STOCK-HUSBANDRY IN INIASSACHUSETTS. 203 



Mr. I. L. Cragin, of the Cragin cattle ranch in tlic Indian 

 Territory. I suppose the habit of admiring pretty horns, 

 graceful horns, etc., has as much to do with the idea that they 

 are necessary on the heads of cattle as anything. 1 know 

 that when Devons or Ayrshires are brought to the shows, 

 their owners are very careful to have the horns polished up, 

 to answer the demand, as our friend Smith says, of the peo- 

 ple. We have a range in the West, and I suppose it is well 

 known that most of the polled Angus cattle have gone West ; 

 there are very few of them left in this section. One of the 

 greatest dangers we have is the use of the horns upon Texas 

 cattle. They are very long, very sharp, and those Texas 

 cattle use them very savagely whenever occasion requires, 

 and many deaths occur among the cattle from the results of 

 being hooked when they go down to drink, or in any other 

 contest. Our object has been to get rid of that danger, and 

 we have been at the expense of importing eight polled Angus 

 bulls. I never saw handsomer creatures ; they are jet-black. 

 Our neighbors around us have had the use of them for two 

 or three years. They are the most docile animals we have 

 on the range. Our boys go out and take them by the ear 

 and can lead them anywhere ; and we expect, by cross-breed- 

 ing on our cattle, to greatly modify the wild disposition which 

 many of our bulls have. I mean, particularly, the Jerseys ; for 

 I have had a good deal of experience with them, and have 

 been obliged to give them up. Their obstinacy was such 

 that they spread terror among my men. But with the 

 polled Angus I have no trouble of the kind. I have met 

 several herds of these animals and the universal testimony 

 was that they were the most docile animals ever met with. 

 I have seen very few of the cows. Another feature is, they 

 mark their progeny very strongly. I have seen a herd of 

 cows without horns, the result of a polled Angus bull ; and, 

 as a general thing, they were jet-])lack, although, in many 

 cases, the^'^ came from white and speckled cows. Occasion- 

 ally you will see one with a white spot, but very seldom. 

 On several ranges I saw quite a number, and they were all 

 strongly marked. As to their milking qualities I know 

 nothing, — I don't think with us the question has ever been 

 asked ; but they exhibit the finest points for beef. That is 



