California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



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The Improvement In Our Domestic 

 Animals. 







fO branch of farming offers a better 

 field for enterprise and careful ex- 

 penditure of a small amount of 

 ' money than the improvement of our 

 farm stock, by the introduction of a 

 few pure-blooded males, and females too, 

 if the treasury will only admit of the ex- 

 pense. 



About five or six years ago the subject 

 of Short-horn bulls was introduced at 

 some of or.r club meetings, the result of 

 which was the purchase of one bull and 

 two bull calves from Mr. Pliilip Tabb, 

 who had at that time some very fine stock 

 in Howard county, Md. The next season 

 we had reported the sale of ten calves, 

 averaging forty pounds more than from 

 the same cows by a scrub bull ; this alone 

 gave a gain of $S each on the sale of calves 

 from the ten cows — quite a good interest 

 on the first cost of the bull, which was 

 $100. "With most farmers in this part of 

 the State the temptation of selling their 

 calves is too great to resist; they will gen- 

 erally sell for nearly enough at six weeks 

 old, to buy a two-year old steer or heifer, 

 at the stockyards of Baltimore or George- 

 town—of course, the buying must be 

 done at the dull time, in the fall of the 

 year. A few, like myself, have some old 

 fogy notions, and will raise a few calves, 

 and lambs, too, even if they are worth 

 more at six weeks than they will bring at 

 one year old. Several other parties have 

 since bought some thoroughbred bulls, of 

 the Short-horn and Alderney breeds; from 

 this small beginning we can now show 

 more than two hundred young half-bloods 

 of various ages. This will in a few years 

 add very much to the value of our old 

 native stock, both for beef and butter- 

 all from a very small outlay of money for 

 the first purchase of the thoroughbred 

 males. Very many of our small farmers 

 do not feel as if they could spare the ne- 

 cessary amount of money to make the first 

 purchase. For such I would recommend 

 that four or five living near should raise 

 the necessary amount, by equal subscrip- 

 tions, which would make the first cost 

 seem much less, and all could derive the 

 same benefit as by individual ownershij]. 

 Or, what I consider much the best plan, 

 is for one to own the animal and keep it 

 at all times in the stable at his place, so 

 that his neighbors will be sure to find 

 him when needed, and charge them a 

 reasonable price for service — say §1 or 

 5fl 50. At such a moderate price all will 

 see that it is to their advantage to use a 

 thoroughbred bull, as all his calves will 

 be worth much more, either for the but- 

 cher or to raise; they will also be saved 

 the annoyance of an unruly bull at all 

 times on the place (except when ho has 

 jumped into a neighbor's corn field, or 

 some other forbidden place). My own 

 bull (a Short-horu) is kept up ail the 

 time, or nearly so, does not eat a peck of 

 grain in a year, is in fine, thrifty condi- 

 tion on fodder, straw and other coarse 

 food, with occasionally a little hay. By 

 the above plan I get well paid for my in- 

 vestment and trouble of keeping the'bull 

 up, and my neighbors show that they are 

 satisfied, as "sedge bulls" are a sci>rce 

 article. I also have the satisfaction of 

 seeing some good stock at home, and 

 something to take a few prizes at the 

 county fair, too. 

 I would recommend very much the 



same plan with hogs. One male will 

 answer for several farmers; but be sure 

 that he is a thoroughbred, of whatever 

 breed yon decide is best suited to your 

 wants, and then do not rest satisfied with 

 one pure crop, but continue to buy a pure 

 blood to cross on the grade sows, so that 

 the stosk will be improving all the time. 

 — T. J. L., in American Farmer. 



Inflammatobt Fever in Cattle. — To 

 an inquiry from a correspendent about 

 this disease the Tribune replies: 



When young stock, especially calves, 

 are subjected to a sudden change of feed, 

 and from comparatively poor or rich sus- 

 tenance, are put upon that of an entirely 

 difierent character, the blood is at once 

 affected. This altered condition is shown 

 by fever, inflammation of the mucous 

 membranes, especially about the eyes and 

 the interior of the nose and nostrils, and 

 a running from all of these. This fre- 

 quently changes to stiffness of the limbs, 

 with lameness and swelling. Afterward 

 death is usually very sudden. The com- 

 l^laint is a blood disease, known as quar- 

 terill, blackquarter, inflammatory fever, 

 anthrax, etc. It is seldom cured, but 

 may be prevented. Caution should be 

 exercised iu changing feed. Cold, damp 

 and excessive warmth should alike lie 

 avoided. Upon the appearance of the 

 first symptom of disorder, a dose of salts 

 (of six to eight ounces) should be given, 

 followed by half an ounce of hyposulph- 

 ite of soda, twice daily for a few days, 

 administered in the feed or dissolved in 

 water. A little linseed oil-cake meal 

 should also be supplied each day. The 

 disease may be communicated by means 

 of a discharge from the nose. 



