76 
Shorthorns  in  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
six  cows  in  April  at  an  average  of  hi.  10s.  each,  when  just  a 
year  old.  Sometimes  the  calves,  even  not  so  old,  bring  the 
price  their  dams  cost  at  two  years  old.  So  much  for  the 
Shorthorn  bull  ! No  extra  feeding  was  resorted  to — nothing  but 
grass,  and  some  hay  and  roots  in  winter,  when  the  animals  came 
in  at  night.  I should  also  state  that  these  calves  were  poorly 
reared,  because  I give  all  the  milk  to  my  bull  calves.  My 
experience  of  the  value  of  the  Shorthorn  cross  with  cows  of  a 
larger  and  better  type  has  been  equally  satisfactory,  though,  of 
course,  not  so  marked.  I have  had  a good  opportunity  of 
observing  the  effect  of  such  crossing.  My  nearest  neighbour 
has  for  the  last  twelve  years  used  one  of  my  bulls,  or  one  as 
well  bred.  He  is  a tenant  dairy-farmer,  and  keeps  100  head  of 
cattle  of  all  ages.  He  grows  little  grain  or  roots,  and  his  cattle 
have  therefore  hard  times  in  winter.  In  spite  of  this,  however, 
his  stock  are  of  excellent  quality  and  character ; and  when  his 
badly  wintered  young  animals  are  sold  off  the  grass,  they  top 
everything  in  the  fairs.  Indeed,  the  dealers  know  him,  and 
come  to  his  place  for  his  stock,  so  that  he  usually  gets  his  own 
price.” 
In  county  Kerry  the  operations  of  the  Shorthorn  have  been 
equally  beneficial  in  their  results.  Although  this  county  is 
the  head-quarters  of  the  only  pure  native  breed  of  cattle  in 
Ireland — the  well-known  and  very  useful  little  black  Kerries 
and  Dexters — it  also  contains  a large  portion  of  the  Short- 
horn element.  Mr.  James  Bogue,  whose  recollections  of  cattle 
matters  in  Ireland  stretch  back  to  an  early  date  in  the  century, 
relates  a most  striking  instance  of  the  power  of  a well-bred 
Shorthorn  bull,  wh£n  crossed  with  a cow  of  another  variety, 
to  carry  the  produce  after  himself.  “ A dairy-cow,”  he  says, 
“ the  commonest  of  the  common,  brindled,  with  black  nose,  was 
at  Ardfert  Abbey  put  to  ‘ Regal  Booth  ’ (27,262),  and  the  produce 
was  a roan  heifer,  a Shorthorn  all  over.”  Mr.  Bogue  mentions 
another  interesting  case.  He  says,  “ In  the  year  1848,  I bought 
for  a friend,  at  Mill  Street  Fair,  ten  mountain-heifers,  at  about 
SI.  10s.  a-head.  They  were  put  to  a pure-bred  Shorthorn  bull 
on  a mountain-farm  in  county  Cork.  The  calves,  fostered  on  their 
dams,  were  sold  by  weight,  when  twenty-four  months  old,  to  a 
butcher  in  the  town  of  Bandon,  at  SI.  per  cwt. — the  highest  price, 
I think,  that  had  been  paid  for  beef  in  Ireland  from  the  time  ol 
the  first  Napoleon.  I saw  the  carcasses  weighed,  and  1 have  a 
distinct  recollection  that  one,  a black,  weighed  58  stones,  and 
the  smallest,  a brindled,  50  stones.  The  gentleman  who  bred 
and  fed  these  now  turns  out  bullocks,  when  from  eighteen  to 
twenty-four  months  old,  at  25/.  a head,  got  by  a Gwynne  bull 
bred  at  Ardfert  Abbey.” 
