[1] "Cato, the grammarian, the Latin siren, who alone reads aloud the
works and makes the reputation of poets."
CATS, JACOB (1577-1660), Dutch poet and humorist, was born at
Brouwershaven in Zeeland on the 10th of November 1577. Having lost his
mother at an early age, and being adopted with his three brothers by an
uncle, Cats was sent to school at Zierikzee. He then studied law at
Leiden and at Orleans, and, returning to Holland, he settled at the
Hague, where he began to practise as an advocate. His pleading in
defence of a wretched creature accused of witchcraft brought him many
clients and some reputation. He had a serious love affair about this
time, which was broken off on the very eve of marriage by his catching a
tertian fever which defied all attempts at cure for some two years. For
medical advice and change of air Cats went to England, where he
consulted the highest authorities in vain. He returned to Zeeland to
die, but was cured mysteriously by a strolling quack. He married in 1602
a lady of some property, Elisabeth von Valkenburg, and thenceforward
lived at Grypskerke in Zeeland, where he devoted himself to farming and
poetry. His best works are: _Emblemata_ or _Minnebeelden_ with
_Maegdenplicht_ (1618); _Spiegel van den ouden en nieuwen Tijt_ (1632);
_Houwelijck ..._ (1625); _Selfstrijt_ (1620); _Ouderdom, Buitem leven
... en Hofgedachten op Sorgvliet_ (1664); and _Gedachten op slapelooze
nachten_ (1661). In 1621, on the expiration of the twelve years' truce
with Spain, the breaking of the dykes drove him from his farm. He was
made pensionary (stipendiary magistrate) of Middelburg; and two years
afterwards of Dort. In 1627 Cats came to England on a mission to Charles
I., who made him a knight. In 1636 he was made grand pensionary of
Holland, and in 1648 keeper of the great seal; in 1651 he resigned his
offices, but in 1657 he was sent a second time to England on what proved
to be an unsuccessful mission to Cromwell. In the seclusion of his villa
of Sorgvliet (Fly-from-Care), near the Hague, he lived from this time
till his death, occupied in the composition of his autobiography
(_Eighty-two Years of My Life_, first printed at Leiden in 1734) and of
his poems. He died on the 12th of September 1660, and was buried by
torchlight, and with great ceremony, in the Klooster-Kerk at the Hague.
He is still spoken of as "Father Cats" by his countrymen.
Cats was contemporary with Hooft and Vondel and other distinguished
Dutch writers in the golden age of Dutch literature, but his Orangist
and Calvinistic opinions separated him from the liberal school of
Amsterdam poets. He was, however, intimate with Constantin Huygens,
whose political opinions were more nearly in agreement with his own. For
an estimate of his poetry see DUTCH LITERATURE. Hardly known outside of
Holland, among his own people for nearly two centuries he enjoyed an
enormous popularity. His diffuseness and the antiquated character of his
matter and diction, have, however, come to be regarded as difficulties
in the way of study, and he is more renowned than read. A statue to him
was erected at Brouwershaven in 1829.
See Jacob Cats, _Complete Works_ (1790-1800, 19 vols.), later editions
by van Vloten (Zwolle, 1858-1866; and at Schiedam, 1869-1870); Pigott,
_Moral Emblems, with Aphorisms, &c., from Jacob Cats_ (1860); and P.C.
Witsen Gejisbek, _Het Leven en de Verdiensten van Jacob Cats_ (1829).
Southey has a very complimentary reference to Cats in his "Epistle to
Allan Cunningham."
