California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



A FINE STOCK FARM AND FACTS 

 tFROM REAL PRACTICE. 



On a clear, bright December morning, 

 Buch as would be called a Spring morn- 

 ing in any other country, we found a seat 

 on board the Southern Pacific train and 

 rode to Mountain View Station. Along 

 the road farmers were busy plowing and 

 putting in crops of grain. The early- 

 sown and volunteer fields, and the pas- 

 tures, were as densely green as fields and 

 pastures get to be in the Atlantic States 

 in the month of May. The only sign of 

 Fall and Winter was the slight frost that 

 in places shone white as spotless snow, in 

 contrast to the tender green, and the 

 nearly leafless trees, whose freshly strewn, 

 drifted leaves rustled beneath the tread, 

 as all Autumn leaves do. A blending of 

 Spring and Autumn at once inspired the 

 soul with its life and tinged it with sad- 

 ness. The bright skies, the singing birds, 

 and the green fields said Spring, and new 

 life, and joy, while the work of Autumn 

 was as clearly visible in bleached stub- 

 bles and '. lien leaves. 



From Mountain View Station, which is 

 a small railroad village, containing the 

 usual taverns, saloons, stores, blacksmith, 

 etc., we walked some three miles, past 

 several snug little farms, past the old 

 town of Mountain View, which was estab- 

 lished before the railroad was built, a 

 better looking place than the new one, 

 but composed of about the same number 

 of inevitable saloons, etc., and past more 

 neat farms, until we finally halted at the 

 fine stock farm belonging to 



S. B. EMERSON. 



This is a farm we have long contem- 

 plated visiting. Mr. E. has been fairaing 

 where he now is over twenty years. His 

 experience has been varied and large, and 

 he has given as much attention to the 

 breeding of valuable farm stock as any 

 man in the State. We not only desired 

 to see Mr. Emerson's farm and to look at 

 his stock, but to obtain facts and get his 

 ideas on the jiiost essential matters per- 

 taining to his business as a farmer, so as 

 to report his methods, etc. Not finding 

 him at home when we arrived, wo found 

 in his foreman of the stock yard, Mr. 

 Jerome, an intelligent, kind and trusty 

 man, and from him gained much useful 

 information. 



On Mr. Emerson's return, we were in- 

 duced to remain all night, and although 

 he did not introduce us to his wife, wo 

 were treated as generously by a bachelor, 

 in a bachelor's abode, as tho most hospit- 

 able lady in the land could have treated a 

 husband's friend. But how a good-look- 

 ing man with a farm can be engaged in 

 the fine stock business without a wife, is 

 sometliing of wliich the public ought to 

 have a right to Jemaud an explanation. 



As we do not often ramljle, if our read- 

 ers will excuse the license we have taken 

 in this long preamble, we will proceed to 

 business. 



For several years, Mr. Emerson has 

 paid a good deal of attention to raising 

 fine dairy stock. He imported the first 



HOLSTBIN STOCK 



to this Coast, and has taken several first 

 premiums on them at diflferent fairs. He 

 has now the fine Holstein bull Oppodoes 

 8th, which lie is serving to about fifty 

 fine heifers, the product of another fine 

 Holstein bull and Durham cows selected 

 on account of their good milking quali- 

 ties. The Holstein stock is large, black 

 and white, not admired so much for form 

 as for milk-producers. The cross with 



Short-horns has greatly improved the 

 looks of the stock, and, as the Durham 

 cows were all fine for milk, while it has 

 giveen a greater beef value to the heifers, 

 it has probably not detracted from their 

 which took first premiums at the State 

 Fair this season. 



value as milkers. These heifers he holds 

 at $150 each. Mr. E. has now some 45 

 head of 



DURHAM cows AND HEIFERS, 



full bloods and grades, worth $100 and 

 upwards each. To these — several of which 

 have now young calves by Sheriff", and 

 are giving large quantities of milk — be is 

 serving the fine 



IMPORTED BTJIiL, SHERIFF. 



This is the bull Mr. E. imported last 

 season together with the cows Cambridge 

 and Isabella, the pedigrees of which here 

 follow: 



SUERIFF, red; calved 8tli June, 1870; bredby A. J. 

 Kobarts, Esq., Lillingstone Dayrell, Bucks, 

 Euglaud; got by Cberry Unke *ij7.'iii, 

 Dam Seraiihiua 3d by Knyiil Essex *18(i67, 



— Spangle by Fitz Clarence *H479. 



— Seraphine by Sweet William *'7.571, 



— Seraphiiia by Earl ot Essex "1)955; 



— Suppliire by Stratton *5336, 



— Kuby by Fanatic *1996, 



— Rule by Red Rover *-J902, 



— by Kufns *^576, 



— by Empei*or "1014. 



S. B. Emerson. 



Isabella 23d, roau; calved 21lh Fcbiuary, 1872; 

 got by Kuigbt of Canada [7:!(;], (H13, 

 Dam Isabella 14tli by Tith Duke of Nortbumber- 

 land 47 14, 



— laabflla'id by Buccaneer "11217, 



— Isabella Howard by the Yeoman "12220, 



— Idalia by Lord Marlboro' "7166, 



— Is:ibel by Belshazdar "1703, 



— Iniogcne by Argus "579, 



— Sister to Isabella by Pilot '496, 



— bv Agamemnon "9, 



— by Mr. IJurrell's Bull of Burden "1796. 

