Part 53

BROWN-SWISS.--Weight for cows 1200 pounds and bulls 1800 pounds. Colors shade from light to dark chestnut brown. Light tuft of hair between horns, on inside of ears, and a narrow line along back. Nose black, mouth surrounded with meal-colored band. Horns with black tips, medium size. Face dishing, large, full eye; ribs well sprung. Hoofs and tongue black, udder large, extending well up in front and rear. Teats large, well placed. Short legs. Dairy breed.

GUERNSEY.--Clean-cut, lean face, long, thin neck, backbone rising well between shoulder blades, pelvis arching and wide, rump long, abdomen large and deep, udder full in front, of large size and capacity. Teats well apart, and of good even size. Hair a shade of fawn with white markings, cream colored nose, horns amber, small, curved and not coarse. Mature cows about 1050 pounds. Bulls 1200 to 1500 pounds. Dairy breed.

=SPLENDID HERDS AND FLOCKS ON AMERICAN FARMS=

HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN.--Color black and white piebald. Head broad between eyes, eyes large and bright, horns small, tapering toward tips, neck long, chest moderately deep and low, barrel long and wedge shaped, large abdomen, legs rather short and nearly straight and wide apart. Hair fine, soft and furry. Udder very capacious, extending well forward in front; teats well formed and wide apart. Dairy breed.

JERSEY.--Small head, muzzle black or dark in color surrounded by light or mealy strip of light skin and hair. Eyes prominent, bright and wide apart. Horns crumpled, small, often black tipped. Neck fine, clean and small. Legs short, fine boned and small. Body well rounded, large and deep. Skin mellow, loose, yellow, with short fine silky hair. Udder large, not pendulous. Teats medium size, placed far apart. Back straight from shoulder to tail. Movement light and graceful. Cows 800 to 1000 pounds, bulls 1200 to 1500 pounds. Dairy breeds.

REPRESENTATIVE BREEDS OF MEAT CATTLE

The beef cow presents a totally different appearance. She is square in shape, full and broad over the back and loins, possessing depth and quality particularly in these regions. The hips are evenly fleshed, the legs full and thick, the under line parallel with the straight back. The neck is full and short. The eye should be bright, the face short, the bones of fine texture the skin soft and pliable, and the flesh mellow, elastic to the touch, and rich in quality.

For meat the Short-horns (formerly called Durhams) and Herefords and their grades predominate. They are both English breeds with horns. In color the Short-horns are red and white or a mixture of these, while the Herefords are red with white faces, briskets, bellies and feet. The Aberdeen-Angus and Galloways are famous for their high qualities as beef makers, and are both of Scotch origin, black and hornless.

ABERDEEN-ANGUS.--Black color, polled heads, rotund compact type, smoothness of conformation, short legs, evenness of flesh when fat, deep, full hindquarters. Beef breed.

GALLOWAY.--Low, blocky animal, with long, soft, shaggy coat of black hair, hornless, well sprung in the ribs, resembling barrel in shape, which is evenly covered with juicy, lean flesh. Head short and wide, forehead broad, face clean, nostrils large. Eye large and prominent. Neck short, clean. Shoulders broad, joining body smoothly. Hindquarters long, wide, well filled. Rump straight, wide, carrying width of body out uniformly, well filled with flesh. Thighs broad and thick. Legs short and clean. Beef breed.

HEREFORD.--Color red and white. Head, including jaws and throat, white, white under neck, down the breast, under belly, and on legs. Bush of tail white, white strip on top of neck to top of shoulders, remainder of body red. Head short, forehead broad, eyes full, horns rather strong and of whitish yellow color, free from black tips, more or less drooping, neck short and thick. Hide heavy and loose and covered with dense soft coat of hair. Breast broad and full, free from loose dewlap. Shoulders broad on top. Ribs well sprung and extending well backward. Rump bones wide apart. Legs short, straight and set well apart. Line of back straight and level. Quarters full and well rounded. Beef breed.