CAT'S-EYE, a name given to several distinct minerals, their common
characteristic being that when cut with a convex surface they display a
luminous band, like that seen by reflection in the eye of a cat. (1)
Precious cat's-eye, oriental cat's-eye or chrysoberyl cat's-eye. This,
the rarest of all, is a chatoyant variety of chrysoberyl (q.v.), showing
in the finest stones a very sharply defined line of light. One of the
grandest known specimens was in the Hope collection of precious stones,
exhibited for many years at the Victoria and Albert Museum. (2) Quartz
cat's-eye. This is the common form of cat's-eye, in which the effect is
due to the inclusion of parallel fibres of asbestos. Like the
chrysoberyl, it is obtained chiefly from Ceylon, but though coming from
the East it is often called "occidental cat's-eye"--a term intended
simply to distinguish it from the finer or "oriental" stone. It is
readily distinguished by its inferior density, its specific gravity
being only 2.65, whilst that of oriental cat's-eye is as high as 3.7. A
greenish fibrous quartz, cut as cat's-eye, occurs at Hof and some other
localities irr Bavaria. (3) Crocidolite cat's-eye, a beautiful golden
brown mineral, with silky fibres, found in Griqualand West, and much
used in recent years as an ornamental stone, sometimes under the name of
"South African cat's-eye." It consists of fibrous quartz, coloured with
oxide of iron, and results from the alteration of crocidolite (q.v.). It
is often distinguished as "tiger's-eye" (or more commonly "tiger-eye"),
whilst a blue variety, less altered, is known as "hawk's-eye." By the
action of hydrochloric acid the colour of tiger's-eye may to a large
extent be removed, and a greyish cat's-eye obtained. (4) Corundum
cat's-eye. In some asteriated corundum (see ASTERIA) the star is
imperfect and may be reduced to a luminous zone, producing an indistinct
cat's-eye effect. According to the colour of the corundum the stone is
known as sapphire cat's-eye, ruby cat's-eye, topaz cat's-eye, &c.
(F. W. R.*)
CATSKILL, a village and the county-seat of Greene county, New York,
U.S.A., on the W. bank of the Hudson river, 33 m. S. of Albany. Pop.
(1890) 4920; (1900) 5484; of whom 657 were foreign-born; (1910) 5206. It
is served by the West Shore railway, by several lines of river
steamboats, and by the Catskill Mountain railway, connecting it with the
popular summer resorts in the Catskill mountains. A ferry connects with
Catskill station (Greendale) on the east side of the Hudson. The village
is in a farming country, and manufactures woollen goods and bricks, but
it is best known as a summer resort, and as the principal gateway to the
beautiful Catskill Mountain region. The _Recorder_, a weekly newspaper,
was established here in 1792 as the _Packet_. The first settler on the
present site of Catskill was Derrick Teunis van Vechten, who built a
house here in 1680. The village was not incorporated until 1806.
See J.D. Pinckney, _Reminiscences of Catskill_ (Catskill, 1868).
CATSKILL (formerly KAATSKIL) MOUNTAINS, a group of moderate elevation
pertaining to the Alleghany Plateau, and not properly included in the
Appalachian system of North America because they lack the internal
structures and the general parallelism of topographic features which
characterize the Appalachian ranges. The group contains many summits
above 3000 ft. elevation and half a dozen approaching 4000, Slide
Mountain (4205 ft.), and Hunter Mountain (4025 ft.), being the only ones
exceeding that figure. The bottom lands along the creeks which drain the
mountains, together with rolling uplands rising to elevations of from
1500 to 2000 ft., are under cultivation, the mountain slopes being
forested or devoted to grazing. The pure and cool atmosphere attracts
summer visitors, for whose accommodation many hotels have been built,
some of which have become celebrated. Stoney Clove and Kaaterskill Clove
are picturesque gorges, the former being traversed by a rail way, and
the latter containing three cascades having a total fall of about 300
ft. The growing need of New York City for an increased water-supply has
driven her engineers to the Catskills, where several great reservoirs
have been projected to supplement those of the Croton watershed.
CATTANEO, CARLO (1801-1869), Italian philosopher and patriot. A
republican in his convictions, during his youth he had taken part in the
Carbonarist movement in Lombardy. He devoted himself to the study of
philosophy, hoping to regenerate the Italian people by withdrawing them
from romanticism and rhetoric, and turning their attention to the
positive sciences. He expounded his ideas in a review founded by him at
Milan in 1837, called _Il Politecnico_. But when the revolution of 1848
broke out he threw himself heart and soul into the fray, and became one
of the leading spirits of the insurrection against the Austrians, known
as the Five Days of Milan (March 18-22, 1848). Together with Terzaghi,
Cernuschi and Clerici he formed a council of war which, having its
headquarters at Casa Taverna, directed the operations of the insurgents.
