The Guernsey Breed 37 



and with the hand they turn it about till the butter comes; this plan 

 generally brings it sooner than any other; sometimes they scald the 

 milk in the first instance, then, taking off the clotted cream, it is 

 thus churned into butter. In Devonshire the milk is always so scalded 

 before it is churned, and the Devonshire butter may vie with any 

 in Great Britain. The churn generally used in Guernsey is the up- 

 right, old-fashioned one; and here they churn the milk with the cream, 

 and generally on the third day; it is commonly put into the churn 

 over night, and, when it becomes curdled it is churned, and, in con- 

 sequence of the acidity of the milk, the butter comes quicker, and 

 perhaps cannot be excelled in any part of the world. * * * It may be 

 observed here that no cheese is made in Guernsey. Before we take 

 leave of the subject of cattle, I would remark that the manner of 

 weighing the slaughtered cattle at the market is not by the carcass or 

 quarters of beef, as in England, but with the whole loose fat, skin, 

 and head. An ox, not long since thus weighed, produced a total of 

 1,601 pounds, or 80 score; but the loose fat and skin weighed 300 

 pounds, or IS score; the neat carcass, therefore, produced 65 score, 

 which is certainly a large ox. Great attention is paid, by the con- 

 stituted authorities of this island, to the improvement of the breed 

 of cattle, not only by giving small premiums, as before mentioned, 

 but also by enacting laws to prevent the possibility of their becoming 

 degenerated. An Englishman might perhaps be led to imagine that 

 it is contrary to the true spirit of liberty not to be able to choose 

 the sort he may like best; but when it is considered that t!he honor 

 of the island is at stake, and that, were a free intercourse to take 

 place with France, French cows would in great numbers be brought 

 into the island, and exported to England under the name of Guernsey 

 cows, when they were only French ones; by which means the present 

 lucrative trade of Guernsey cows would be soon abolished, the con- 

 stituted authorities have, therefore, acted most judiciously in enacting 

 the following law, which I shall here translate for the benefit of the 

 English reader: 



" 'Ordinance of the 17th February, 1824, Before Daniel De Lisle Brock, 

 Esq., Present, Etc. — At the Royal Court. 



" 'Upon information given to the court, that there had been 

 introduced into this island heifers from France, whose age and 

 condition render them unfit to be butchered within four months, 

 fixed by law — other circumstances also having given reason to believe 

 that the intention is either to keep them for cows, and by that means 

 to degenerate the breed, which the inhabitants of this island have 

 more and more endeavored to improve; or else for the purpose of 

 fraudulently exporting the same into England, which in either case 

 would prove a fatal blow to that branch of industry;^ namely, ex- 

 porting our cows to England — upon hearing the conclusion of the at- 

 torney-general, the court has ordered that, provisionally, and until 

 necessary, steps are taken to preclude all sorts of French cows_ from 

 being imported into this island from France, it is hereby forbidden, 

 after the 10th of March next, to any person to import from France, 

 or elsewhere, any heifer, of what kind soever it may be, under penalty 

 of confiscation of the same, and a fine at discretion of justice, not 

 exceeding £10 sterling per heifer so brought into the island; as 

 well to be paid by the master of the vessel bringing the same, as 



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