California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



poses, settlers must stand back. When 

 civilization surrounds them and advances 

 the price of these large tracks, and the 

 degenerated monopolists die, and in the 

 course of time titles split up and natur- 

 ally fall to pieces, then will these lands 

 become jjeopled and improved. 



At the present time the out-look for 

 fine stock interests of all kinds in this 

 State is encouraging, notwithstanding 

 the fact that the late annual sale was a 

 failure. There were several reasons 

 why besides those we have already given. 

 The interests of the fine stock "breeder 

 ^yith those of the good farmer are iden- 

 tical. Both are aiming to improve. The 

 intelligent farmer must have the fine 

 stock, and will eventually. There is no 

 question about that. Let the breeder of 

 fine stock lend his encouragement to- 

 wards a better system of farming, and 

 let the enterprising farmer patronize the 

 intelligent and scientific stock breeder, 

 and let both take and read the Califor- 

 nia Agkicfltukist, and we may all be 

 happy yet. 



Close Beeeding.— -Here is what we re- 

 gard as sensible talk. Breed good qual- 

 ities regardless of relationship. A writer 

 in the Weslern Farm Journal, after allud- 

 ing to a discussion on the subject by the 

 Stock Breeders' Association, says: It 

 has been supposed destructive to good 



tion of blood to that extent necessary to 

 perpetuate merit. 



In breeding it is a correct principle to 

 avoid the same defects on both sides; 

 care should be taken to balance defects 

 on either side, with perfection on the 

 other. 



Ovee-Feeding Fine Stock for Shows. 

 It is astonishing that breeders wiU be so 

 foolish as to still continue the practice of 

 stuffing, to their ruin, valuable animals 

 from their flocks and herds, simply for 

 the purpose of outshowing each other in 

 monstrous fat at the agricultural fairs. 

 See, for example what dsstruction has 

 resulted for years past from this cause in 

 the noble tribes of Bate's and Booth's 

 Short-horn cattle. It is not surprising 

 that many have died under this practice; 

 the only wonder is that a single animal 

 of them has survived it, and is still left 

 with sufficient stamina to propagate its 

 species. In a late issue, the London 

 Agnciiltiiral Gazelle observes that this la- 

 mentable destructionis going on in other 

 superior families of Short-horns, and 

 also in other breeds of cattle, for it says: 

 "Mr. (Juthwaite has lost his celebrated 

 cow Vivandiere. She and her calf have 

 both died during protracted labor. The 

 North British A(j7'iculturist of last week 

 enumerates the disasters which have of 

 late befallen prize animals. Among 



^^^ .^^~,^ ^^^.^,^j^^i ^icotji Illative tU t?OOU H ^T T 1, . ° 



breeding to go into any of the forbidden , """i' M^- J^ennard s Queen Mary, which 



degrees of relationship. If a neighbor 

 hood was enterprising enough to buy a 

 fine bull, or horse, at great expense, after 

 a certain time the animal and all his 

 progeny must be discarded for fresh 

 blood, which must be imported at a fur- 

 ther increased expense, or the original 

 improvement went for nothing and was 

 lost. In this way, many good breeds 

 have been frittered away and wasted, be- 

 cause the importation could not be kept 

 up and maintained indefinitely. This 

 position is nonsensical in the extreme, 

 as every intelligent breeder ought to 

 know. 



How was it possible for Bates, or 

 Webb, or Bakewell, or any of the origin- 

 al improvers of stock, to maintain the 

 superiority of their breeds? They had 

 no other choice strains to run to, if they 

 had desired to do so ever so much, for 

 there were none in existence. It is more 

 than probable that, if there had been, 

 they would have kept on as they did, for 

 when they once got a good animal, they 

 carefully preserved all his good qualities 

 by breeding to others possessing, as near 

 as possible, other good points. They 

 were compelled to do this regardless of 

 relationship for the reasons above stated. 



It is now quite certain that the only 

 way to maintain a choice breed of stock 

 is' to keep up the intercourse between 

 them, regardless of relationship, so long 

 as there are any good qualities worthy o1 

 preservation. Any system of breeding 

 which is based on any other principle is 

 founded on error, and is sure to fail, as 

 so many of our previous attempts at im- 

 proving Western herds have failed. 



