary between summer and winter. 



In the environs of the cities, and on the plains, the cows are 

 constantly stabled the year round, except about a month before 

 winter sets in, when they are set at liberty to rove over the mea- 



[Assembly, No. 144.J D 



