The northern short horns, which include the Tees water, Lincoln, Holderness, and Tweedside varieties, are the largest breed in England ; the Hereford being next to them in that respect : their peculiar advantages are that they fatten kindly, and yield large quantities of milk and tallow ; but their milk is not rich, and the cattle themselves are coarse and ill formed. They are princi pally' found in the eastern counties.
The extreme coarseness and size of this breed led to the introduction of Norman and Alderney bulls, which were first imported into Holderness in Yorkshire ; the mixture of these breeds has produced that useful and valuable variety, from which the stock generally kept by the London cow keepet s is supplied. The pure Al derney breed, which are of a very small size, and are distinguished for being very rich milkers, are chiefly found in the south of England in the possession of gen tlemen.
The northern, or Yorkshire polled cattle, are very similar in their qualities to the short horned, amongst which they are found.
The Norfolk home breeds, formerly the principal stock in the county whence they derive their appellation, when attention was given to breeding in it, are now sel dom met with, though they are still in much repute where they are kept, and bring high prices from the Smithfield salesmen.
The Suffolk duns, which are polled and small sized, arc most excellent for the dairy, yielding abundance of rich milk : they are chiefly found in Suffolk and the ad joining counties, and are generally supposed to have ori ginated in the polled Galloway breed of Scotland, with which Suffolk and Norfolk have been supplied during more than a century.
There are no data, on which to found an estimate nearly approaching to the truth, respecting the number of cattle kept in England ; though, as the English nation consume a much greater proportion of meat than most other countries, the number must be very considerable. Mr Arthur Young, in his Tour to the North of England, estimated the value of beasts at 36,480,0001. ; and as at that period, the average value of cattle could not be more than 101., the whole number kept then was probably be tween three and four millions; the stock of cattle, since that time, has not increased much. By another mode of calculation, we may arrive at nearly the same conclusion ; we have already seen that the annual slaughter of sheep is not quite one fourth of the total number kept in Eng land and Wales ; but the annual slaughter of sheep for the kingdom is about ten times as great as it is for Lon don. Now the average annual supply of cattle for Lon don is rather more than 100,000, which, for the whole kingdom, would be about 1,000,000 ; and if we reckon the annual slaughter of cattle for the whole kingdom as about one fourth of the stock kept, we shall have about 4,000,000 of cattle. It is evident, however, that in all this calculation, there is too much conjecture for the re sult of it to be regarded as a near approximation to the truth. It may he remarked, that Gregory King estimated
the beeves, stirks, and calves, in his time, at 4,500,000.
The rearing of calves forms an important branch of husbandry, in some parts of this country, particularly in Essex, and in the vale of Alesbuty in Buckinghamshire. In Cheshire, more calves are fed during the months of March and April, than in any other part of England ; but, as the milk cannot be long spared, they arc killed very young. The suckling of calves for the London market is carried on to a considerable extent at Cotten ham, in Cambridgeshire, (already mentioned as celebra ted for its rich cheeses,) as well as in Essex.
There are several kinds of horses bred and kept in this country, well adapted for the saddle, either as road horses or hunters ; and for working, as well as for the race-coarse. In the midland counties, particularly in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, a very large breed is kept. They are generally a dark black colour, and well adapted for the cart. It is said, that the im provement in this breed, which were originally ill-com pacted in their make, took its rise from six Zealand mares, sent over by the late Lord Chesterfield, during his embassy at the Hague. The improved breed began in Derbyshire, at his lordship's seat. It afterwards spread into Leicestershire, where Mr Bakewell, so de servedly celebrated for his improvements in the breed of sheep and black cattle, turned his attention, experience, and judgment to them, and still farther improved them. The great demand for this breed is in London, where they are seen in full perfection in the dray carts, Sce. Yorkshire also has long been celebrated for its breed of horses, both for the saddle and for draught, but especi ally for the former. A variety of this animal, extreme ly well adapted for the plough, hat lately been bred in the district of Cleveland. Suffolk also produces a breed of these animals, short, well compacted, and active, which are very valuable as farm horses. The Welsh horses are small, but active. In no country in the world has so much attention been paid to horses, for hunting and the race course, as in England ; and this attention has been rewarded by the excellence of the animals reared. Foreign stallions of the most esteemed species, such as those from Barbary, Turkey, &c. have been pro cured at a very great expellee; and, according to Buffon, the English horses, in respect to figure, nearly approach those of Arabia and Barbary. It has been said, that an Englishman is naturally fond of his horse ; and this po pular saying is confirmed by the very superior and at tentive manner in which horses of nearly all descriptions are kept, of whatever class of people their owners may be. The fondness of the English for horse-racing has undoubtedly contributed to improve the breed, at least in respect to symmetry of form and speed. The best race-horses run 82i feet in one second, or nearly a mile in a minute.