SHORTHORN.--Head wide between eyes, short from eyes to nostril. Horns short, curved forward waxy white with dark tips. Neck short and fine. Back straight, level and broad and deeply covered with flesh. Thighs wide, deep and long, well filled down in the twist. Body deep, squarely built. Flanks well let down, underline nearly straight. Legs medium length. Colors pure red, pure white, a mixture of these colors, or roan. Beef breed.

The breeds considered as chiefly serving the dual-purposes of milk and beef-making are Red Polls and Devons, both English breeds, and some of the Short-horn families having the milking characteristic best developed.

RED POLLED.--Weight for bulls 1800 to 2000 pounds, cows 1300 to 1500 pounds. Color red. Nose flesh color. Switch of tail and udder white. Head medium length, wide between eyes. Poll well defined and prominent, neck of medium length, clean cut, straight from head to top of shoulder. Chest broad and deep, back long, straight and level, hips wide and well covered, legs short and straight. Udder full and flexible. Teats well placed and wide apart. Hide loose, mellow, with full coat of soft hair. Dual purpose breed.

CATTLE AS A FORM OF INDUSTRY

Cattle are the chief source of wealth in many regions. Just as the horse is pre-eminent as a labor animal, the ox stands first as the food producing animal in modern civilization. The aggregate value of cattle products,--beef, milk, butter, cheese, hides, etc., far exceeds that of any other animal.

The relative economy of milk and beef production is now more and more commanding attention. The experiment stations have demonstrated that good dairy cows produce human food in the form of milk much more economically than food products can be obtained in the form of beef, pork or mutton.

A REMARKABLE EXPERIMENT IN CATTLE VALUES

At one of the Stations, for example, the entire carcass of a steer and the milk of an Holstein cow were analyzed.

The steer when killed weighed twelve hundred and fifty pounds. The cow during the year gave eighteen thousand four hundred and five pounds of milk. From the milk of the cow, and from the carcass of the steer, the following number of pounds of human food substances were obtained. Of protein five hundred and fifty-two pounds from the milk, and one hundred and seventy-two pounds from the steer; of fat six hundred and eighteen pounds from the milk and three hundred and thirty-three pounds from the steer; of sugar nine hundred and twenty pounds from the milk and none from the steer; of mineral matter one hundred and twenty-eight pounds from the milk and forty-three pounds from the steer.

The steer’s body contained about fifty-six per cent of water, leaving five hundred and forty-eight pounds of dry matter, which included not only the edible, dry, lean meat and fat, but also every part of the body--horns, hide, bones, internal organs, etc. In one year the cow produced two thousand two hundred and eighteen pounds of dry matter, every part of which was wholly digestible and suitable for human food. In that time she produced enough protein to build the bodies of three steers, fat enough for nearly two steers, and mineral matter enough for the skeletons of three, besides nine hundred and twenty pounds of milk sugar, as nutritious and useful for humans as the same weight of cane-sugar like that bought at the store.

ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE DAIRY COW

These figures explain why dairy cows and not steers are kept on the valuable lands. When the cheap lands disappear, and rough food commands higher values, the beef cow will be raised as a luxury, and cattle will make their contribution to the human race largely in the form of milk, butter, and cheese. In the future more and more will the farmers of all countries turn to the dairy cows.

=Dog= (_Canis familiaris_) is the most intelligent, affectionate, and devoted of domestic animals; in use by all peoples, and accompanying man throughout a wider range than any other animal, greatly exceeding the cat, donkey, or horse in this respect. It is very docile; its memory and its sense of localities and time are admirable. It is the constant companion of man, the protector of his house and of his herds, his helpmate in battle, a useful companion of the hunter, a draft animal, a guide, a buffoon, a postman, a comedian, and a brother of charity at St. Bernard. What creature can do more? Among its characteristic qualities, its faithfulness and gratitude are most prominent. No animal is attached to man in the same degree.

The domestication of the dog dates to primitive man, and far precedes the dawn of history, many important varieties being portrayed in the earliest sculptures. Most varieties have become so modified by domestication that they are unable to sustain themselves apart from man.

DIFFERENT BREEDS OF DOGS

Dogs vary widely in color, form and size; in adaptation to climate from the hairless forms of the tropics to the heavily fur-coated Eskimo breeds; and in size from tiny lapdogs no larger than kittens to great Danes standing three feet high at the shoulder. There are some two hundred varieties which have resulted from the intercrossing of about six leading types, namely: wolf-like dogs, greyhounds, spaniels, hounds, mastiffs, and terriers.

