474 



The stock that we have, for the most part, is classed as Native ; mean- 

 ing by this, that they are natives of this country ; carrying the idea 

 that the stock from which they descended, was not imported, but found 

 here when the country was first discovered. This is incorrect; for the 

 stock from which the so-called Natives was originally imported, come 

 / from the same country that the $6,000 stock did, which was sold last 

 August in Kentucky. This every school-boy knows, or should, especially 

 if he be a farmer's son. Previous to 1609, cattle and horses had beeu 

 imported from England into Virginia. This year there were three ships 

 from England loaded with emigrants, horses, sheep, goats, swine, and 

 five hundred domestic fowls, landed at Jamestown, Virginia. The cat- 

 tle were brought not to slaugter, but to breed from ; for the next year 

 after, there was an edict issued, prohibiting the killing of domestic ani- 

 mals of any kind, on penalty of death. • 



The first cattle introduced into Massachusetts were imported from 

 England in 1624 — the first into the State of New York, were from 

 Holland, in 1625. 



Now the reasonable inference is, that those who introduced these cat- 

 tle, at this early period, selected as good as the circumstances of the 

 case would allow. Just as we have done in coming from the older set- 

 tled parts of the country to this place. Anything choice, whether for 

 the garden or field, whether of stock or implements of agriculture, if we 

 brought any^ we selected the best in our reach. But, after the lapse of 

 more than two centuries, we read of the rearing in England of Short 

 Horns, Devons, Durhams, Herefords, Ayrshires, Gallaways, and a host of 

 others, and here in this country, we read only of Natives. 



Now if they were originally the same, as every intelligent, consistent 

 man will allow, what has made the difference, that an animal brought 

 from there, will sell for $6000, and one reared here, not over 30 or 60 

 dollars ? One of two things must answer the question. The climate 

 does not agree with them, or they have retrograded, through the neg- 

 lect of their ownere. If the former, then it will be chilJish folly to 

 attempt it again. The best imported blood will soon become our 

 scrawny, lean, |30 Natives. If the latter be the cause, what proof 

 have we that we shall do better in the future than in the past? There 

 is hope that we will, and since it is obvious that our poor breed of cat- 

 tle, horses, sheep, and swine, (we do not except fowls,) are thus, in con- 