He was second to none in self-sacrificing energy and heroic resolution.
When on the 18th of March Field Marshal Radetzky, feeling that the
position of the Austrian garrison was untenable, sounded the rebels as
to their terms, some of the leaders were inclined to agree to an
armistice which would give time for the Piedmontese troops to arrive
(Piedmont had just declared war), but Cattaneo insisted on the complete
evacuation of Lombardy. Again on the 21st, Radetzky tried to obtain an
armistice, and Durini and Borromeo were ready to grant it, for it would
have enabled them to reorganize the defences and replenish the supplies
of food and ammunition, which could only last another day. But Cattaneo
replied: "The enemy having furnished us with munitions thus far, will
continue to furnish them. Twenty-four hours of victuals and twenty-four
hours of hunger will be many more hours than we shall need. This
evening, if the plans we have just arranged should succeed, the line of
the bastions will be broken. At any rate, even though we should lack
bread, it is better to die of hunger than on the gallows." On the
expulsion of the Austrians the question arose as to the future
government of Milan and Italy. Cattaneo was an uncompromising republican
and a federalist; so violent was his dislike of the Piedmontese monarchy
that when he heard that King Charles Albert had been defeated by the
Austrians, and that Radetzky was marching back to reoccupy Milan, he
exclaimed: "Good news, the Piedmontese have been beaten. Now we shall be
our own masters; we shall fight a people's war, we shall chase the
Austrians out of Italy, and set up a Federal Republic." When the
Austrians returned Cattaneo had to flee, and took refuge at Lugano,
where he gave lessons, wrote his _Storia della Rivoluzione del 1848_,
the _Archivio triennale delle cose d' Italia_ (3 vols., 1850-1855), and
then early in 1860 he started the _Politecnico_ once more. He bitterly
attacked Cavour for his unitarian views, and for the cession of Nice and
Savoy. In 1860 Garibaldi summoned him to Naples to take part in the
government of the Neapolitan provinces, but he would not agree to the
union with Piedmont without local autonomy. After the union of Italy he
was frequently asked to stand for parliament, but always refused because
he could not conscientiously take the oath of allegiance to the
monarchy. In 1868 the pressure of friends overcame his resistance, and
he agreed to stand, but at the last moment he drew back, still unable to
take the oath, and returned to Lugano, where he died in 1869. As a
writer Cattaneo was learned and brilliant, but far too bitter a partisan
to be judicious, owing to his narrowly republican views; his ideas on
local autonomy were perhaps wise, but, at a moment when unity was the
first essential, inopportune.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.--A. and J. Mario, _Carlo Cattaneo_ (Florence, 1884); E.
Zanoni, _Carlo Cattaneo nella vita e nelle opere_ (Rome, 1898); see
also his own _Opere edite ed inedite_ (7 vols., Florence, 1881-1892),
_Scritti politici ed epistolari_ (3 vols., Florence, 1892-1901),
_Scritti storici, letterari_ (Milan, 1898, &c.).
CATTARO (Serbo-Croatian _Kotor_), the chief town of an administrative
district in Dalmatia, Austria. Pop. (1900) of town, 3021; of commune,
5418. Cattaro occupies a narrow ledge between the Montenegrin Mountains
and the Bocche di Cattaro, a winding and beautiful inlet of the Adriatic
Sea. This inlet expands into five broad gulfs, united by narrower
channels, and forms one of the finest natural harbours in Europe. Teodo,
on the outermost gulf, is a small naval port. Cattaro is strongly
fortified, and about 3000 troops are stationed in its neighbourhood. On
the seaward side, the defensive works include Castelnuovo (_Erceg
Novi_), which guards the main entrance to the Bocche. On the landward
side, the long walls running from the town to the castle of San
Giovanni, far above, form a striking feature in the landscape; and the
heights of the Krivoscie or Crevoscia (_Krivosije_), a group of barren
mountains between Montenegro, Herzegovina and the sea, are crowned by
small forts. Cattaro is divided almost equally between the Roman
Catholic and Orthodox creeds. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop,
with a small cathedral, a collegiate church and several convents. The
transit trade with Montenegro is impeded by high tariffs on both sides
of the frontier. Foreign visitors to Montenegro usually land at Cattaro,
which is connected by steamer with Trieste and by road with Cettigne.
