Irish Af/ricuhitre. 
47 
cannot be lull v dovelopod unless under favourable c ircumstances. 
Starvation, or semi-starvation, will not bring it out, although the 
possessicm of it assists materially, I have no doubt, in enabling 
the animal when put on good pasture to speedily overcome the 
effects of the treatment to which it had been previously subjected. 
Hence the rapid improvement which Irish cattle of a good 
description exhibit when put on good grass in summer, as they 
pick up flesh wonderfully fast, that is, externally : for it is 
believed that they do not "tallow" as well as cattle which have 
been regularly kept in an improving state from the first. 
With reference to this point, I take leave to quote from a letter 
I have -received I'rom an Edinburgh butcher, who has had for many 
years a large trade in that city, and whose opinion, as a practical 
man, is entitled to be received with respect : — 
" My experience (as an Edinburgh butcher) of Irish grass-fed 
cattle, is, that they, to use a butcher's phrase, are in general ' bad 
diers : ' that means a deficiency of inside tallow compared with 
the ordinary run of Scotch-fed beasts; and when tallow is wanting, 
all is wrong for the butcher. The animal, however well it looked 
on foot, is sure to be from two to three stones (28 lbs. to 42 lbs.) 
lighter in carcase than what it appeared, as well as deficient in 
quality of beef. I suppose it must be something of this sort that 
makes 'the Irish grass-fed cattle so unpopular in our markets with 
butchers. Notwithstanding what has been said above against 
Irish cattle, from what I have seen and known of their treatment 
during the winter months, I am disposed to take their part, and 
not blame them so much as their owners for the way they turn 
out. No doubt there are exceptions, but an Irish grazier in 
general makes no effort, and gives himself little concern about 
providing, in its proper season, a supply of winter food for his 
cattle. If the poor starved things survive the winter, he has no 
claim to any credit in the matter. Keeping the ' calf-flesh ' on an 
animal, in the William M'Combie sense of the term, is, I fear, 
not well understood or practised in Ireland as it ought to be. 
If they, the breeders and feeders of cattle in Ireland, w ould take 
a leaf out of M'Combie's book, their cattle would be more popular, 
and command a much higher price than they do in all the British 
markets they go to. So far as soil and climate are concerned, 
for the breeding, rearing, and feeding of cattle, the advantages are 
all with them ; and it is a great pity for themselves and others 
that they do not take the benefit of it."' 
It may be stated that the writer of the above remarks has, 
besides his experience as a butcher, an intimate acquaintance 
with the system of management pursued in Ireland, as he has 
rented, for several years, a large farm in one of the midland 
counties of Ireland. 
