50.5 
HUSBANDRY. 
nnfwer well for draught. But, though the cattle of the 
above diftrift are moftly polled, they have feveral with 
horns, which they contend are a mongrel breed, produced 
by eroding with long-horned bulls from other diftrifts. 
The polled ones, .and of thefe the black or dark brindled 
ones, are preferred to any other, as they allow them to 
be the original breed of the country. 
The Highland or Kyloe Breed of cattle'is.lefs in. 
proportion to’ the polled than they are to the long¬ 
horns ; this breed is alfo covered with a long clofe coat 
of hair like the polls and long-horns; and, like thefe, 
the beef is fine-grained, well-flavoured, and mixed or 
anarbled, but not fo handfome on the outfide, when 
•expofed in the market, not being of fo bright a co- 
■lour, and often fpotted with black, except when made 
very fat. When grazed, they feed very readily, their 
•weight in general being from twenty to thirty-five Itone ; 
fome reach to more' than forty ftone. The mod; pre¬ 
valent colour is black ; fome are brindled or dun ; but 
the, breeders there, like thole in Galloway, prefer the 
black ones. This hardy breed is found in all the exten- 
five mountainous country, the Highlands of Scotland, to¬ 
gether with the Weftern Hies. The I lie of Skye cattle 
are tire fmallelt in fize, but the moll perfect in other re- 
fpefts of perhaps any of the Kyloe or other forts; a cir- 
cumftance which is fuppofed to depend on its being a 
pure unmixed breed. This breed feems calculated in 
every refperft to thrive in a cold, expofed, mountainous, 
country, and probably better adapted to the cold regions 
•where they are bred than any other kind. They are 
driven to the fouthward in great numbers every autumn ; 
many into the weftern dillrifts of Yorklhire; but the great- 
eft part into Norfolk, Suffolk, Eflex, and other parts of the 
louth, where they are fattened. This fort of cattle is 
termed kyloes, probably from a di ft riot in Ayrlhire called 
Kyle, where they prevail much. 
The Lowland or Fifeshire Breed of cattle is rarely 
met with in an unmixed ftate. Towards Cumberland they 
are half long-horns, half polls; on the borders of Northum¬ 
berland they are mixed with fhort-homs until we reach 
Tiviotdale, where they become altogether a final 1 coarfe 
kind of fliort-horns, or what the Yorkfliire jobbers call 
runts ; except a few good fhort-horned cattle, bred in that 
pleafant and fine country, the Tweed-fide. This fame" 
kind of runtilh coarfe breed continues all the way to the 
Frith of Forth. Crofting this narrow fea into Fifefhire, 
it might at firft be imagined that the Fife cattle were a 
diftinft breed, from their upright white horjis, their be¬ 
ing exceedingly light-lyred, and ’ thin-thighed ; but Mr. 
Culley is pretty clear that it is only from their being 
more nearly'allied to the kyloe breed, and confequently 
having lefs of the coarfe kind of fhort-homs in. them. 
The cattle all along this coaft continue to change more 
and more, growing ftiil lefs, until, upon the edges of the 
mountains, they become quite of 'the kyloe kind ; but 
itiII much inferior to that pure, unmixed, valuable, breed 
of kyloes which occupy the moremorthern and weftern 
Highlands, and the different ifles ; but particularly the 
lile of Skye, and that traft of country called Kintail. 
The Alderney Breed of cattle is very delicate and ten¬ 
der, fo as to be little fitted for the ufe of the farmer. They 
are not able to bear the cold of this illand, particularly 
the more northern parts of it. They are in general fine¬ 
boned, light red or yellow in colour, and their beef ge¬ 
nerally yellow or very high coloured, though fine in the 
grain, and well-flayoured. They make themlelves very 
fat; and are not in the leaft fubject to Iyer, or black flefh. 
Very ufeful cattle have .been bred from a crofs between 
an Alderney cow and a fhort-horned bull. This is a 
breed that is moftly to be met with about the feats of the 
nobility and gentry, upon account of the cows giving 
exceedingly rich milk. 