The railway from Ragusa terminates at Zelenika, near Castelnuovo.
There are many interesting places on the shores of the Bocche.
Castelnuovo is a picturesque town, with a dismantled 14th-century
citadel, which has, at various times, been occupied by Bosnians, Turks,
Venetians, Spaniards, Russians, French, English and Austrians. The
orthodox convent of St Sava, standing amid beautiful gardens, was
founded in the 16th century, and contains many fine specimens of
17th-century silversmiths' work. There is a Benedictine monastery on a
small island opposite to Perasto (_Perast_), 8 m. east of Castelnuovo.
Perasto itself was for a time an independent state in the 14th century.
Rhizon, the modern hamlet of Risano, close by, was a thriving "Illyrian"
city as early as 229 B.C., and gave its name to the Bocche, then known
as _Rhizonicus Sinus_. Rhizon submitted to Rome in 168 B.C., and about
the same time Ascrivium, or Ascruvium, the modern Cattaro, is first
mentioned as a neighbouring city. Justinian built a fortress above
Ascrivium in A.D. 535, after expelling the Goths, and a second town
probably grew up on the heights round it, for Constantine
Porphyrogenitus, in the 10th century, alludes to "Lower Cattaro" [Greek:
to kato Dekatera]. The city was plundered by the Saracens in 840, and by
the Bulgarians in 1102. In the next year it was ceded to Servia by the
Bulgarian tsar Samuel, but revolted, in alliance with Ragusa, and only
submitted in 1184, as a protected state, preserving intact its
republican institutions, and its right to conclude treaties and engage
in war. It was already an episcopal see, and, in the 13th century,
Dominican and Franciscan monasteries were established to check the
spread of Bogomilism. In the 14th century the commerce of Cattaro
rivalled that of Ragusa, and provoked the jealousy of Venice. The
downfall of Servia in 1389 left the city without a guardian, and, after
being seized and abandoned by Venice and Hungary in turn, it passed
under Venetian rule in 1420. It was besieged by the Turks in 1538 and
1657, visited by plague in 1572, and nearly destroyed by earthquakes in
1563 and 1667. By the treaty of Campo-Formio in 1797 it passed to
Austria; but in 1805, by the treaty of Pressburg, it was assigned to
Italy, and was united in 1810 with the French empire. In 1814 it was
restored to Austria by the congress of Vienna. The attempt to enforce
compulsory military service, made and abandoned in 1869, but finally
successful in 1881, led to two short-lived revolts among the
Krivoscians, during which Cattaro was the Austrian headquarters.
See G. Gelcich (Gelcic), _Memorie storiche sulle Bocche di Cattaro_
(Zara, 1880).
CATTEGAT, or KATTEGAT (Scand. "cat's-throat"), a strait forming part of
the connexion between the Baltic and the North Seas. It lies north and
south between Sweden and Denmark, and connects north with the Skagerrack
and south through the Sound, the Great Belt and the Little Belt with the
Baltic Sea. Its length is about 150 m. and its extreme breadth about 90
m.
