• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

] The Breton Breed of Cattle in Britain: Extinction versus Fitness* B}, C M A BAKER and C MANWELL NIMAL breeding in the third quarter owe their origin to the Dexter. 4 Breton f the twentietla century has been cattle may have been among cattle imported characterized by the trade in so- via the Channel Islands to New South Wales called 'exotic' breeds between countries. In under the collective name of'the St Helier the enthusiasm for this process, many breed' in the nineteenth century.S aspects of a previous migration of breeds in In Great Britain, Breton cattle enjoyed the nineteenth century have been ignored. several decades of popularity in the third It is usual to discuss the nineteenth-century quarter of the nineteenth century. The case situation in terms of exports of well-known history of this migration has important breeds, especially the Shorthorn and the lessons for the present, especially in the English Leicester. However, there were context of the growing concern for conser- many migrations of less well-known breeds. vation of rare and minority breeds. One of these was the Breton (also called the I Brittany). Today the Breton is little known outside Breton cattle are a French hndrace, generally its centre of origin and has low nulnbers.' considered to be related closely to Chalmel But, earlier, the breed was sufficiently Island cattle. The traditional criteria for this plentiful and well-regarded to be exported. grouping are: proximity, conformation, Breton cattle are said to have been taken to high butterfat, yellow milk and butterfat Quebec soon after its founding in 1541 and and a yellow tinge to the skin. There are again in 16o8; it is generally accepted that, few data which allow any comparison of with Normandy cattle, the Breton gave rise the frequency of protein polymorphisms, to the breed known variously as the Quebec but two 'Brittany Shorthorns' screened Jersey, French-Canadian or Canadian.-" by Bangham and Blumberg were both Breton cattle also went to the USA. One heterozygous for haemoglobins A and B, a writer suggested that the Guinea cattle of polymorphism common in Channel Island Florida were derived from the Breton, 3 but cattle/' others have suggested that the Guinea cattle * j C l)ollahon and M Koger, 'Inheritance of the Guinea trait in descendants of Florida Native cattle',Journal of Hrredity, 51, t96o, pp 32-34. These authors suggested the relationship because Guinea * The authors' research was supported by a University of Adelaide cattle resembled the Dexter in the occurrence of a semMethal Adehfide Research Grant 'Molecular Variation and Evolution of gene, which when heterozygous produced a viable dwarf calf, but I)omesticatcd Animals'. when homozygous resulted in an inviable deformed 'bulldog' calf. ' J J Lauvergne, 'The current status of cattle breeds in Europe', Tile same gene has been said to occur in Breton cattle: see F A E World Animal Revieu,, 2t, 1977, pp 42-47. Crew, 'The significance of an achondroplasia-like condition met " L F Allen, American Cattle: Their History, Breeding and Managenlent, with in cattle', Proceedingst!fthv Ro),al Society, London, B95, t923, New York, 1868; H E Alvord, 'Tile American cattle trade', p .,46. This raises tile possibility ofrdationship between tbe Breton JRASE, 2nd series, t3, 1877, p 356;J E Rouse, Worhl Catth', llh and the Dexter. Catth' of North America, Norman, Oklahoma, 1973; M H Frencb, F McCaffrey, FirstCennle),qfDair),inginNeu, South l,Vales, Sydney, I Johansson, N R Joshi and E A McLaughlin, l-'uropean Breeds qf 1909, Catth', FAO Agricultural Studies No 67, Rome, 1966. *' A D Bangham and l) S Blumberg, 'Distribution ofelectrophoret- P, C Auld, 'Tile segregations ofpolled races in America', Anu'rican ically different haemoglobins among some cattle breeds of Europe Naturalist, 23, 1889, pp 683. and Africa', Nature, 1St, '958, pp t55x-t552. I7I 172 THE AGRICULTURAL HISTORY REVIEW At various times attempts were made to congratulation. While the rank and file of the petits improve Breton cattle by crossing. Of the c,dtivate,rs.., arc left utterly aside.., if indeed, the French breeds, only the 176o importation poor little starveling cow, the hardy and shapely milk-giver of the Breton cottar • . • is... to escape of forty-five Bocage bulls (said to be at the being swamped by a system ofuniversal mongrcling, suggestion of the then Bishop of St Pol de it is not due to the agricultural intelligence of the Leon) was thought to have left any mark. period, but to the stolid rough common sense of the Its influence was said to be visible in the native.., who has to live by his trade." form of a grey tinge around the eyes and 'Marchadour Zaout' pointed out that in the nauzzle in some individuals. 