20 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



and Youatt in this connection expresses the opinion that &quot; for the dairy the North Devon must 

 be acknowledged to be inferior to several other breeds. The milk is good, and yields more 

 than the average proportion of cream and butter; but it is deficient in quantity.&quot; He also 

 maintains that the milking qualities could not be improved without probable or certain 

 detriment to the grazing qualities. 



The editor of this work some years since had occasion to examine several animals from 

 the celebrated Patterson herd, which would have been regarded as remarkable milkers, even 

 among good milking stock. They had not, to be sure, the beautiful symmetry of form and 

 fineness of bone which characterize most of the modern and highly improved pure-bred 

 North Devons, and had evidently been bred for many years with special reference to the 

 development of the milking qualities, great care having been used to select both sires and 

 dams from the best milking stock, rather than that of the finest forms. The Devon has been 

 bred principally for beef and labor, rather than for dairy use, and its chief merit lies in this 

 direction. 



Devons as Working Oxen. As a working ox, this breed may perhaps very justly 

 be said to excel all others in beauty, intelligence, activity, docility, strength according to 

 size, and the ease with which animals may be matched. They are very fast walkers on the 

 road, and are ambitious workers, while they possess great endurance. Care should be used, 

 however, not to overload them, or test their strength too severely, as they are of small size. 

 They are, however, suited to all the ordinary labor of the farm, and are more hardy than some 

 of the large breeds. Mr. Buckingham, to whom previous reference has been made, says 01 

 this race of cattle in this connection: The Devon ox grows much larger than the bull or 

 cow; he has a long, large, symmetrical frame, with a clear, sharp-looking head, prominent 

 eyes, flesh-colored nose, and handsome upturned horns, which are quite fine at the point. 

 Shoulders quite oblique and well placed, his ribs well sprung from a straight back; hind 

 quarters full and heavily muscled; his fore-arm thick and strong, but small below the knee, 

 with good solid hoofs. I have seen two yoke of Devon cattle, weighing 3, GOO and 4,000 

 pounds to the yoke, trot off with an empty wagon for two and one-half miles without walking 

 a step, and then haul back 5,000 pounds of coal. The same oxen hauled 4,500 pounds of 

 potatoes ten miles to the city, and back empty every day in the week, making the trip as 

 quick as a good pair of horses with only 2,500 pounds of a load. At any time they can be 

 soon fattened for the shambles, and the price of their meat at Smithfield, England, testifies 

 to the quality of the same. 



In the rocky farming districts of the New England States, Devon oxen are almost a 

 necessity. At all events, no intelligent farmer in New England who has rocky soil to till, 

 and once possessing them, will ever consent to be without them afterwards; for on rough 

 lands and hilly roads they are as good as the horse, without being as expensive to keep. 

 Besides when well kept and oxen should always be well kept if accident befall them, they 

 can be turned over to the butcher with little, if any loss ; whereas the horse under similar 

 circumstances would be a total loss. 



As a draught ox, the Devon does not equal the Hereford, because less in size and 

 weight; but in proportion to size and weight, no ox of any breed whatever can either out- 

 draw or outwork him. 



Devons for Beef. There seems to be a fineness of flesh and a delicacy of flavor in the 

 Devon beef not excelled by that of any other breed, except it be the Highland breed of 

 Scotland, which usually brings a little higher price in the London markets than any others; 

 while in this country the Devons are generally first selected from the herds by butchers, 

 where they can be found, being regarded as more choice and marketable than any other breed. 

 The beef ft&quot;^ this breed, in fact, possesses all the fine qualities combined, being fine-grained, 