CATTERMOLE, GEORGE (1800-1868), English painter, chiefly in
water-colours, was born at Dickleburgh, near Diss, Norfolk, in August
1800. At the age of sixteen he began working as an architectural and
topographical draughtsman; afterwards he contributed designs to be
engraved in the annuals then so popular; thence he progressed into
water-colour painting, becoming an associate of the Water-Colour Society
in 1822, and a full member in 1833. In 1850 he withdrew from active
connexion with this society, and took to painting in oil. His most
fertile period was between 1833 and 1850. At the Paris exhibition of
1855 he received one of the five first-class gold medals awarded to
British painters. He also enjoyed professional honours in Amsterdam and
in Belgium. He died on the 24th of July 1868. Among his leading works
are "The Murder of the Bishop of Liege" (15th century), "The Armourer
relating the Story of the Sword," "The Assassination of the Regent
Murray by Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh," and (in oil) "A Terrible Secret."
He was largely employed by publishers, illustrating the _Waverley
Novels_ and the _Historical Annual_ of his brother the Rev. Richard
Cattermole (his scenes from the wars of Cavaliers and Roundheads in this
series are among his best engraved works), and many other volumes
besides. Cattermole was a painter of no inconsiderable gifts, and of
great facility in picturesque resource; he was defective in solidity of
form and texture, and in realism or richness of colour. He excelled in
rendering scenes of chivalry, of medievalism, and generally of the
romantic aspects of the past.
CATTLE (Norman Fr. _catel_, from Late Lat. _capitate_, wealth or
property, a word applied in the feudal system to movable property and
particularly to live stock, and surviving in its wider meaning as
"chattel" or "chattle"), a general term for the cows and oxen of
agricultural use. For the zoological account, see BOVIDAE, and the
subordinate articles there referred to; for details concerning
dairy-farming, see DAIRY.
Oxen appear to have been among the earliest of domesticated animals, as
they undoubtedly were among the most important agents in the growth of
early civilization. They are mentioned in the oldest written records of
the Hebrew and Hindu peoples, and are figured on Egyptian monuments
raised over 3000 years B.C.; while remains of domesticated specimens
have been found in Swiss lake-dwellings along with the stone implements
and other relics of Neolithic man. In infant communities a man's wealth
was measured by the number and size of his herds--Abraham, it is said,
was rich in cattle--and oxen for a long period formed, as they still do
among many savage or semi-savage tribes, the favourite medium of
exchange between individuals and communities. After the introduction of
a metal coinage into ancient Greece, this method of exchange was
commemorated by stamping the image of an ox on the new money; while the
connexion between cattle and coin as symbols of wealth has left its mark
on the languages of Europe, as is seen in the Latin word _pecunia_ and
the English "pecuniary," derived from _pecus_, cattle. The value
attached to cattle in ancient times is further shown by the Bull
figuring among the signs of the zodiac; in its worship by the ancient
Egyptians under the title of Apis; in the veneration which has always
been paid to it by the Hindus, according to whose sacred legends it was
the first animal created by the three divinities directed by the supreme
Deity to furnish the earth with animated beings; and in the important
part it played in Greek and Roman mythology. The Hindus were not allowed
to shed the blood of the ox, and the Egyptians could only do so in
sacrificing to their gods. Both Hindus and Jews were forbidden to muzzle
it when treading out the corn; to destroy it wantonly was a crime among
the Romans, punishable with exile.
_Breeds_.--There exist in Britain four interesting remnants of what were
at one time numerous enclosed herds of ancient forest cattle,[1] with
black or red points, in parks at Chillingham, Cadzow, Vaynol (near
Bangor, North Wales) and Chartley. A few of the last have been removed
to Woburn. Other representatives of old stock are a resuscitated white
Welsh breed with black points, derived from white specimens born of
black Welsh cows; several herds of a white polled breed with black
points; a herd of the ancient Polled Suffolk Dun, an excellent milking
breed; a White Belted Galloway and a White Belted Welsh breed; the old
Gloucester breed at Badminton, with a white rump, tail and underline,
related to the now extinct Glamorgan breed; the Shetland breed; and a
few herds of Dutch cattle preserved for their superior milking powers.
