Different Kinds Of Cows

The large kinds of cows are generally chosen where there are rich fertile pastures; and no doubt the dominant breed throughout the country, both for indoor and outdoor feeding, is the Shorthorn. This breed is divided into several varieties - the Holderness, Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, etc. The Yorkshire is thought to be the best for the dairy. These fine animals appear to have descended from the Teeswater breed. There are a great many varieties of the large cows in this country that have been bred by Shorthorn bulls. An excellent cross is common in the Eastern Counties between the best Suffolk cows and Shorthorn animals of the best blood. They are good milkers, harmless, and very quiet, and consequently much approved of for pasture feeding. Cows of this breed will produce from ten to twelve pounds of butter per week each, when well managed; and for butter dairying the quantity and quality of cream produced is of greater importance than the quantity of milk.

Cheshire Cows

The Cheshire dairy farms are mostly stocked with a mixed breed of cows, between the Cheshire, Lancashire, and other crosses.

Lancashire

The Lancashire are distinguished by their long horns, deep fore-quarters, and long hair. They, as well as other long-horned cows, are said to give richer milk than polled cows, but not so much of it. Besides the milking properties of a breed of cows, their hardy qualities must be thought of, where they are exposed to bleak situations; and no doubt the long-horned Lancashire and other coarse-skinned animals are the most hardy.

Devons

The middle-horned breed of cows may include the Devons, the Herefords, and the Sussex. The two latter are the largest, but neither of them excel the best Shorthorn in their produce of milk. The Devons are of a light-red colour, with yellowish coloured horns, well made, and their milk is rich - or we should not have such rich Devonshire cream. Many gentlemen prefer this breed for a herd in their parks.

Hereford

The Hereford, next in size to the Shorthorn breed, is a fine animal and a pretty good one for dairy stock, but better perhaps for fattening purposes. The Sussex do not differ much from the Hereford; they are both of a darker colour than the Devons, with horns of a moderate length, turning up at the points, having wide hips and smallish bones. They are middling cows for the dairy.

Galloway

The polled Galloways are very nice animals for grazing purposes; they are mostly black, well proportioned in form, and yield an average quantity of milk, when carefully used, for dairy purposes.

Highland

The Highland are not thought to be better milk producers than the Galloways, but more hardy.

Ayrshire

The Ayrshire cow is a favourite in some places, but not preferred by cow-keepers in general. It is, however, a good animal for the dairy, and almost equal to the Alderney in the richness of its milk. It has fine wrinkled horns, is larger than the Alderney and somewhat like it in appearance. Its colour is usually red and white.

Shetland

The Shetland cattle are very small, and inferior in shape to those of the Western Highlands. They are hardy, small consumers of food, and yield about two quarts of milk a day.

Welsh

The Pembrokeshire cow is small and hardy. It is fine boned, with clean light head and neck, small yellow horn, good chine, long round barrel, thin thigh and short fine legs, always in good condition if tolerably kept, and has a rich wave in her hair which ever denotes thriftiness of kind. Its produce is from five to seven pounds of butter a week during the dairy season.

Irish

The Kerry cattle, in size and shape, resemble some of those from the Western Islands, of a high bred deer-like shape, not so broad or so low in the leg as the native Highland Stots. These cattle are very hardy, being reared in a country of rocks and hills. Their properties are said to be that of giving the largest quantity of milk, which is also of the richest quality for the amount of sustenance they require.

Alderney

The little Alderney cow is a slender made animal, not very well shaped, though admired for its deer-like mild face and fine bone, it is mostly of a red and white colour with a mottled face. The Alderney gives the richest milk of any kind, and some of them have been known to produce ten and eleven pounds of butter a week of the finest quality. They are rather tender and require to be well housed in the winter.

Suffolk

The Suffolk cow is believed to be the best of the polled breeds for the dairy where the pastures are not very rich. They are quiet, hardy, and suitable for upland fields. It is thought that the Dun coloured originally descended from the Galloway; they do not, however, generally appear to be so uniformly well-shaped as the Galloway, although they have been vastly improved of late years by careful breeders. Various crosses between them and the Ayrshire, and other varieties, have increased the produce of the dairy in many places; but it is believed that for large dairies, no cross is superior to that of the Suffolk cow and the Shorthorn bull.

Whichever breed is made choice of to improve the stock, both male and female should be of the best animals. By a first-class bull a hardy well-formed and abundant milk-producing cow, is almost sure to produce valuable calves to bring up for the future supply of the dairy.

Price

The price given of late years for the live-stock of first-class breeders, has been enormous, hundreds and even thousands of pounds have been given for a single animal. It would not, however, answer the purpose of those who only keep a dairy for profit to purchase very high priced stock. Good cows may be obtained of the large breeds, which a few years ago cost 20/., for about 28/. now, and there is the same difference, or nearly 30 per cent., in the price of all breeds of milch cows.