December 26, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
497 
Young Cocks.—1, 2, and 3, Cuck 
3. and Special, Cucksey & Flicker. 
Flicker. Young Hens—l, 2, and 3, Cucksey & Flicker. PO » A. 
Allen. 2and 2, C.H. Buckland. BARBS. and 3, Cucksey & Flicker. 2, A. 
FANTAILS.— E. Cre ell. 3, Burdett & Walker. M 
1 and 3, 
und 3, R. Osborn. ‘ 
and 2, W. E. Hutt. 
W. Savage. ANTWERP: : 
and Flicker. oming- and 2, J. W. Barker. 
Benham. 3,C. H. Buckland. 4, F. Johnson. 
J. Bakewell. DRAGOONS.—1, A. Allen. 2 
and Special, O. E. Cressw ‘LS. 
resswell. JACOBINS.—1 and 3, W. 
hort-raced.—1, C. H. 
ek 
ey and | of the breed from which it sprung and to which it is justly 
regarded as belonging. 
Mr. James Robertson, La Mancha, Malahide, Co. Dublin, has 
for some years devoted much attention to this very nice breed of 
cattle, and many persons in England have now become familiar 
VARIETY.—1 and 2, O. E. Cresswell. 8, W. Ker 
Cucksey & Flicker. 3, W. E. Hutt. 
THE KERRY BREED OF CATTLE. 
From time immemorial Ireland has possessed a hardy, hand- 
some, and valuable breed of cattle, although small in point of size. 
This is known as the Kerry breed, and it has retained its best 
characteristics notwithstanding that it has been treated with 
comparative neglect. Its value is now, however, better appre- 
ciated, and more attention has been paid to the development of 
its special characteristics. These are the production of a large 
yield of rich milk, taking the size of the cows into consideration, 
and when fattened of beef of rare quality. The Kerry cow is 
particularly well adapted for villa: farming, as she is extremely 
docile, is easily kept, and produces milk rich in quality and in con- 
siderable abundance. We have known many instances in which 
Kerry cows have given sixteen quarts of milk daily for a consider- 
able time after calving, and twelve quarts of milk per day may be 
reckoned a fair average when the cow is fairly fed. The milk is 
rich in quality and produces a good proportion of butter, say 7 tbs. 
per week as a rule; and when it becomes necessary to fatten her 
for the butcher the process is an easy one, whilst the quality of 
the beef is such that a Dublin butcher, whose customers are 
amongst the better classes, will always give 1d. a lb. more for it 
than for a fattened cow or heifer of any other breed. When fat 
the Kerry usually weighs about 4 cwt. 
The fashionable colour of the Kerry cow is pure black, but some 
are red, especially in the case of the Dexter variety. The true 
Kerry is described in Pringle’s “ Review of Irish Agriculture,” 
published in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
England, as “a light, neat, active animal, with fine and rather 
long limbs, narrow rump, fine small breast, lively projecting eye 
full of fire and animation ; with a fine white cocked horn tipped 
with black.” The Dexter variety “ has a round, plump body, square 
behind ; Jegs short and thick, with the hoofs inclined to turn in; 
the head is heavy and wanting in that fineness and life which the 
head of the true Kerry possesses, and horns of the Dexter are 
inclined to be long and straight.” The Dexter appears to be a 
Z 4 
ANNES Sone 
Fig. 74. 
BUSACO, the property of Mr. Jamés Robertson, La Mancha, Malahide, Co- 
Dublin. The first-prize Kerry bull at the Royal Dublin Society’s Shows in 
4 {1875, 1876, 1877, and 1878; also first at the Royal Irish Shows at London- 
Sderry in 1875, Cork in 1876, Galway in 1877, and Dublin in 1878. 
variety originally produced by selection, but whilst possessing its 
peculiar points it retains the milk and meat-producing properties 
RONTYRE 
HN) 
G 
NON 
Fig. 75. 
MISTLETOE, the property of Mr. James Robertson, La Mancha, Malahide, 
Co. Dublin. The first-prize Kerry Cow at the Royal Irish Show held at 
Cork in 1876. 
with it through the excellent specimens which Mr. Robertson has 
occasionally exhibited or sold in England, and especially through 
the many handsome Kerries which he exhibited last June at the 
International Show at Paris, where he was awarded a number of 
prizes. Mr. Robertson’s bull Busaco has won seven or eight first 
royal prizes in Ireland, in fact he has never been beaten, although 
he had at different times to contend against superior animals of 
their kind. When Busaco was two years old he stood 34 inches 
in height at the shoulder, girthed 50 inches; while the length 
from the top of the shoulder to the tail was 38 inches. 
VARIETIES. 
WE have before us several fresh schedules of forthcoming 
Shows. The Stockport Show is fixed for January 10th and 11th. 
There are twenty-three open classes for poultry, with three prizes 
in each of £2, 15s.,and 5s. In these classes the birds are shown 
in pairs. There are also forty-six local classes, in which the birds 
are shown singly. Pigeons have nineteen classes, all open, and 
are shown singly. There is a Dog Show in connection with the 
Poultry Show. 
—— TuHeE Reading Pigeon and Cage Bird Show is fixed for 
January 22nd and 23rd. There are no less than forty-six classes 
for Pigeons. Carriers have five classes, Pouters six, Dragoons five, 
Antwerps seven, Tumblers three, Owls four, Turbits three, &c. 
Canaries have twenty classes, Mules four, British birds six, Foreign 
birds four. We know by experience that the Reading Show 
hall is always well heated, and that delicate birds can be entered 
there with confidence. 
— WE quoted last week from the Daily News about the 
migration of British birds. Mr. O. E. Cresswell writes to us that 
he has lately seen in his garden, on the borders of Berkshire and 
Surrey, a rare British bird—the small spotted woodpecker. He 
has watched it day after day in apple trees, and on a green bank ; 
apparently it is a bird of this year, not yet having its scarlet crest, 
STRAW HIVES AT CRYSTAL PALACE SHOWS. 
On page 440 of the present volume of your Journal I find 
Mr. Pettigrew has endeavoured to support his statement in regard 
to the above subject by dragging my name forward to support 
his recollection of a conversation which he says he had with 
Mr. Bagshaw four years ago. His statement that straw skeps 