The prominent breeds of cattle in the British Isles[2] comprise the
Shorthorn, Lincolnshire Red Shorthorn, Hereford, Devon, South Devon,
Sussex, Welsh, Longhorn, Red Polled, Aberdeen-Angus, Galloway, West
Highland, Ayrshire, Jersey, Guernsey, Kerry and Dexter.
The Shorthorn, Lincolnshire Red Shorthorn, Hereford, Devon, South Devon,
Sussex, Longhorn and Red Polled breeds are native to England; the
Aberdeen-Angus, Galloway, Highland and Ayrshire breeds to Scotland; and
the Kerry and Dexter breeds to Ireland. The Jersey and Guernsey
breeds--often spoken of as Channel Islands cattle--belong to the
respective islands whose names they bear, and great care is taken to
keep them isolated from each other. The term Alderney is obsolete, the
cattle of Alderney being mainly a type of the Guernsey breed.
Among breeds well known in the United States[2] and not mentioned above,
the more important are the Holsteins, large black and white cattle
highly valued for their abundant milk production, and the Dutch Belted
breed, black with a broad white band round the body, also good milkers.
The _Shorthorn_[3] is the most widely distributed of all the breeds of
cattle both at home and abroad. No census of breeds has ever been taken
in the United Kingdom, but such an enumeration would show the Shorthorn
far to exceed in numbers any other breed, whilst the great majority of
cross-bred cattle contain Shorthorn blood. During the last quarter of
the 18th century the brothers Charles Colling (1751-1836) and Robert
Colling (1749-1820), by careful selection and breeding, improved the
cattle of the Teeswater district in the county of Durham. If the
Shorthorn did not originate thus, it is indisputable that the efforts of
the Collings[4] had a profound influence upon the fortunes of the breed.
It is still termed the Durham breed in most parts of the world except
the land of its birth, and the geographical name is far preferable, for
the term "shorthorn" is applicable to a number of other breeds. Other
skilled breeders turned their attention to the Shorthorns and
established famous strains, the descendants of which can still be
traced. By Thomas Booth, of Killerby and Warlaby in Yorkshire (1777),
the "Booth" strains of Shorthorns were originated; by Thomas Bates, of
Kirklevington in Yorkshire, the "Bates" families[5] (1800).
The Shorthorn is sometimes spoken of as the ubiquitous breed, its
striking characteristic being the ease with which it adapts itself to
varying conditions of soil, climate and management. It is also called
the "red, white and roan." The roan colour is very popular, and dark red
has its supporters, as in the case of the _Lincolnshire Red Shorthorns_;
white is not in favour, especially abroad. The Shorthorn breed is more
noted for its beef-making than for its milk-yielding properties,
although the non-pedigree milking Shorthorn of the north of England is
an excellent cow with dual-purpose qualifications of the first order. An
effort is being made to restore milking qualities to certain strains of
pedigree blood.
The culmination of what may be termed the Booth and Bates period was in
the year 1875, when the sales took place of Lord Dunmore's and William
Torr's herds, which realized extraordinary prices. In that black year of
farming, 1879, prices were declining, and they continued to do so till
within the last few years of the close of the 19th century, when there
set in a gradual revival, stimulated largely by the commercial
prosperity of the country. The result of extremely high prices when
line-bred animals were in fashion was a tendency to breed from all kinds
of animals that were of the same tribe, without selection. A
deterioration set in, which was aggravated by the overlooking of the
milking properties. Shorthorn breeders came to see that change of blood
was necessary. Meanwhile, for many years breeders in Aberdeenshire had
been holding annual sales of young bulls and heifers from their herds.
The late Amos Cruickshank began his annual sales in the 'forties, and
the late W.T. Talbot-Crosbie had annual sales from his Shorthorn herd in
the south-west of Ireland for a number of years. Many Aberdeen farmers
emigrated to Canada, and bought Shorthorn calves in their native county
to take with them. The Cruickshanks held their bull sales at that time,
and many of their animals were bought by the small breeders in Canada.
