November I, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
389 
IMPROVED DAIRY CATTLE. 
(■Continued from page 36S.) 
Before giving our proposed mode of mating the animals to 
produce the type and character of stock desired, we propose to 
refer the best classes of cattle available for the purpose, and the 
stock will consist of two breads only—viz., the (Shorthorns and 
the Guernseys. We will first describe the style and character of 
the Shorthorns which appear best adapted for the objects in 
view—namely, the improvement of the Guernsey cattle. There are 
in the Shorthorn breed at least four distinct types:—the milking 
type; the long heavy fore-quartered type, such as graziers 
approve ; the big up-standing, quick-growing stamp, which fills 
the eye at a market of store cattle ; and the square lumpy bulls, 
•which have done so much for Aberdeen and polled crosses. In 
making a selection for the purposes of a single cross with a 
Shorthorn cow and the Guernsey bull we must adopt as our 
type the milking type, but not pure and simple as above stated. 
What, then, is it we want ? Why, deep milking animals or great 
milkers, would describe them more, exactly probably ; but at the 
same time we require animals which yield good flesh points also 
to a certain extent. Then arises the question, Ho v far can we 
trust an animal which is in the Herd-book of Shorthorns, or 
■commonly called Pedigree Shorthorns ? Practically it is im¬ 
possible to obtain good milkers or deep milkers from full pedigree 
stock, but we have tribes to fall back on which give us the full 
advantages of a perfect beef-making animal in ali points 
excepting one—that is, the shoulder top, which in full pedigree 
animal is covered with a heavy pad or roll of fat and flesh. No 
great milker can ever be obtained with such a characteristic in 
the formation of the shoulder top, and whenever it has been seen 
it was an exception to a rule which practical men as judges of 
-deep milking Shorthorns assert that it is impossible to expect 
great milking qualities unless the udder is large and well 
formed, and the shoulder top is comparatively thin, also affecting 
the shape of the neck at its junction with the shoulder, and to 
some extent the chine for 6 or 8 inches behind the shoulder top 
point. 
The next thing to be considered is, that if we cannot have the 
■deep milking animals without making this concession to per¬ 
fection of form, how much can we retain of the points remaining 
in an outline and conformation called perfection ? The especial 
forma ion which we require to make the most valuable and 
perfect milking animal is a very slight loss to the butcher, 
because the meat upon the shoulder top and the base of the neck 
or portion of the spinal connection as above stated, oaly carries 
flesh of an inferior kind, and is sold by the butchers at almost 
as low a price as offal. In the selection of our deep milking 
.animal we have or may have depending upon "our own practical 
judgment in selection or breeding all the flesh points except those 
named; for although we have a bare narrow top to the shoulder 
points, yet there is no reason why the outline may not be all that 
■can be desired, and also the length of carcas, which is frequently 
greater than in animals showing all the butcher’s points. Again, 
we may have a deep wide chest and deep wide brisket, so essen¬ 
tial to the constitutional development of cattle, and likewise all 
the width of frame which constitutes the general weight and 
character at weight for age of a perfect butcher’s bullock; 
therefore the concession made to the milking animal of its points 
to assure it are small compared with the vast importance of the 
gain by animals of the best milking type. 
It may be asked, Whence comes this bold assertion of ours and 
cur practical brethren ? We reply, From our own practical obser¬ 
vation of the conformation of our best milking tribes, for in any 
breed of cattle it will be observed, and although we do not read 
•of it much in various essays upon the breeding of cattle, 
yet we find it alluded to by Mr. Dixon in the Journal of the 
Royal Agricultural Society of England in his essay “ On the 
Rise and Progi’ess of Shorthorns,” in 1865. He says—“ Still, 
good milking pedigrees do not command an extra price, and in 
fact any allusion to them in a sale catalogue is rather regarded as 
an apology for doubtful or unfashionable blood. ‘ Someth'ng to 
give milk for the house,’ is too often spoken of as a mere humble 
adjunct, and ‘not worth dwelling upon ’ at the end of a row of 
high-bred cows and heifers, many of which are systematically 
diied off to keep them in bloom for shows or visitors, while their 
calves are provided with a nurse. A young heifer is selected 
with a viewTo well-covered flesh points, early maturity, and fine 
meilow handling: and there is none of that Ayrshire acumen at 
work which gives laws for the exact shape of the ‘ milking 
vessel,’ which, like a peculiar feather extending from the 
‘ vessel up the twist and large veins from it under the belly. 
