Mr. Culley, in speaking of the relative value of long and short horns,
says, "The long-horns excel in the thickness and firm texture of the
hide, in the length and closeness of the hair, in their beef being finer
grained and more mixed and marbled than that of the short-horns, in
weighing more in proportion to their size, and in giving richer milk;
but they are inferior to the short-horns in giving a less quantity of
milk, in weighing less upon the whole, in affording less fat when
killed, in being generally slower feeders, in being coarser made, and
more leathery or bullish in the under side of the neck. In a few words,
the long-horns excel in hide, hair, and quality of beef; the short-horns
in the quantity of beef, fat, and milk. Each breed has long had, and
probably may have, their particular advocates; but if I may hazard a
conjecture, is it not probable that both kinds may have their particular
advantages in different situations? Why not the thick, firm hides, and
long, closer set hair, of the one kind be a protection and security
against tempestuous winds and heavy fogs and rains, while a regular
season and mild climate are more suitable to the constitutions of the
short-horns? But it has hitherto been the misfortune of the short-horned
breeders to seek the largest and biggest boned ones for the best,
without considering that those are the best that bring the most money
for a given quantity of food. However, the ideas of our short-horned
breeders being now more enlarged, and their minds more open to
conviction, we may hope in a few years to see great improvements made
in that breed of cattle.
"I would recommend to breeders of cattle to find out which breed is the
most profitable, and which are best adapted to the different situations,
and endeavor to improve that breed to the utmost, rather than try to
unite the particular qualities of two or more distinct breeds by
crossing, which is a precarious practice, for we generally find the
produce inherit the coarseness of both breeds, and rarely attain the
good properties which the pure distinct breeds individually possess.
"Short-horned cows yield much milk; the long-horned give less, but the
cream is more abundant and richer. The same quantity of milk also yields
a greater proportion of cheese. The Polled or Galloway cows are
excellent milkers, and their milk is rich. The Suffolk duns are much
esteemed for the abundance of their milk, and the excellence of the
butter it produces. Ayrshire or Kyloe cows are much esteemed in
Scotland; and in England the improved breed of the long-horned cattle is
highly prized in many dairy districts. Every judicious selector,
however, will always, in making his choice, keep in view not only the
different sons and individuals of the animal, but also the nature of the
farm on which the cows are to be put, and the sort of manufactured
produce he is anxious to bring to market. The best age for a milch cow
is betwixt four, or five, and ten. When old, she will give more milk;
but it is of an inferior quality, and she is less easily supported."