C19th stratified cattle industry

[Louisa Gidney]

This quote from William Cobbett's Rural Rides, c. 1830, is a favourite of mine. While it refers to Welsh cattle, the same principles may be applied to our Irish Dexters.
Starting in Wales:
Somewhere near this little stone house you see a little hay-stack containing, perhaps, a ton; and thatched and bound over with bands in such a manner as to tell what sort of weather it has to stand. Then, somewhere about the place, you see a little black cow or two, and one or more weaning calves, about the size of a Newfoundland dog. These, according to the capacity of the owner, are sold to the drovers or jobbers, at one, two or three years old. As they increase in age they move on towards England, and towards that food which is not to be had at their homes; and thus they come off at last, two, three or four years old, to work, to be fatted, or give milk and , and fat calves, in the south of England, where they cannot be raised with profit. Hence the herds of fine oxen, with which I have seen the rich marshes in Kent and Sussex covered over. If one of those careful and laborious and frugal Welsh women, who raise these cattle, could see one of her diminutive calves become a fat ox in Pevensey Level, what would be her surprise!

I think this shows that point made on other threads of feed quality impacting on size and growth was observed some 200 years ago and that breed standards on height may have to be adapted when the majority of the breed and breeders move down the hill onto rich lowland pastures.

[wagra dexters]

Wonderful! I love it. I have no other of his books besides Cottage Economy but have read up about him along with many quotes on-line. We saw the series of William Cobbett's Rural Rides over here a while ago on UKTV. Such wisdom and insight, touched with a bigotry that always makes me chuckle.
Margaret