Among sporting dogs, the bloodhound stands pre-eminent for its majesty of appearance and beauty of color, and is distinguished for the keenness of its scenting powers. The head of the bloodhound is long and narrow, and “peaked” on the top of the skull. There is much loose skin about the head, and the eye is sunken, showing the red skin beneath it.

The greyhound is remarkable for its fleetness of foot. In addition to its beauty and elegance, it is of a very affectionate disposition. Pointers and setters are much used by sportsmen in the field, and are possessed of keen scent and cunning. The retriever, which is useful for domestic as well as sporting purposes, is sagacious, good-tempered, and intelligent. An English retriever, whether smooth or curly coated, should be black or black and tan, or black with tabby or brindled legs. Among the terriers, or vermin killers, the best-known varieties are the fox terrier, the Skye terrier, and the Irish and Airedale terriers.

Spaniels are the oldest and the most useful generally of all breeds of sporting dogs; earnest, untiring workmen in the fields, and faithful, loving, and gentle companions when the day’s work is done. They are also very beautiful, and universal favorites. The leading varieties are the black spaniel, the lurcher, the Clumber, the Sussex, and the Norfolk spaniels, and the Irish and English water spaniels.

Among other sporting dogs are the dachshund, which is crooked-legged, jealous, and affectionate; the basset-hound, the beagle, the otter-hound, the harrier, and the foxhound.

Among the large house dogs which are treasured as companions the most notable are the St. Bernard, the Newfoundland, and the mastiff. The St. Bernard is an extremely large and powerful fellow, a perfect giant among dogs, with a beautiful head and speaking countenance, in which sagacity is blended with nobility; and a body of great symmetry.

The Newfoundland, which is a capital swimmer, is a very large, jet-black dog, with a large and massive head, with a long, straight coat and bushy tail, and a face extremely expressive, and eyes that beam with intelligence.

The mastiff is a large dog, with a majestic-looking head, and is either fawn or brindle. The collie is a good companion, and a valuable sheep dog. The Dalmatian, which is white with black spots, is well known as a coach dog.

Among pet dogs, we have the fondled King Charles spaniel; the poodle, which is a good performer of tricks; the active little pug; and the watchful Pomeranian.

DOGS IN FOLKLORE AND MYTHOLOGY

Dogs still play an important part in folklore everywhere, whether as revenants whose intention is merely to warn or foretell, or as hell hounds of purely malignant nature. They are represented as quick to detect the presence of invisible spirits, and, in connection with this aptitude for seeing into the spirit world, they are often the outward objects through which devils and demons make their appearance, and they have often been associated with such masters of unhallowed arts as the great Cornelius Agrippa.

The Wild Huntsman with his train of hounds is one of the most widespread superstitions in Europe, and in the dim mythological histories of the early world we find many dogs of supernatural strength and courage who give material aid to the heroes in their exploits.

The American Indian, as is well known, believed in the immortality of the dog, and always looked forward to being reunited with this faithful companion in the Happy Hunting-ground beyond the grave.

=Elephant.=--Though the Indian Elephant has been, and still is, used as a beast of burden, it has never reached a completely domesticated state. See further under Pachiderms.

=Gayal.=--Frequently domesticated, though more often found wild.

=Goat= (_Capra hircus_), “the peasant’s cow,” is found in all parts of the globe as a domestic animal. It has a beard on its chin, and carries sharp-edged horns, which incline towards its back. The common domestic goat is a variety of the wild goat (_C. hircus_) which inhabits the Taurus and other mountains of southwestern Asia. Compared with its ancestor, the domesticated form is somewhat reduced both in general size and as regards its horns. The domestication must have taken place at a very remote period, and spread from the East, probably through Egypt, westwards.