This continued until 1875, when the Cruickshanks had so much private
demand that they discontinued their public sales. Subsequently, when
Cruickshank sold his herd privately to James Nelson & Sons for
exportation, the animals could not all be shipped, and W. Duthie, of
Collynie, Aberdeenshire, bought some of the older cows, whilst J. Deane
Willis, of Bapton Monar, Wilts, bought the yearling heifers. Duthie
thereupon resumed the sales that the Cruickshanks had relinquished, his
averages being L30 in 1892, about L50 in 1893-1894, and L80 in 1895.
These prices advanced through English breeders requiring a little change
of blood, and also through the increasing tendency to exhibit animals of
great substance, or rather to feed animals for show. The success of this
movement strengthened the demand, whilst an inquiry for his line of
blood arose in the United States and Canada. A faithful contemporary
history of the Shorthorn breed is to be found in _Thornton's Circular_,
published quarterly since 1868; see also J. Sinclair, _History of
Shorthorn Cattle_ (1907); R. Bruce, _Fifty Years among Shorthorns_
(1907); A.H. Sanders, _Shorthorn Cattle_ (Chicago, 1901).
The _Lincolnshire Red Shorthorns_ are the best dual-purpose cattle--for
milk and meat--that possess a pedigree record, in the United Kingdom,
and their uniform cherry red colour has brought them into high favour in
tropical countries for crossing with the native breeds.
The _Hereford_ breed is maintained chiefly in Herefordshire and the
adjoining counties. Whilst a full red is the general colour of the body,
the Herefords are distinguished by their white face, white chest and
abdomen, and white mane. The legs up to the knee or hock are also often
white. As a protection against the sun in a hot climate dark spots on
the eyelids or round the orbits are valuable. The horns are moderately
long. Herefords, though they rear their own calves, have acquired but
little fame as dairy cattle. They are very hardy, and produce beef of
excellent quality. Being docile, they fatten easily and readily, and as
graziers' beasts they are in high favour.
When the Bates' Shorthorn bubble burst in America about 1877, the
Hereford gradually replaced the Shorthorn of the western ranches, and it
is now the most numerous ranch animal in the United States and Canada.
The bulls beat the bulls of all other breeds in "rustling" capacity.
In America the ranch-bred Herefords have got too small in the bone in
recent years, and Shorthorns, chiefly of the Scottish type, are being
introduced to increase their size by crossing. In the "feed lot" a
well-bred Hereford steer feeds more quickly than either a Shorthorn or
an Aberdeen-Angus.
In Queensland, Hereford cattle bred from the "Lord Wilton" strain by
Robert Christison of Lammermoor have for years been triumphant as
beef-producers in competition with the Shorthorn. When these are
quartered in the ordinary butchers' fashion, the hind-quarters outweigh
the fore-quarters, which is a reversal of the prevailing rule.
_North Devons_.--The "Rubies of the West," as they are termed from their
hue, are reared chiefly in Devon and Somerset. The colour is a whole
red, its depth or richness varying with the individual, and in summer
becoming mottled with darker spots. The Devons stand somewhat low; they
are neat and compact, and possess admirable symmetry. Although a smaller
breed than the Shorthorn or the Hereford, they weigh better than either.
The horns of the female are somewhat slender, and often curve neatly
upwards. Being fine-limbed, active animals, they are well adapted for
grazing the poor pastures of their native hills, and they turn their
food to the best account, yielding excellent beef. They have not yet
attained much celebrity as milch kine, for, though their milk is of
first-class quality, with a few notable exceptions, its quantity is
small. Latterly, however, the milking qualities have received more
attention from breeders, whose object is to qualify the Devon as a
dual-purpose breed.
The _South Devon_ or _South Hams_ cattle are almost restricted to that
southern part of the county of Devon known as the Hams, whence they are
also called "Hammers." With a somewhat ungainly head, lemon-yellow hair,
yellow skin, and large but hardly handsome udder, the South Devon breed
more resembles the Guernsey, with which it is supposed to be connected,
than the trim-built cattle of the hills of North Devon. The cows are
large, heavy milkers, and produce excellent butter. They are rarely
seen outside their locality except when they appear in the showyards.
