CHAPTER XXXVI 

 THE FRENCH CANADIAN 



The native home of French Canadian cattle is in the province 

 of Quebec, Canada. The country is somewhat undulating and 

 rough, though not mountainous, and excellent crops of grass, oats, 

 barley, potatoes, and roots are grown. The winters are rather 

 long and cold, with much snow, the summers short and cool. 



The origin of the French Canadian breed of cattle is claimed to be 

 from stock brought to Quebec, Canada, by the early French settlers, 

 at some time prior to 1665. Professor Thomas Shaw states 1 

 that these cattle were introduced to Quebec as early as 1620, and 

 that no other cattle were brought into the colony prior to 1776. 

 While no specific information is at hand as from just what part 

 of France these cattle came, it is presumed that it was Brittany, 

 and perhaps Normandy, as the original settlers of Quebec came 

 from those French provinces. The French Canadian breed, how- 

 ever, resembles the cattle of Brittany much more than those of 

 Normandy. In an address before a committee of the Canadian 

 Parliament, Professor J. H. Grisdale said^ that up to 1850 they 

 were about the only cattle in Quebec except for a few herds of 

 Ayrshires and Shorthorns. In 1853 the Council of Agriculture 

 began to discourage farmers from breeding these cattle. This suc- 

 ceeded so well that by 1880 " there was hardly a French Canadian 

 in the Province that thought enough of his cow to give her more 

 attention than he would a dog." Then it was that two or three 

 public-spirited men began to endeavor to save the breed from 

 extinction by starting a breed association. 



Characteristics of French Canadian cattle. In type there is 

 considerable resemblance to the Channel Island breeds, especially 

 the Jersey. The color is solid black or black with a yellow fawn 

 stripe along the back and around the muzzle, brown-brindle, or 



1 The Study of Breeds in America (1900), p. 133. 



2 Rural IVtmi Yorker, January 8, 1910. 



434 

 Digitized by Microsoft® 



