Notes,  Communications  and  - Reviews.  365 
rear  heifer  and  “ store  ” calves.  From  this  life  on  the  peaceful 
dale  pastures  of  Lancashii*e,  the  West  Riding,  or  Westmorland, 
she  goes  to  one  of  the  cow-keeping  farmers  who  practice  almost 
in  the  suburbs  of  some  large  manufacturing  city.  Here  she  is 
fed — prodigiously  fed  as  compared  with,  say,  the  cheese-making 
cow  of  a southern  grass  county — and  is  expected  to  yield  some 
eight  hundred  or  thousand  gallons  of  milk,  and  to  be  ready 
for  the  butcher  when  dry  after  some  nine  to  eleven  months’ 
milking.  She  is  also  expected  to  “ die  well  ” and  will  yield 
from  90  to  120  stone  (8  lbs.)  of  very  excellent  cow  beef,  such 
beef  as  would  gladden  the  hearts  of  the  many  who  are  not 
familiar  with  the  best  beef  of  “ Old  England.” 
In  the  very  heart  of  suburban  Liverpool  are  to  be  found 
very  many  cow-houses,  so  wonderfully  sanitary  and  so  admir- 
ably kept  that  this  city  may  well  claim  to  have  the  best  urban 
milk  supply  in  the  world.  Each  of  these  cow-houses  holds 
some  twenty  to  thirty  of  the  wonderful  animals  about  which 
we  are  writing,  and,  though  an  occasional  “ polley,”  “ blue- 
grey,”  or  even  a “ white-face  ” may  be  seen,  the  majority  of 
cattle  are  “ shorthorns  ” in  character. 
Two  distinct  types  are  to  be  found.  One  of  these,  though 
finer  in  the  chine  and  immensely  superior  in  the  “ bag,”  is  very 
similar  to  the  “ show  ” animal  of  Coates’  Herd  Book.  Mossy  in 
coat,  somewhat  thick  in  the  hide,  heavy  in  flesh — sometimes 
even  patchy  to  a certain  extent — there  is  no  mistaking  the 
presence  of  Booth,  Bates,  and  no  doubt  a little  Cruikshank 
blood,  in  these  animals  which  are  very  often  a rich  roan  in 
colour. 
The  other  type,  though  distinctly  shorthorn,  is  less  so  than 
the  first  one.  Finer  of  skin,  hair,  and  horn,  more  slender  of 
frame,  often  red  and  white  in  colour,  she  is  decidedly  more 
dairy-like  in  chai’acter.  We  learnt  that  not  infrequently  cows 
of  this  description  were  obtained  from  Ireland.  In  the  course 
of  many  most  interesting  conversations  with  the  owners  of 
these  animals  we  were  unable  to  gather  that  either  of  the  two 
classes  milked  better  than  the  other  and  unfortunately  accurate 
records  are  seldom  kept.  We  found,  however,  that  there  was  a 
distinct  consensus  of  opinion  that  the  cows  of  the  type  first 
described  “ died  best.” 
It  would  be  altogether  ungracious  to  bring  this  communi- 
cation to  a conclusion  without  thanking  Mr.  T.  Backhouse, 
Steward  of  the  Liverpool  and  District  Cow-Keepers’  Associa- 
tion, for  so  kindly  arranging,  for  the  purpose  of  this  “ Note,” 
our  visit  to  the  admirable  cow-houses  referred  to  above,  and  as 
regards  the  owners  of  these  establishments,  we  can  only  say  that 
their  reception  of  us  was  typical  of  North  Country  hospitality. 
K.  J.  J.  M. 
