February 7, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
119 
THE WELSH BREED OF CATTLE. 
(Continuedfrom page OS.) 
We will now notice the observations of another great 
authority as to the characteristics of the Welsh cattle; we 
allude to Mr. Thomas Rowlandson, who wrote the prize 
essays on the farming of North Wales in the Journal of 
the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 1846, and also 
on the farming of Herefordshire in 1853. We must therefore 
value his testimony, which has been so amply rewarded by 
the Council of the Royal Society. He says, when speaking 
of the Hereford cattle — “All observant persons who have 
travelled through the county of Hereford and the adjoining 
district of South Wales as far as Pembroke and the opposite 
■coast of North Devon, must have been struck with the general 
resemblance in outline of the breeds indigenous to them; indeed 
the comparison may be carried further, for the Short horns 
-of South Devon and the Sussex cattle greatly resemble the 
Olamorgans in all but colour, the most esteemed breed of the 
last-mentioned being black. A mixed black and brown, red 
and dun-coloured race of cattle, is found throughout all the 
southern Welsh counties, the whole greatly resembling in 
symmetrical appearance the true Hereford, varying only in 
colour.” 
Although we shall be now obliged to allude to the unpro¬ 
fitable management of various small farmers in certain mountain 
districts of Wales, this will only be done to give the greater 
■effect in comparison with first-class management, to which we 
shall allude further on. The cattle bred by these small farmers 
are found throughout Wales on all the poorest districts, but are 
reared without much expense or care, and generally kept until 
they are three or four years old. They are then sold to drovers 
and dealers, who take them to Barnet and other fairs, such as 
Blackwater, and there sell them to the Norfolk, Essex, and other 
graziers, who feed them for the London market. On account of 
the method of rearing them they are small in size, but pay 
well when they are fed judiciously in the stalls or boxes" on 
the best managed farms of the eastern and southern counties. 
These black cattle have ranged in price in the fairs at about 
three years old from £6 to £fl each, and the four-years old from 
£8 to £13 each, and are, when made up of prime beef, selling in 
the London market on account of their good quality and small 
■size at the top prices of the day. About three-fourths of the lots 
sold at the fairs consist of oxen, and the other one-fourth of 
heifers. The heifers are seldom spared, but this is a mistake of 
the farmers who rear them, for it often happens that just as 
they begin to show the results of good feeding they are found to 
be in calf, and the high feeding expenses comparatively lost, as 
the animals would not be appreciated as milking stock. 
As we have now shown the various ways in which the Welsh 
■cattle are treated, both for milking purposes and rearing for 
profit, to be sold for fattening in distant counties of England, 
we propose to give a notice of a well-written statement which 
we find in the Agricultural Gazette of December 3rd, 1883, con¬ 
tributed by Mr. John Edmunds. He says—“We had heard 
recently much of the improved condition of Welsh agriculture. 
We were, we confess, rather dubi > is, as we had in remembrance 
some delightsome journeys through different parts of the prin¬ 
cipality which had impressed upon us the idea that there was 
plenty of room for improvement in this respect. We had, of 
course, heard of Major Platt’s zealous attachment to the move¬ 
ment so recently and so successfully inaugurated or revived, 
for the maintenance of the valuable, distinctive, and hitherto 
strangely neglected breed of Welsh black cattle, and we confess 
that we expected to see something out of the common in the 
herd of pedigree stock at Madryn Park (Major Platt’s farm); 
but when we found that not only our most sanguine expectations 
in this respect had been exceeded, we were simply amazed. 
Madryn Park Farm is to be seen on the left, about midway 
between Llanfairfechan and Aber stations, on the line of rails 
between Chester and Holyhead. It is early in the morning, but 
things have evidently been astir for some time, and there is 
activity everywhere, under the apt direction and able supervision 
of Mr David Williams, th) Major’s farm steward, who is as 
proud of the place as Major Platt himself, and to whose care and 
energy the success in no small measure depends. 