This test may have been carried to an extreme, and cows with 
badly formed ‘vessels’ may have sometimes turned out good 
milkers; but still it is this strict attention to milking-points 
(which among Shorthorned men generally stops short at a light 
neck and a big udder) which makes the Ayrshire cow such a 
perfect fill-pail for her size.” 
Here is quite enough evidence to admit the value of our 
version of the requisites whereby to designate a great milker as 
distinct from those animals bred for fatting purposes only. 
As we wish to obtain the Shorthorn blood m females to mate 
with the Guernsey bulls, there are very strong reasons which 
should induce us to regal'd colour as of importance in taking 
even one cross between the Shorthorn and Guernsey breeds for 
the purposes before mentioned chiefly; but we must not forget 
how desirable it must be to preserve the prevailing colour of the 
Guernsey breed, which varies from a patched colour, the ground 
being white, varied in degree by patches of a light reddish brown 
to a pale lemon. It must in consequence be considered as the 
necessity of selecting the colour of the Shorthorns from which 
we obtain our heifers for crossing. In this matter our experience 
tells us, that notwithstanding the prevailing and fashionable 
colour is red or patchy deep red-and-white in some of the best 
herds of the kingdom, yet more value, as far as colour operates 
with the fancier, is set upon the red roan and the tendency to 
plain white. As these colours would not mix well with the 
prevailing Guernsey colours, we must look further and seek for 
the light or brownish red not unfrequently mixed with light 
speckled brown, and we well remember this colour prevailed 
throughout the valuable milking herd of Mr. Whittaker about 
the years 1827 to 1835. Many men valued these for their milking 
properties, but were rejected by others when required to form a 
pedigree herd, because of their light thin shoulders and splendid 
udders. Any animals which no doubt may be found which have 
descended from Mr. Whittaker’s stock, will answer the best 
purpose as regards colour. Again, the late Mr. Richd. Stratton 
had no doubt one of the finest strains of milking Shorthorns to 
be found in the kingdom about twenty years ago, although he 
raised some for milking and some for show, both at the Royal 
and also at the Smithfield Club meetings of full pedigree stock, 
both cows and bulls, but their prevailing colour, as we have often 
seen them at these exhibitions, were generally red-roan, some¬ 
times nearly or quite white ; but these, however suitable in some 
respects, would not nick in colour with the Guernseys. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horses are still daily employed in preparing for 
Wheat-sowing, and upon some strong flat-lying land we find it difficult 
immediately after the heavy rains which occurred before the 20th of 
October to work the horses as we wished; for our object is to plough and 
sow all the wettest land with a fallow surface daily, and keep the seeding 
and finishing work close up to the plough, so that if storms of rain should 
occur almost every furrow will have been seeded in fair condition. In 
fact we cannot and shall not easily forget the difficulties we encountered 
in the Wheat-seed time of last year, and the land which suffered from 
loss of plant was that which was ploughed one day to be seeded the 
following one : but that can never be done in any season as a rule, and 
never should be calculated upon, for when the days shorten the sun has 
little power to dry the surface if it once becomes sodden with rain. We 
have now ploughed nearly all the Clover lea ground, and some part has 
been sown in fair condition. In readiness for ploughing-in men are now 
mowing the greens off some very fine red round Turnips, also pulling 
and chopping the bulbs, which, when done, makes the land look as though 
covered with snow at a distance, the chopped Turnips looking so white. 
Now these together form a large bulk of vegetable matter, will yield a 
heavy weight of green manure for ploughing-in, and would prove too 
much for a corn crop if the land had not been badly treated by the last 
tenant. But as it is, the bulk of the Wheat we expect will be great, for 
there is vegetable manure enough to plough in, to throw down any kind 
of Wheat and injure it by lodging, except the dwarf rough Chaff and 
short-strawed Essex Wheat. 
Hand Labour .—The men, and women too, should now be engaged in 
the work of pulling and preparing the Mangold crops for pitting and 
storing. We do not like cutting the greens off too close to the bulb, but 
we leave enough of the bud on the crown of the bulb to grow out a little 
in the store heap, for when they c?to do this most of the bruised roots 
will be preserved, whereas if the bulbs were crowned down too close they 
cannot then vegetate in the heap, and they would decay there instead of 
healing and coming out sound when required for u«e in the winter or 
spring. We find the best covering compared with straw is seaweed, or 
