Alderney Cattle.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 234, 3 April 1895, Page 2

Alderney Cattle.

The extension of dairy farming in in the United Kingdom, and the somewhat meagre milking properties of the greater proportion of .British cattle have led to the importation of large nuaibers of Channel Island cattle. These — often indiscriminately called Alderney cattle — comprise the Jersey and Guernsey breeds, supposed to be from one common origin, but known to have been bred in purity in the respective islands of these names for upwards of a hundred years. They are both essentially dairy breeds, giving an abundant yield of rich highty-coloured milk. The Jersey is the smaller ot the two, and is docile, delicate, and of graceful deer-like form. In the production of beef it is of little value. The Guernsey is not only larger, but also hardier and more generally useful. When in full milk whole herds of Jersey cows give an average of 9^ lbs ot butter each cow per week, an exceptional cow occasionally giving as much as 1(3 lbs ol butter in one week. Good Jersey cows yield from 500 to ?00 gallons ot milk, and from 300 to 350 lbs of butter in twelve months. Guernsey cows have exceeded 800 gallons of milk in a year, and the noted cow " Sussex " when six years old gave 22^ lbs of butter in seven days, this quantity being obtained from Id quarts of milk per day. In America still higher records have been obtained. — Chamber's Encyclopedia.