136 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



good milkers that have been bred with this object, and with a 

 good degree of success. But in many cases the calf has been 

 worth more than the milk, and therefore it has been the object to 

 get as many calves in a period of years as they could from an 

 animal, and the milking properties have been in such cases thrown 

 out of sight. Dry up your cow and have another calf; twelve 

 calves in ten years ; of course you will breed out the milking 

 properties of your herd in that way if you follow it up. 



Sec. Goodale. Mr. Gold's statement regarding the milking 

 properties of the Shorthorns, as a breed, is undoubtedly quite cor- 

 rect. Yet there is ground for the belief that milking properties 

 attach to the animals of that breed, generally, in Maine, to a 

 degree considerably beyond what holds true in many other sec- 

 tions. I am satisfied of the fact from personal observation, nor is 

 it difficult to account for it. The very first thoroughbred Durham, 

 as they were formerly called, brought into this State was " Young 

 Denton," a bull imported by Mr. Williams of Northboro', Mass., 

 in 1817, more than half a century ago, and before milking proper- 

 ties had been " bred out " from the breed. This animal was bred 

 by Mr. Wethereli of Leicestershire, and was sired by "Denton/' 

 he by "Comet," Comet by the famous "Favorite," and so back 

 to " Ilubback," familiarly known as the father of Shorthorns. 

 Uis stock proved remarkable milkers. After some years service in ' 

 Massachusetts, he was presented by Mr. Williams to the late Dr. 

 E. llolmes, and was kept, first in Gardiner, then in Livermore and 

 afterwards in Somerset county, where he died of old age in 1830. 

 The next full blood was "Jupiter" which was introduced not 

 much later by Mr Davis of Augusta, together with two full blood 

 cows, which were sired by the famous " Coelebs," the same with 

 which Col. Jacques began his " Creampot " breed. Jupiter's 

 stock were also excellent milkers. Subsequently, Col. Greene, 

 Sanford Howard and others, brought in milking strains of the 

 same breed, and from that day to this I believe that special care 

 has been almost uniformly exercised by breeders to retain as far as 

 possible, in, the animals brought hither, the milking iliaracters 

 which all acknowledge to have been possessed by this breed, in 

 olden time as a common inheritance. It is very natural and 

 proper that this should have been done, for we cannot compete with 

 some other sections in the growth of animals for beef alone, while 

 we have grazing lands from which we can profitably produce milk 

 and butter and cheese in connexion with meat. 



