Major and Minor Dairy Breeds 63 
has sprung up, and where the localities have been 
more or less isolated, and the cattle have developed 
from the local cattle of the district by constant selec- 
tion of those that are the most profitable producers. 
In some cases this selection has been going on for 
more than a hundred years. While the domestic ox 
is more or less variable in size, in conformation and 
in color, the number of breeds of cattle is not large, 
and they group themselves into the dairy and beef 
breeds, according to the purpose for which each has 
been selected. : 
At the present time in the United States there are 
about twenty well-recognized breeds, in about half of 
which the dairy is the leading characteristic. Four 
breeds maintain a leading position among dairy cattle; 
namely, Jersey, Guernsey, Holstein-Friesian and Ayr- 
shire. Five other breeds occupy a minor position, but 
are still numerous enough to demand attention; 
namely, Shorthorn, Red Polled, Brown Swiss, Dutch 
Belted and Devon. Four breeds are native of Great 
Britain; namely, Ayrshire, Shorthorn, Red Polled 
and Devon. Two, Jersey and Guernsey, are native of 
the Channel Islands. Two, Holstein-Friesian and 
Dutch Belted, are native of the Kingdom of the Nether- 
lands; and one, Brown Swiss, comes from Switzerland. 
The breeds are easily distinguished one from 
another by size, conformation and color markings. 
They all have the characteristic wedge-shaped form of 
the dairy animal distinctly developed, and all have 
noteworthy dairy capacity, as shown by their large, 
symmetrical udders. 