From this detail of the various breeds of cattle, it is 
obvious that they are not all equally profitable to the 
^feeder, the rearer, the dairyman, the grazier, the butcher, 
Vot.«X,:Ne,6 79 . 
or the confumer. Some have a greater difpofition to fat¬ 
ten than others. Some, being cleaner boned and better 
formed, have lefs offal. Some give a greater quantity of 
milk than others. In a word ; fome of the particular 
properties for which cattle are eftimable are more difeern- 
ible in one breed than in another. Whether thefe can be 
all united in the fame animal, or whether a breed of cat¬ 
tle poftefting all the requifite qualifications would be 
equally fuitable to all fituations, are queftions not eafy to 
be determined. In regard to the firft, it feems univerfal- 
ly agreed, that there are two properties for which cattle 
are efteemed valuable, that cannot be united; that is, a 
difpofition to fatten, and a tendency to yield a large quan¬ 
tity of milk. The form of the animal moft remarkable 
for the firft, is very different from that of the other; in 
place of being flat in the fides, and big in the belly, as 
all great milkers are, it is high-fided and light-bellied ; 
in a word, its body is. barrel-formed, while that of the 
other is. more fitted to embrace a horfe-collar. It is not 
probable, therefore, that the properties of two breeds of 
cattle, fo oppofite in form and general appearance, can 
ever be united in the fame animal. If a-large quantity of 
milk, whatever be its quality, is the obje6t, the dairyman 
mult content himfelf with fuch plain ill-looking animals 
as have been deferibed. And, as the milk of all cows is 
well known not to be of the fame quality, it appears 
highly probable, that, in proportion as the cows of the 
milking tribe exceed thole that are more difpofed to fat- - 
ten in quantity, in nearly the fame proportion will their 
milk be inferior in quality. If this fiiould prove to b» 
the cafe, the fuperiority of the quick feeders one would 
fuppofe to be completely eftablilhed; as, while cattle of 
this defeription are confeffedly better for the purpofes- 
of the graziers, the butchers, and the confumers, they 
would, if this point were determined in their favour, be 
alfo more valuable for the dairy. No perfon will think 
of aflerting, that a gallon or two of whey or of butter¬ 
milk extra, is a fufficient reafon for prefering a breed of 
plain-looking, ill-formed, cattle, to one that, except in 
this particular, is more valuable in every refpeft. In. a 
word, no perfon, who pretends to a knowledge of the dif¬ 
ferent breeds of cattle, will think of fupporting an opi¬ 
nion fo erroneous, as that cattle which are difpofed to fat¬ 
ten quickly, and at an early age, that, from the fuperior 
excellence of their form, have a fmall proportion of offal, 
or what the breeders call non-e(fentmls, and that, although 
they yield not a large quantity of milk, yet make up for 
that deficiency in the richnefs of its quality, are not more 
valuable than thofe which have nothing to recommend 
them but the fingle property of being great milkers. 
Mr. Culley, in comparing the breeds of long and fliort 
horned cattle, contends that the former excel in the hide, 
hair, and quality of the beef; the latter in the quantity 
of beef, tallow, and milk; and though each breed has 
long had, and probably may have, its particular advo¬ 
cates, it is not improbable but that each may have its par¬ 
ticular advantages in different fituations. Thus, the thick 
firm hide, and long clofe-fet hair, of one kind, may be a 
fecurity againft thofe impetuous winds and heavy rain* 
to which the weft coaft of the ifland is fo fubjeft; while 
the more regular feafons and mild climate upon the ealt 
coRltmay be more fuitable to theconlfitution of the other. 
In regard to the former breed exceeding the latter in 
the quality of the beef, it is only to the particular va¬ 
riety (elected and improved by Mr. Bakewell, that pre¬ 
ference is to be given in this view; for, as to the long- 
liorned breed in common, it is fuppofed that their beef is 
rather inferior than fuperior to that of the generality of 
the fhort-horned kind ; and there is little doubt, it is ima¬ 
gined, but a breed of fhort-horned cattle might be ('elect¬ 
ed, equal if not fuperior to even that very kindly-flefhed 
fort of Mr. Bakewell, provided any able breeder would 
pay as much attention to thefe as he and his neighbours 
have done to the long-horns. 
But, jiotwithftafldjng thefe two breeds have hitherto 
6 N been 