A great number of breeds now exist. A most important variety, formed into a breed by artificial selection, is the Angora goat, where almost the whole body is enveloped in that long, silky, white hair which is so valuable. The Angora goat has been introduced into the United States, Cape Colony, and Australia. The Cashmere goat, from Tibet and Bokhara, is almost equally valuable, furnishing the white to brown hair used in making Cashmere textiles, especially the famous Cashmere shawls. It has been successfully acclimatized in France. The Rocky mountain goat is about the size of an ordinary sheep, and its general appearance is not unlike that of a sheep of the merino breed, its long, straight hair hanging down in an abundant white fleece.

Frequently goats are found wild in mountainous countries, scrambling among rocks and bushes; are extremely sure-footed, and display great strength and agility in leaping. These include the Markhor, the Alpine ibex, or Steinbock, and the Izard.

Goats are very valuable for flesh, milk, wool, and skins, particularly in warm, dry regions. The greater part of the world’s goats are grown in southern Europe, northern Africa, and Syria. Goat’s leather is employed for innumerable uses, some of the chief of which are glove making, shoemaking, and bookbinding. In the United States goats have never attained much importance as farm animals. They have been established in the Pacific States, however, notably in Oregon, and in Iowa and Missouri.

=Guinea-pig.=--Frequently domesticated as pets, but more often a game animal in the forest regions of South America.

=Horse= (_Equus_) is one of the noblest and most useful of animals. The horse proper is characterized by the tail with long hairs from its base; the long and flowing mane; a bare callosity on the inner surface of the hind as well as of the fore legs; and by the head and ears being smaller and the limbs longer than in the ass and other related species.

ORIGINAL HOME AND ANCESTORS OF THE HORSE

The native country of the horse seems to have been central Asia. It became early domesticated in Egypt, and is mentioned throughout the Bible. The Greeks and Romans had some covering to secure their horses’ hoofs from injury. In the ninth century, horses were only shod in time of frost. Shoeing was introduced into England by William I., 1066. It is believed that the original breed of horses is extinct, and that the half-wild herds existing in many places have descended from animals once in captivity. Thus, when the horse was first introduced by the Spaniards in 1537, at Buenos Ayres, there were no wild horses in America. But individuals escaping ran wild, and, by 1580, their descendants had spread over the continent as far as the Straits of Magellan. More fossil horses have been found in the new than in the old world. The horse may have descended from a striped ancestor, stripes still sometimes remaining, especially in duns and mouse-duns.

THE VARIOUS BREEDS OF HORSES

Like other domestic animals the horse has run into various breeds. The most celebrated is the Arab horse. Great attention is given in America to the breeding of horses, and American horses have won races both in England and on the Continent.

While the increasing use of automobiles by farmers and others may have a more or less depressing effect upon the demand for some classes of horses, no machine can successfully supersede the horse in more than a part of his many uses in business, sport and pleasure. There is a prevailing tendency toward heavier horses for farm work, and draft work in cities as well.

Of the draft breeds the Percherons, of French origin, are regarded with high favor, while the Clydesdales, from Scotland, have a well merited if not equal popularity. The English Shire and Belgian horses are also excellent types of the drafters. Cleveland Bays, one of the oldest and most popular of the English Coach breeds, are quite appropriately termed “the general utility horse,” while the admirers of the German and French Coachers, as yet comparatively few in numbers in the United States, regard them as unexcelled for similar purposes. Hackneys are pre-eminently adapted to drawing any sort of vehicle at a rapid pace on the road, and French Coachers are in demand for large, stylish, high-stepping carriage teams and single drivers.

Thoroughbreds are probably the oldest and best established of all the breeds of Europe and America. They are distinctly of British production, and especially noted for endurance and speed on the race course. The term Thoroughbred, when applied to horses, is used to designate one particular breed, the running or race horse. Standard bred classes include the trotter and his immediate fellow, the pacer. They are American productions of modern times, the outgrowth of the commercial tendencies of Americans, coupled with their ardent love for tests of speed, and fast, level-headed roadsters for light business and pleasure driving, used single or in pairs. The chief families of trotters are Hambletonians, the Mambrinos, the Clays, the Morgans, the Bashaws and the Pilots, all, except the Morgans, more or less related, and tracing their ancestry, directly or indirectly, to an imported English Thoroughbred sire, foaled in 1780, and known as Messenger.

