374 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



Mr. Thrasber gave the following description of the points of a model 

 short-horn cow : 



Head short; broa,d betvrecn tbe eyes; eyes full and prominent, yet mild; smallin 

 the muzzle, with oracgo nose, (black nose not allowed, mottled nose objectionable;) 

 slim neck, neat in throat latch, with no surplus skin underneath the neck; brisket 

 prominent and full, with straight bottom line; flank well let down; horns waxy in 

 color, standing level with the back ; wide, level hips, and low; ribbed out well behind 

 the shoulder, with full crops ; tail small ; hide yellow or orange color, soft and elastic 

 to the touch, with good thick coat of hair, witli fur next the skin, as a good handler 

 always has ; fine in bone ; legs tapering nicely from the body to the hoof; straight hind 

 legs. She may be white or red, or a mixture of the two. 



Mr. J. T. "Williamson read a brief paper on the preparation of short- 

 horns for exhibition. He stated that it was injurious to breeding-cows 

 to fatten them to the extent necessary for public exhibition. Mr. 

 Thrasher objected to this declaration. He did not think an over-fed 

 animal would be quite so surely a good breeder as she would be in lower 

 flesh, yet he was satisfied but few men in the country fed to an extent 

 which would prove injurious to breeding-cattle. He claimed to have 

 had considerable experience in the matter, and stated that he had ex- 

 hibited at Indianapolis as fat short-horned cows as most other exhib- 

 itors, and they were as regular breeders as any he had. As to the pop- 

 ular color of shorthorns, he said : 



We find that the public mind now is not satisfied with anything but red. Now, I 

 have but one objection to the red animal, if it possesses good qualities. The red color 

 is so much thought of that whenever a red bull-calf comes into the world he is kept, 

 whether ho is any account or not. It is certainly a mere fancy. But we, as American 

 people, take up with some hobby and never stop until wo run it into the ground. It 

 will bo just so with this question of color. It is pretty near in the ground now. It is 

 no evidence at all that a red animal, because it is red, is a perfect short-horn. There 

 are a great many that are white as pure as the reds. The natural color of the short- 

 horn is a mixture of the two. Yet I try to raise the reds, to accommodate the pop- 

 ular demand, because I can sell them better than I can the wiiite ones or the roans. 

 As a rule, the whites or light roans are the best " handlers" decidedly. We mean, 

 when we say good " handling qualities," that an animal is soft and aiollow to the 

 touch when you put your hand u))on it; such an animal as the butchers say will die 

 right ; its meat will bo tender and juicy. * * * There are a few good handlers among 

 the reds, but, as a general thing, they are not as good handlers as the others. If we 

 examine the history of short-horns, we will find that the reds have had no predominance 

 until recently; that tho whites and the roans predominated until now. 



The secretary of *"hc board states that there are now seventy-six county 

 and twenty-one district agricultural societies in existence in the State, 

 lleports from these societies show the most of them to be in good work- 

 ing condition. 



Indiana is among the few States which publish annual statistics of 

 crops, larm-auimals, and manufactures in each county. 



Among the contents which have not been specially referred to are 

 essays on thoroughbred horses and cattle ; tho era of machinery ; agri- 

 cultural education in college, and road-making. 



KANSAS. 



One of the most interesting and valuable contributions to the agri- 

 cultural literatui'e of the year is the fourth annual report of the Kan- 

 sas State Board, includiug a State census, for 1875. It is printed on 

 beautifully-tinted i)aper, and contains about eight hundred pages. It 

 embraces statistical exhibits, with diagrams in colors, of the agricult- 

 ural, industrial, mercantile, and other interests of the State, together 

 with a colored outline-map, showing congressional and land districts ; 

 sectional maps in colors, of each organized county, showing their rela- 