Perhaps before we venture into the farmyard we may briefly 
review the movement now forcing itself rapidly to the fore under 
the auspices of the North Wales Black Cattle Society, with which 
Major Platt is so closely identified, and in the success of which 
he is so much interested. The real origin of the North Wales 
black cattle seems shrouded in some doubt. The fact was 
apparent that Wales had a breed of cattle peculiar to itself, 
cattle hardy as Welsh cattle ought to be, of good constitution, 
excellent as milk-producers, and, as experience now shows, pro¬ 
fitable for exhibition and for the feeder’s stall. Mr. Wm. Dew, 
editor of the “ Society’s Herd Book,” in some interesting intro¬ 
ductory remarks, points out how some thirty-five years a^o 
milch cows were selling at from £4 to £7 each. We saw in the 
herd at Madryn Park a real beauty whose value had been decided 
by the fall of the auctioneer's hammer, at something not much 
below £400 ; it appeared to us likely that even this figure does 
not anything like represent her appreciable worth to her owner. 
“ A real beauty, a queen indeed,” we muttered half aloud when 
we were leaving the stall. “ Yes, when she won the champion 
prize against all England, there was as much excitement as there 
was at the election.” But this brings us to the rest of the herd 
of pedigree stock, which now numbers thirty-fivehead of cattle— 
all pictures. As we have before intimated, the pick of the cows 
is probably Black Queen, third, a beautiful beast, standing as 
square as a table; wide-chested, broad-backed, with tail like a whip 
lash, and head like a deer. But there are other cows that would 
satisfy the most fastidious critic, and arouse the admiration of 
those competent to judge. 
The successes of the herd are historical. We may mention 
the following distinctions :—First prize at Bala, 1881; first prize 
at Bangor the same year; and in 1882 first at Corwen, Langefin, 
Towyn, and in the Champion class against all England. The 
bulls are both large and beautiful. Black Prince, second, now 
three years old, of the original Beddgelert breed, seems really 
nothing short of perfection, an opinion endorsed by his at¬ 
tendant, for he looks all loyal as he tells us—“ Yes, indeed, 
sir, as quiet as a lamb, and wins all the prizes wherever he’s 
shown.” He moves him away majestically, and Prince Llew¬ 
ellyn fourth, steps into his place, a black prince, and another 
beauty. The bulls both stand firmly upon their short legs, as 
square in body as boxes, chests like engine-plates, and hides like 
silk. The expressive features and quiet demeanour of the faces 
—if we may use the terms—struck us much, and we approached 
without fear, and found them as docile as the attendant had 
said. Here, too, is a beautiful young bull, Rhys. At sixteen 
months old he has taken the prize in the open Champion class 
against competitors of all ages. We must hasten on, however. 
There are two bullocks coming up the yard moving in solemn 
procession, for a ton of meat cannot move itself swiftly if the 
means of locomotion are natural and unassisted. These are 
being brought into condition—one for Birmingham, the other 
for Smithfield—and are certainly arguments in favour of the 
North Wales black cattle as meat-producers. Here, too, are 
young bullocks full of play and power; big frames, upon which 
the beef will be hung in due time. Here again we have younger 
stock still, and calves of the present season—pedigree stock, and 
valuable treasures to perpetuate the reputation of their ancestors 
—a responsibility they seem quite able to sustain. Leaving the 
pedigree herd, we come to the stalls, in which forty feeders are 
leading lives of luxury, in blissful ignorance of the end—for 
they are intended for the Christmas sale. They are clean and 
comfortable in their well-kept quarters, and are really noble 
animals, each a mountain of meat.” 
We have been induced to close our account of the Welsh 
cattle with this long quotation, for it is so graphically written, 
that it is well calculated to leave a lasting impression upon the 
mind of the home farmer, and also especially upon the memory 
of young beginners in agriculture and stock-rearing. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—This has been somewhat hindered by the tempestuous 
weather which has lately prevailed. It was, however, fortunate that 
from Christmas up to the 20th of January nothing in respect of the 
weather occurred to impede the horse labour of the farm, and it has been 
employed beneficially in completing the fallow-ploughing, chalk-carting, 
manure-carting on to the Clover seeds, carting of manure and earthy 
composts on to the dry pastures and park lands. Much threshing of 
Barley, Oats, and drege, also of some Wheat has been done, although tie 
latter has in some cases suffered in condition by such early threshing, 
which is unadvisable, except in those cases where it had been stacked in 
fine, dry, and first-rate condition. In fine weather threshing corn and 
pulse crops should be done in order that all the animal power of the farm 
may be obtained at the busy period of spring to forward the cultivation 
