446 Development of the Dairy Shorthorn, [sept., 



in volume, till it was feared by many that home production 

 would never again successfully compete with them. But, side 

 by side with this movement, another influence was at work 

 which was destined to have a compensating effect on British 

 agriculture. This was the steadily growing demand for new' 

 milk, an article in which the farmers of this country enjoyed 

 a practical monopoly. Thousands availed themselves of this 

 refuge from ruin, and were able by its means to keep on 

 their farms through the worst years of depression. Our 

 increasing population calls continually for more milk, and 

 though there is no actual scarcity at present, more cows 

 and better milkers are badly wanted to supply it. Prices 

 continue moderate, though generally remunerative, and it 

 is obvious that they would be more so if, by larger yields, 

 farmers could produce the same quantity with a smaller 

 number of cows. 



The Improvement of Shorthorns as Milkers. — It was not 

 till the last few years of the century that anything practical 

 was done by breeders towards the improvement of Short- 

 horns as milkers, but it then began to be seen by a few 

 thinking men that the interests of dairy farmers had been 

 neglected, and that the reputation of the pedigree Shorthorn 

 as a dual-purpose animal had suffered. Milk selling had 

 become a vital portion of the business of a vast number of 

 farmers, who found almost insuperable difficulties in 

 breeding or rinding cows to yield sufficient milk to make 

 them profitable. If they purchased a pedigree bull, the 

 chances were that the progeny were much more suited 

 for grazing than the dairy, and the utmost they 

 could do w T as to select a bull from a neighbour's 

 herd from a cow supposed to be a good milker, though 

 there was no dependence on the result. What was 

 wanted was a strain of cattle bred on scientific lines for 

 milking purposes, with records of good performances on 

 both sides for two or three generations. From such a source 

 bulls might be procured with such prepotency that the dairy 

 farmer could rely upon them to improve the milk-yield of 

 his whole herd. But such a strain did not exist among 

 pedigree Shorthorns, though there were plenty of fine herds 

 in the northern counties, virtually pure bred but without 



