THE BEEF BREEDS OF CATTLE 251 



his followers. Be this as it may, the breed is universally 

 recognized to be a distinct one. It has been a prominent 

 feature of Sussex from time immemorial, and has pre- 

 served, unchanged through all vicissitudes, the same 

 characteristics, great weight, aptitude to fatten, and 

 red color, except in so far as improved by better feeding 

 and greater care. Originally they were used chiefly for 

 draft purposes, their great size and strength and activity, 

 withal, enabling them to draw promptly the heaviest loads 

 and till the stiffest soil. But, even in remote times, the 

 quality of their flesh was highly prized and, when the oxen 

 became aged, they were bought up, grazed a year, and 

 supplied the markets with animals weighing 180 to 200 

 stone (a stone is about 14 pounds avoirdupois, making 

 the weight 2500 to 2800 pounds). 



These cattle have always been the favorite of the 

 tenant farmer (than whom there is no better judge of 

 a profitable animal) of Sussex and adjacent counties, 

 and have constituted for many years one of the chief 

 attractions at the local stock shows. More recently, 

 stimulated by the exportation of large numbers of 

 the principal breeds at fancy prices, some of the English 

 breeders have sought to bring forward the Sussex more 

 prominently at all of the leading shows of the British 

 Isles. 



287. History in America. The date of the first im- 

 portation to America is uncertain. Since 1880, a number 

 of importations have been made. In 1884, the writer 

 imported a number of this breed of cattle for his farm in 

 Tennessee. In 1891, the Ontario Agricultural College at 

 Guelph, Canada, made an importation. 



288. Description. For a short description, by way of 

 comparison, imagine a Devon with the weight of a Short- 