The _Sussex_ breed resembles the North Devon in many respects, but it is
bigger, less refined in appearance, less graceful in outline, and of a
deeper brown-chestnut colour than the "dainty Devon," as the latter may
well be called when compared with them. As a hardy race, capable of
thriving on poor rough pastures, the Sussex are highly valued in their
native districts, where they were rapidly improved before the end of the
19th century. They are essentially a beef-producing breed, the cows
having little reputation as milkers. By stall-feeding they can be
ripened for the butcher at an early age. Sussex cattle are said to "die
well," that is, to yield a large proportion of meat in the best parts of
the carcase.
In the _Welsh_ breed of cattle black is the prevailing colour, and the
horns are fairly long. They do not mature very rapidly, but some of them
grow eventually into great ponderous beasts, and their beef is of prime
quality. The cows often possess considerable reputation as milkers. As
graziers' beasts Welsh cattle are well known in the midland counties of
England, where, under the name of "Welsh runts," large herds of bullocks
are fattened on the pastures or "topped up" in the yards in winter.
All the remaining strains of Welsh cattle were recognized as one breed
in 1904, when the Welsh Black Cattle Society united into one register
the Herd Books of North and South Wales.
The _Longhorn_ or "Dishley" breed of cattle is one of the most
interesting historically. It was with Longhorns that Robert Bakewell, of
Dishley, Leicestershire (1726-1795), showed his remarkable skill as an
improver of cattle in the middle of the 18th century.[6] At one period
Longhorns spread widely over England and Ireland, but, as the Shorthorns
extended their domain, the Longhorns made way for them. They are big,
rather clumsy animals, with long drooping horns, which are very
objectionable in these days of cattle transport by rail and sea. They
are slow in coming to maturity, but are very hardy. The bullocks feed up
to heavy weights, and the cows are fair milkers. No lover of cattle can
view these quaint creatures without a feeling of satisfaction that the
efforts made to resuscitate a breed which has many useful qualities to
commend it have been successful, and that the extinction which
threatened it in the 'eighties of last century is no longer imminent. In
1907 there were twenty-two Longhorn herds containing about four hundred
registered cattle located mainly in the English midlands and Man.
The _Red Poll_ breed, though old, has only come into prominence within
recent years. They were known as the East Anglian Polls, and later as
the Norfolk and Suffolk Polled cattle, being confined chiefly to these
two counties. They are symmetrically built, of medium size, and of
uniformly red colour. They have a tuft of hair on the poll. As dairy
cattle, they are noted for the length of the period during which they
continue in milk. Not less are they valued as beef-producers, and, as
they are hardy and docile, they fatten readily and mature fairly early.
Hence, like the Lincolnshire Red Shorthorn, they may claim to be a
dual-purpose breed. As beef cattle they are always seen to advantage at
the Norwich Christmas cattle show, held annually in November.
The _Aberdeen-Angus_, a polled, black breed, the cows of which are often
termed "Doddies," belongs to Aberdeenshire and adjacent parts of
Scotland, but many herds are maintained in England and some in Ireland.
The steers and heifers fed for the butcher attain great weight, make
first-class show beasts, and yield beef of excellent quality. The cross
between the Shorthorn and the Aberdeen-Angus is a favourite in the meat
markets and at fat-stock competitions.
The _Galloways_ are named from the district, Kirkcudbright and
Wigtonshire, in the south-west of Scotland, to which they are native.
Like the Aberdeen-Angus cattle, they are hornless, and normally of a
black colour. But, with a thicker hide and shaggy hair, suited to a wet
climate, they have a coarser appearance than the Aberdeen-Angus, the
product of a less humid region, though it approaches the latter in
size. Galloways yield superior beef, but mature less rapidly than the
Aberdeen-Angus. They make admirable beasts for the grazier, and the
cross between the Galloway and the white Shorthorn bull, known as a
"Blue Grey," is much sought after by the grazier and the butcher.