but is of supreme interest otherwise, indicates that the crosses between the small breed and the large were intermediate hybrids. It is a communication to the authors of the "History of Polled Aberdeen or Angus Cattle,"[1] from Mr. William Forbes, an Aberdeenshire farmer, whose grandfather was a farmer in Buchan (East Aberdeenshire), and bred polled cattle:—
"The cattle in Buchan about half a century ago and earlier might be said to have consisted of horned and polled black cattle in about equal proportions. The polled cattle were of two classes, one large and another small. I knew the small kind well. They were rather puny creatures, always thin in flesh, and very badly used. They were pre-eminently the crofter's cow, as they were able to live through the winter on the straw of oats and here, and water, if necessary. Of the larger portion of the cattle, about one-half were jet black, and often the whole underline was white. They could not stand starvation so well as the small polls, but with better treatment they gave a heavier yield of milk. A few were of a dull-red colour, but they were not so high in favour as the brindled cattle. The polled cattle were the dairy stock. The butter they produced was very fine in summer and autumn, but hard and white in winter. The establishing of a beef trade with
- ↑ Macdonald and Sinclair, published 1883, p. 72.