 S. B. Emekson. 



Cambuuige 12tli, red; calved ISt.li Marcb, 1S70; 

 got by (Iralid Duke of Oxfonl [325], 5733, 

 Dam Cabrilgc 8th by Graud Duke of Morton 

 5732, 



— Clicriy Tie by Lord of the North "1 1743, 



— Celi;t Ity 3d DuUa of Ntn-tliiiinburland "3G47, 



— Conillower l>y B;iahaw "11192, 



— (.Columbine by Helmsmiin "2109, 



— Columbia by Columella *904, 



— Cbarl»)ttina by Kegent "544, 



— Charlotte l*;i!atiiie by I'abitine *478, 



— Charlotte by r;ilmtlo\ver "480, 



— Crimson by TalrioC ''4sri, 



— Young Milbank by Drillield "223, 

 _ by Mr. C. Holmes' Bull '314, 



S. B. Emekson. 

 AiUDRiK DtiKE 3d, red; calved "tli .Inly, 18? 1; bred 

 by <•. Ij-Vaiinietrr, Clark county, Kentucky; 

 got by Airdrie Duke, .WUb, 

 Dam (icm'.5lb l>y I)i(d< Taylor "S.'iOH, 



— ({rni 2(1 by Foiilham Duke of Oxford 



— (iem (imported) bv Broker "9993, 



— (iulnare by Norfulk "2377, 



— Mcdora by Ambo "tiI36, 



— Blossom by .Mcuninn "2295, 



— Sister to Isabella tiy Pilot "496, 



— by Agamcuinon *9, 



_ by Burrell's Bull of Burden TA'a. 



2803, 



Airdrie Duke, 5306, by Airdrie, 2478; dam Until 

 2d bv 2d Duke of Airdrie *19C0O; g. d., Ruth by 

 Challenger (imported) 324, &.c. 



Dick Taylor, 5508, by Airdrie, 2178; dam, Ruth 

 by Challenger (iniporl<ul) 324, &c. 



Fordham Dnke of Oxford, 2863. by Duke of 

 Gloster •11382; dam Oxford 5th by Duke of Nor- 

 Ihbmberland 'igiO, &c. 



Challenger (imported) 334, by 4lh Duke of York 

 *101()7; dam Chanlot by Usurer *9763, &c. 



Airdrie, 2478 (Ued Roee tribe), by Duke of Air- 

 drie »12736; dam Duchess by Buena'Vista 299, &c. 

 Mr. Thornton, the celebrated English auctioneer, 

 reports; " I saw the Bull Airdrie, rising thirteen 

 years old, a m;ignilicent anim;il. not too lirge, but 

 exceedingly symmetrical, stylish and handsomi!, 

 with a splendid head and line masculine charac- 

 ter." 



S. B. Emeeson, 



From each of the above cows Mr. E. 

 has now bull calves some three or four 

 months old, sired by the celebrated Air- 

 drie Duke 3d. These are really beautifnl, 

 show all the points of good breeding, and 

 are valued at $500 each. Parties desiring 

 to improve their stock would do well to 

 examine this herd of cattle. 



HORSES. 



As Mr. E. carries on a very large farm, 

 it is necessary for him to keep a good 

 many horses. He says that for the first 

 ten years he made a great mistake ia 

 breeding the "thoroughbred" running 

 and trotting stock for farm use, and lost 

 thousands of dollars in the experiment. 

 Let " professionals" say what they will, 

 he knows that such stock is not worth ten 

 cents for farm purposes, and don't want a 

 drop of such blood in horses for farm 

 work. They are too small; too nervous 

 and excitable; lack the disposition and 

 ability to work, and are neither easily 

 managed nor tit for farm use. 



THE PUNCH AND CLYDESDALE 



are the horses he breeds from. Good 

 common, useful American mares bred to 

 Punch and Clydesdale stallions produce 

 the best horses for the farm by all odds. 

 Mr. E. was very emphatic in his asser- 

 tions on this point, and evidently with 

 reasons. 



SHEEP. 



For several years Mr. E. kept a flock 

 of several hundred sheep, Spanish Meri- 

 no breeds, on his farm. They were pro- 

 fitable in clearing the land of foul weeds, 

 etc., but he now has nothing but 



PURE COTSWOLDS. 



These he believes to be the most profita- 

 ble sheep for farmers with limited range 

 of pasture to keep. His oiiiniou is that 

 the best wool is i)roduced on sheep that 

 are about half Cotswold and half Merino. 

 He had sheared from lambs one to three 

 years old, which were bred from Spanish 

 Merino ewes and i)ure Cotswold rams, on 

 an average, twenty pounds of highest 

 priced wool annually. Ho is now pro- 

 ducing a fine lot of Cotswolds. Some of 

 those imported last season from Canada 

 are probably as fine as any in the world. 

 Mr. Emerson believes in the principle 

 that 



EVERY FARMER SHODLD RAISE 

 MEAT, 



and not rely on a butcher's wagon to come 

 round two or throe times a week. It is 



