Page:1902 Encyclopædia Britannica - Volume 25 - A-AUS.pdf/224

 192

AGRICULTURE

[united

Galloways make admirable beasts for the grazier, and the just been stated, a dark muzzle, encircled by a light cross between the Galloway and the Shorthorn, also colour, thus giving a “ mealy-mouthed ” appearance. The Kerry is a breed of small black cattle belonging to known as “Blue Grey,” is much sought after by the the south-west of Ireland, whence they have spread into butcher. The Highland breed—termed also the West Highland many parts, not only of their native land, but of England and the Kyloe—is perhaps the most picturesque of the as well. Although they are able to subsist on the roughest breeds of British cattle. Their home is amidst the wild and scantiest of fare, and are exceedingly hardy, the cows romantic scenery of the Highland counties and Western are, nevertheless, excellent milkers, and have acquired Isles of Scotland, though herds of them may be seen in celebrity as a dairy breed. The colour is black, but the various English parks. There is no hardier breed. In their cows sometimes have a little white on the udder. The Uative haunts they live exposed to all weathers, and thrive horns are white, with black tip, and are turned upwards. upon scanty herbage which they gather with great effort. The Kerry is active and graceful, long and lithe in body, They have not made much progress towards early maturity, and light-limbed. The Dexter breed is an offshoot of the Kerry, its origin but their slowly ripened beef is of the choicest quality. Whilst they are not often remarkable for size, they look being attributed to Mr Dexter, who is credited with having larger than they really are on account of the thick shaggy established it, by selection and breeding from the best hair in which they are enveloped. The colour varies mountain types of the Kerry. Until recently it was called from light dun, or tawny yellow, to black. Their long, the Dexter Kerry. It is smaller, shorter in the leg, and more compact than the Kerry, and gains in plumpness handsomely curved horns are set widely apart. The Ayrshires are the dairy breed of Scotland, where what it loses in elegance. Whilst valuable as a beefthey have considerably overstepped the limits of the humid making animal, it is equally noted for its milk-produwestern county whence they take their name. They are cing capacity. Black is the usual colour, but red is also usually of a white and brown colour, the patches being recognized, with, in either case, a little white. When well defined. Sometimes the brown is replaced by red, of a red colour, its appearance has been aptly compared to and any one of the colours may prevail to the exclusion of that of a grand Shorthorn viewed through the wrong end the others. The neat, shapely, upstanding horns, with a of a telescope. The Kerry and the Dexter are readily peculiar curve upwards at the tip, are characteristic. The distinguishable. The Kerry has a light, deer-like head and Ayrshires are of medium size and are graceful movers, and horn, light limbs, with ribs, hips, and shoulders well set, the females have the wedge-shape possessed by typical thin skin, straight back, light, well-set tail, with long dairy cows. They are a hardy breed, and give good yields brush. The Dexter has, as has just been intimated, very of milk even from poor pastures. The milk of the Ayr- much the character of a diminutive Shorthorn, with short strong legs, square body, flat back, thick shoulder, short shires is especially useful for cheesemaking purposes. The Jerseys are a breed of graceful, deer-like cattle whose neck, and well-set head and horn. The breeds of cattle which are more especially notehome is in the island of Jersey, where, by means of stringent regulations against the importation of cattle, the worthy as beef-makers include the Shorthorn, Hereford, breed has been kept pure for many generations. As its Devon, Sussex, Welsh, Aberdeen-Angus, Galloway, and milk is especially rich in fat, the Jersey has attained a Highland. As milk-producers, and therefore as dairy wide reputation as a butter-producing breed. It is a great cattle, the Shorthorn, South Devon, Longhorn, Red Polled, favourite in England, where many pure-bred herds exist. Ayrshire, Jersey, Guernsey, Kerry, and Dexter breeds The colours most preferred are the light silver-grey, the have acquired eminence. Such breeds as the Shorthorn, brown, and the fawn; brindled markings are very rarely Devon, Welsh, Red Polled, and Dexter are claimed as useseen. The white zone behind the black muzzle gives to ful both for beef-making and for milk-producing, and are these cattle the appearance in respect of which they are hence regarded as serving the dual purpose. As regards sometimes termed “ mealy-mouthed.” The horns are short, colour, red is characteristic of the Hereford, Devon, and generally curved inwards; the bones are fine. The Sussex, and Red Polled. Black is the dominating colour best milch cows have a yellowish circle round the eye, and of the Welsh, Aberdeen-Angus, Galloway, Kerry, and the skin at the extremity of the tail of a deep yellow, Dexter. A yellowish colour is seen in the Guernsey and almost orange, colour. The Jersey cattle possess peculiari- South Devon breeds. Various shades of fawn colour are ties of colour not seen in any other breed in the British usual in the Jersey cattle. The Herefords, though with Isles. The cows are gentle and docile, but the bulls, red bodies, have white faces, manes, and dew-laps, whilst white prevails to a greater or less extent in the Shorthorn, despite their small size, are often fierce. The Guernsey cattle have their native homes in the Longhorn, and Ayrshire breeds. The Shorthorn breed is islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Herm, and they exceedingly variable in colour; pure-bred specimens may are kept pure there by the same kinds of restrictions as be red, or white, or roan, or may be marked with two or are adopted in Jersey for the protection of the native more of these colours, the roan resulting from a blending breed of that island. Herds of pure-bred Guernseys exist of the white and red. Black is not seen in a pure-bred in the Isle of Wight and in various southern counties of Shorthorn. With respect to size and weight, the biggest England. They have not the refined and elegant appear- and heaviest cattle come from the beef-making breeds, and ance of the Jerseys, which, however, they exceed in size. are often cross-bred. Very large beasts, if pure-bred, They are usually of a rich yellowish-brown colour, patched usually belong to one or other of the Shorthorn, Hereford, with white, whilst in some cases their colour almost merits Sussex, Welsh, Aberdeen-Angus, and Galloway breeds. the appellation of “ orange and lemon.” The yellow The Devon, Red Polled, and Guernsey are medium-sized colour inside the ears is a point always looked for by cattle ; the Ayrshires are smaller. The Jerseys are small, judges. The cows, large-bellied and narrow in front, are graceful cattle, but the Kerries and Dexters furnish the truly wedge-shaped, the greatly developed milk-bag adding smallest cattle of the British Isles. to the expanse of the hinder part of the body. They yield Sheep. an abundance of milk, rich in fat, so that, like the Jerseys, The sheep native to the British Isles may be classified as they are excellent butter-producers. The horns are yellow at the base, curved, and not coarse. The nose is free from longwool, shortwool, and mountain breeds. The longwool black markings, whereas, in the Jerseys, there is, as has breeds are the Leicester, Border Leicester, Cotswold,