Other breeds of horses, but of extremely small numbers, in America are the Suffolk Punch, for draft; Orloff trotters, and Shetland, Welsh and Exmoor ponies.

Of the smaller breeds of horses, the Shetland Pony is best known. Only seven or eight hands high (a hand equals four inches), they are as docile as they are hardy. Their coats are shaggy, and in winter become so matted as to protect the animals from the severe weather experienced in their northern home. Notwithstanding their small size, they are wonderfully strong, and are capable of exertion without fatigue.

THE NOBLE CHARACTER OF THE HORSE

The horse is not only a fiery racer, but displays all the noble characteristics of fidelity, gratitude, attachment, and compassion. It also exhibits a talent for understanding, has an almost unfailing memory, and a very rare docility. With patience and kind treatment the horse can be trained to go through quite complicated feats of memory and perception. That it possesses also an accurate sense of time is clear from the facility with which it can be taught to walk, trot, and dance to music, or take part in concerted evolutions. It is very timid and cautious and suspicious of every new sight or sound; while in respect of moral qualities it is scarcely too much to say that horses are as diverse as men.

CHIEF CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADING DRAFT HORSES

BELGIAN DRAFT.--Short body set on short legs. Tendons of legs large. Head good size. Eyes small, neck short, thick and well crested. Shoulders heavily muscled. Chest deep and wide, good barrel. Back short, broad and inclined to sag. Loins wide, short and very thick. Flank low and full. Hindquarters short, very wide, muscular. Lower thighs very wide, well muscled. Hocks round and meaty. Colors, chestnut, roan, brown and bay.

CLYDESDALE.--Weight 1700 to 2000 pounds for stallions, 1500 to 1800 pounds for mares. Height sixteen to sixteen and one-half hands. Colors, bay, brown, black or chestnut, with white markings on face and legs. Head intelligent. Shoulders good, which gives a free, easy, long stride. High withers. Arm well muscled. Feathering on leg is fine, silky and long. Quarters and croup muscular. Springy, strong pastern. Front action free and snappy.

HACKNEY.--Considerable substance, very smooth, gracefully curved outlines, rather short legs, head well proportioned, full, bright eyes, well developed neck, shoulders long and sloping, well muscled. Body deep and round-ribbed. Muscular loins and quarters, strong hocks, excellent action. Colors brown, bay or chestnut, with white markings. Height fifteen and two-tenths to sixteen hands.

PERCHERON.--Height fifteen and one-quarter to sixteen and one-half hands. Weight 1500 to 2000 pounds. Colors, gray and black. Active temperament, intelligent head, deep body, wide, muscular croup, clean-cut legs, joints clean and hard; legs show abundance of quality. Good action.

SHIRE.--Conformation low, broad and stout. Heavy in build, slow in movement. Large girth, deep and strongly coupled with broad back, quarters heavily muscled, legs strong, feet large. Feathering on legs below knees and hocks. Weight 2200 pounds. Height 17 hands. Colors brown, bay or black with white markings on face and legs.

SUFFOLK PUNCH.--Low-set, short legs, deep body, muscular, durable feet. Head clean cut, with full forehead and Roman nose, neck full, with strong crest, chest deep and wide. Barrel deep, round-ribbed, and well let down on hind flank. Legs and hindquarters muscular. Height sixteen and one-half hands. Weight 2000 pounds. Color chestnut.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADING SADDLE AND DRIVING HORSES

AMERICAN SADDLE HORSE.--Head rather small and clean cut. Eyes wide apart, full, clear and prominent. Ears pointed. Long, upright neck, sloping shoulders. Deep chest, short, strong back. Barrel ribbed well back. Strong coupling, quarters level, strongly muscled. Pasterns long and sloping. Bones of leg broad and flat, strong tendons. Height about fifteen hands, two inches. Weight about 1000 pounds.

FRENCH COACH.--Height sixteen hands. Weight 1000 to 1400 pounds. Rather upstanding. Smooth and symmetrical, fine quality, clean cut, intelligent head, long, graceful neck, closely ribbed body, muscular quarters. Legs well set and fine. High, free knee action, regular uplifting hock action. Colors bay, brown or black.