404 CATTLE AND DAIEY FAKMING. 



CATTLE BREEDS OF GERMANY. 



BEPOJfT IST COMMERCIAL A&ENT WAMEB, OF DUSSELDOEF. 



The different breeds of cattle in Germany may be divided into three 

 heads, the lowland breeds, the mountainous breeds, and the middle 

 breeds. 



For milk-producing, cattle are cultivated in Germany, {a) in the low- 

 lands (plains, marshes, &c.), with good soiland stable feeding, the Dutch 

 breed, and (6) in the mountainous and rocky regions, where the soil is 

 heavy, the Simmenthal, the Montafun (Swiss breeds), and the Algau 

 (from the Algau, in Bavaria) breeds. The object of cattle-breeding in 

 Germany is chiefly for milk, butter, beef, and labor. There is compara-' 

 tively little cheese made here ; it is imported mostly from Holland and 

 Switzerland. 



THE DUTCH BREED. 



The Dutch breed (Fig. 1) is very largely cultivated in the districts of 

 Cleve and Kees, on the boundaries of Holland, Eegierungs-Bezirk 

 Dusseldorf, and in the lowlands of Xiower Ehineland (Nieder-Eheinland). 

 This cow belongs by nature to lowlands of a moist and marshy charac- 

 ter and where there is much green vegetation. Ithas a small and long 

 head; horns short and projecting over the forehead, with the points 

 turned a little upwards ; mouth sharp ; neck thin and long, with scarcely 

 any dew-lap; the body is long and big, with an even back; feet high ; 

 skin tender ; color black and white, red or brown and white, gray and 

 white, white or black, and mostly spotted. The cows are not beautiful, 

 but they produce large quantities of milk, breed heavy calves, good 

 working oxen, and are also fine meat. In this immediate neighborhood 

 (Dusseldorf) they are mostly kept in stables, and the one 1 visited a few 

 days ago contained forty head.* The proprietor informed me that the 

 average yield of milk for each cow was from 14 to 15 literst per day. 

 One Oldenburg cow amongst the lot was pointed out to me as giving 25 

 to 30 liters per day. Live weight of the Dutch cow is from 650 to 750 

 kilograms, and the market value here is from 400 to 600 marks (1 mark 

 is equal to about 23.8 cents American money). In consequence of this 

 breed of cattle being easy to get accustomed to strange climates and 

 the wonderful capacity of the cows for producing milk they are kept in 

 the neighborhood of large cities. Fine and valuable breeds are obtained 

 by crossing them with other breeds. The celebrated Durham cow is a 

 cross breed from the Dutch cow. 



SIMMENTHAL BREED. 



Simmenthal lies between Stockhorn and Niesen, near Thun, in Switz- 

 erland. This valley abounds in fertile fields and luxuriant pastures 

 extending high up on the slopes of these mountains. It is divided by a 

 rivulet, the Simme, and furnishes the celebrated yellowish-red spotted 

 cattle of the canton Bern, which have been most frequently imported 

 to cross with the native cattle of Southern Germany. The middle breeds 

 produced from the crossing are said to be very excellent cattle. In 

 Switzerland the prices remain high, and the inquiry this year (1883) has 



* The average daily cost of food for each cow amounted to about 35 cents 

 t Liter = one quart. 



