MILKING QUALITIES OF THE HEED. 263 



Sornerford cows such great favourites with their owners. 

 The house is a very large one ; the establishment cor- 

 responds, and is supplied with every product of the 

 dairy from this herd : in consequence, the cows calve at 

 all times of the year. The beautifully formed and 

 largely developed udders of the cows showed very 

 plainly that they were deep milkers ; and the milk, 

 which I tasted, is very rich. The milk given at each 

 meal by the cow which had calved a week before filled 

 — and even more than filled — a milk-kit which was 

 shown to me, the capacity of which I carefully tested. 

 It held something more than twelve imperial quarts — 

 about half a pint more ; so that this cow was giving 

 more than twenty -four quarts, or six gallons, a day; 

 and the old herdsman assured me that this cow was not 

 superior to some of the others. When I was there the 

 family was absent from home, and the dairy -maid was 

 taking advantage of this to make large quantities of 

 cheese. 



Although the general management of the cattle and 

 the rearing of the young stock are on a similar system 

 to that pursued in well-conducted farmers' dairies, the 

 very greatest attention has been paid to two points. 

 The first of these is the most careful selection of the 

 young stock kept for breeding purposes. This is care- 

 fully supervised ; and every calf which, in colour, form, 

 or any other respect, does not come up to the required 

 standard, is sacrificed. 



The other point attended to, has been purity of 

 descent in the bull used. There has certainly been 

 much close breeding, and to this is owing, in the main 

 (combined as it is with careful selection), the singular 

 uniformity of character in the herd and the preservation 