7 Further the Bretonne cow, '... smallness of size is crosses in the nineteenth century were a desideratum to many people -- for from controversial. Frere considered that crosses what other source can the owner of a mere with the Ayrshire or the Jersey did not plot of ground obtain a fair supply of home- improve conformation and that the former produced milk and butter?"'-" reduced butterfat. He liked crosses with the The Bretonne cow could be as small as Durham, and claimed that these were thirty-two inches at the withers. Thirty- heavier and had better conforlnation, six inches was considered average. Under matured earlier, and yielded more milk, at improved conditions, forty inches naight be least as high in butterfat as the Breton. As attained. ,3 Writers mentioned the charming for the pure Bretonne cow, Frere remarked head and fine bone. '4 The horns were '... a leading farmer has been known to be described as fine '... like that of an unwilling to be seett buying one'.' Alderney, but thinner and tapering away Coleman quoted correspondents who from the head ...'~s The colour was condemned such crosses.9 typically black-and-white in the Morbihan 'Marchadour Zaout' (a ,ore de plmne) race, and red-and-white ill Cornouaille. '(' informed Coleman that • The type is illustrated in Figs I and 2. As a few instances among many, I may cite the Frere criticized Breton cattle for the monstrous puerility displayed, but cstccmcd as a chef narrow chest, light hindquarters and 'enor- d'oemJre by its perpetrators (divers learned aqro,omes), mous belly'• It was generally accepted that in a cross between the Shorthorn bull and a Brittany cow; that with thl: Swiss bull -- an cqt|ally wretched these characteristics were at least in part the one; and.., the most rational attempt by far.., the result of harsh conditions. Breton cattle Ayrshire... My own opinion.., is that this animal, were found on 'sandy wastes' and 'poor defective only (as a general rule) in size, is susceptible granitic soil'. Tile cows might be tethered, of all the amelioration needful by a judicious selection or have to graze the roadsides; and the only of parents from its own pure blood...'° supplementary feed was 'A scanty dole of J c w Douglas, Manoir du Plessis, bog hay, and haply a ration of pounded Chateauneuf du Fau, Finisterre, wrote to gorse or furze..."7 Coleman in similar terms: Breton cattle had the reputation of being • . time and money has been spent by theoretical healthy. They were also said to be hardy, men in experimenting with different crosses, and thus although many were kept in at night or in West Highlanders, l)cvons, Swiss, Ayrshires, and stormy weather. They were often housed now latterly l)urhanas, have been tried. These in the owner's cottage. This close association gentlemen-fancy farmers, and now and again an with people probably contributed to the anabitious peasant proprietor- with more coin and less brains than others of his fraternity, achieved " Ibid, p 151. great 'Kudos' and cause for speechifying and self- ': Ibid, p 148. u Anon, 'Report of the Stewards of Stock at the Battersea Show', 7 p H Frerc,'Somc account of Brittany cows. Taken from some JRASE, 23, 1862, p 37-'; Coleman, op tit, p 148. notices by MJamct, of Renncs',.]RASE, 24, 1863, pp 213-216. ,4 Frere, Ioc tit, p 215. s Ibid, p 215. '~ Anon, Ioc tit, p 372. '~ J Coleman, The Catth' ql'Britail~, 1875, pp 146--151 , " Frere, Ioccir, p 213, ,o lbid, p 148. ,7 Frere, Ioc eit, p a15; Coleman, op tit, pp 147, t49. THE BRETON BREED OF CATTLE IN BRITAIN: EXTINCTION VERSUS FITNESS I73 characteristics of docility and being easily by himself and with three heifers. 27 Hobbs managed. '~ reported that the black-and-white Bretons Milk yield was steady and could continue were '... good of their order. Indeed, the as long as eighteen months after calving. ,,2 bull was very beautiful; his head and eye The daily average ranged from one to three were a complete study.'28 gallons. -'° Two and a half gallons were The I862 Royal Show at Battersea had said to yield one pound of butter. 2' This separate classes for Breton cattle. Mr Baker compares well with the more usual yield of won a gold medal for his four-year-old bull, one pound of butter from three gallons of Prince, beating the French exhibits. All the 'average' milk with 3.5 per cent butterfat. animals were black-and-white except the The butter was prized for its '...quality, gold medal cow, who was white and roan. 2`2 colour and especially theflavour...';'2 and, A reporter wrote, '... an excellent class of with the exception of Jersey butter, was Bretons to which England contributed '... said to be not only more solid and largely'. 3° However, apart from Prince, the waxy in texture, but to have a finer aroma prizewinners were all from France.

Load more

  8

Copy Link