Short-Horn Catte. — In an interview 

 with Mr. Win. Curtis, a noted Short-horn 

 breeder of Michigan, the inqury was pro- 

 pounded to him. Why is it you prefer 

 the Short-horu, Mr. Curtis, to any other 

 breed of cattle? 



Well, sir, he said, I can very soon an- 

 swer that question. Because thei-e is 

 more profit in them; there is more of 

 them, you can get more out of them. The 

 calves and young stock bring more mon- 

 ey; they take on flesh faster. The cows 

 give rich milk and the butter is rich. I 

 know this, for I have tried Short-horns 

 for years. They have no superior for 

 beef. They make good working cattle. 

 They combine more good qualities than 

 any other breed. They cannot be im- 

 proved by crossing with any other breed. 

 Cross a Short-horn cow with a Devon or 

 Ayrshire or Jersey bull, and you lose size. 

 But the Short-horn improves everything 

 it touches. It is the best known breed 

 for improving native stock, and for this 

 purpose alone they are valuable. They 

 are kind and gentle, easily handled, good 

 breeders and good mothers, hearty feed- 

 ers, and I prefer them to any other breed. 

 But I make no war on any other breed. 

 They all have their good jjoints, but the 

 Short-horns, iu my opinion, have the 

 most best ]ioints. 



Keep the Best Cai^ves. — It is a com- 

 mon jjractice among our farmers to sell 

 their best calves, and keep the poorest. 

 This is not the true way, and they are 

 reaping the disadvantages from so short 

 sighted a policy. This selling to the 

 butchers all the calves that fatten the 

 quickest, and look the smoothest, is what 

 has reduced the quality of the etock in 

 this country. 



Inpltjbnce of the Male in Breeding. 

 The Kentucky Live Stock Record gives its 

 opinion on this topic as follows: 



To impiove the breed the question 

 arises, whether the male or female plays 

 the greater part in the jjroposed elevation 

 of the herd. If a breeder wishes to per- 

 petuate and impress the goed qualities, 

 and remove the defects of his breed, he 

 must exercise the greatest care in the se- 

 lection of the male and female. A single 

 mis take in the selection of a bull will 

 stamp qualities on his herd that will take 

 years to eradicate. We believe the same 

 rules th"t hold good iu horses, hold with 

 increased power in cattle. Although we 

 believe the sire plays the most important 

 part, and has more influence on the pro- 

 duce, the purity and good qualities of the 

 dam are at least of equal consideration as 

 the sire. 



In reference to breeding horses. Gen. 

 Daumas, a French officer, addressed him- 

 self to the Emir Abdel Kader. This was 

 his reply: "The nobility of the father is 

 most important. The Arabs greatly pre- 

 fer the product of a blood horse and a 

 common mare, to that of a blood mare 

 and a common stallion. They consider 

 the mother as having almost no influence 

 upon the qualities of her produce. She 

 is, they say, a vase which receives a de- 

 posit, and which retains it without chang- 

 ing its nature. Nevertheless, if race allies 

 itself with race, there is not a doubt that 

 the produce is good." 



It won't do to depend solely on sires to 

 improve the future condition of our 

 horses or cattle; the mares and cows must 

 be good also. We do not here speak of 

 show cattle, running and trotting horses 

 merely, but taking a more extendp-l -:. ■. 

 of the subject, looking to th 

 tional advantage which the coi 

 derive from the improvement c. ... .. .. 



of cattle and horses for general iiurposes. 



It will be found in breeding cattle, 

 horses, sheep or hogs, that the males pa- 

 rent chiefly governs the production of ex- 

 ternal character and structures, and very 

 naturally the contour and action of the 

 offspring, provided the male be of a su- 

 perior or equally pure blood with the 

 female; if not, the result will be uncer- 

 tain. 



From our observation in the human 

 family, we have found, as a general rule, 

 that the male children generally resem- 

 bled their mother in the frontal and in- 

 tellectual processes of the head, while 

 the posterior portions jiartook of the 

 father's characteristics. In the female 

 child it is generally opposite, the upper 

 and frontal jjiroeesses i-esemble the father, 

 the posterior the mother. It is crosi-ing 

 between animals evidently different in 

 symmetry, proportions, characteristics 

 and constitution, that has led so many 

 breeders into difiiculties and failures. But 

 that differs greatly from crossing animals 

 of homogeneous qualities. The best 

 results have been experienced from that 

 practice, when the object has been to in- 

 fluence the i^rogeny of the female by the 

 influence of a male of greater excellence. 



In proof that the male parent governs 

 the external form and character of the 

 produce, we have only to look at the cross 

 between the jack and the mare, and be- 

 tween the horse and jennet. In the first 

 case the produce resembles the jack most, 

 in the latter, the horse. 



To milk a kicking cow stand off about 

 eight feet and yell, "So, yon darned skin- 

 flint." 