The true principles of breeding neces- 

 sitate pruning the herd, therefore all fe- 

 male animals are endowed with a time of 

 heat, which faculty attracts the males of 

 their kind, and inaugurates nature's 

 requisites to the nerpetuation without 

 deterioration. Of wild animals the prun- 

 ing of the herd is successfully accomp- 

 lished by the fighting of the males unto 

 death or banishment from the herd, 

 leaving the most vigorous males to pro- 

 pagate their kind; the buffalo, elk and 

 deer are instanced, showing no deterior- 

 ation either in form or vigor, and fairly 

 represent nature's standard, which is 

 perfection, matured by the true princi- 

 ples of breeding in line, and concentra- 



has lost her calf; Mr. A. H. Browne's 

 Duke of Aosta, winner of many prizes, 

 including the first at each of the three 

 national meetings in England, Scotland, 

 and Ireland, last season; Lady Pigot's 

 Victoria Victrix, Rose of Wytham, and 

 Moorish Captive, all of them royal win- 

 ners; the Duke of Buccleuch's prize win- 

 ning Ayrshire cow, and Mr. Scott's fine 

 polled Angus bull Bluebeard. We rather 

 suspect," says the Gazette, "that the un- 

 natural state of feeding in which show- 

 yard animals now-a-days appear has had 

 not a little to do with the death of some, 

 if not all the animals particularized." 



Yes, indeed, you may "rather" more 

 than "suspect" this, for it is a terrible 

 fact, and no mistake about it. I well 

 recollect when present at one of the royal 

 agricultural shows in England of express- 

 ing astonishment to a celebrated breeder 

 there that he should sell a lot of his prize 

 animals to a competitor. "Why," I 

 exclaimed, "in a few years he will be ex- 

 hibiting here against you, and beat you 

 with the produce of your own weapons." 

 He gave me a nudge with his hand and 

 a sly wink with his eye, and at the same 

 time dryly remarked: "Never fear that. 

 These animals have been fed too high to 

 make good breeders; the purchaser of 

 them can never beat me at a cattle show 

 with their ofi'spring. " 



And still, with such a lesson before us, 

 we Americans ai-e so foolish as to con- 

 tinue importing prize stock from abroad, 

 and boast of it to the public, thinking 

 thereby to be able to sell their produce 

 at a much higher price than such as 

 come from animals that have not gone 

 through the injurious process of over- 

 feeding, in order to make a foolish show 

 of their fine points.—^. Ji. Allen, in the 

 American Agriculturist. 



[Here is a subject for the California 

 Stock Breeders' Association to discuss. 

 Several head of fine stock have been lost 

 in California from this cause. It would 

 not be a bad plan to rule out all animals 

 that are too fat from competition in the 

 ring altogether. — Ed. 



Management of Large Bulls.— .\11 

 stock breeders know that large bulls 

 have a perfect disregard for fences, and 

 therefore have to be kept in the stable, 

 sometimes for years. Experience has 

 shown in most cases where bulls are kept 



so confined, without air or exercise, that 

 they become either impotent, or very 

 precarious stock getters, also headstrong 

 and dangerous to handle. I kept a 

 Short-horn bull six years. When he was 

 a year old, I began handling him with a 

 rope similar to one ordinarily used to 

 cast a horse. He would make great re- 

 sistance, and after a struggle would have 

 to come down. I repeated this every six 

 months that I had him, and he never 

 knew that he had any strength. His 

 lofty head was leveled to the ground in 

 a manner very humiliating to him; he 

 was alwaj's as kind as an ox, and any 

 child could lead him to water. Throw- 

 ing him took the conceit entirely out of 

 him. 



I then invented a plan to exercise him. 

 I set a post in the ground about three 

 feet high, with a cart wheel on top, then 

 lashed a sixteen-foot ash pole across it, 

 made a frame for his neck at the end, so 

 that the pole would lie against his breast 

 with a rod running out in front to tie his 

 strap to. He verj- soon learned to go 

 round, describing a circle thirty-two feet 

 in diameter, with a good track. He was 

 put in this every day, and would walk 

 two hours. After a few days he needed 

 no attention, as he seemed to enjoy it, 

 and was so impatient to start that we 

 could hardly hold him still long enough 

 to tie him. 



The result of this was that he was the 

 most active bull I ever saw; and out of 

 eighty-seven cows served the summer he 

 was four years old, only four missed. 

 Some of my stock breeding friends have 

 tried these experiments, and say that 

 they have been the means of prolonging 

 the usefulness of their valuable bulls for 

 years. We all know that far too many 

 of our high-priced and choice bulls go 

 prematurely to the shambles in couse- 

 of the above troubles. — Cor. Country Gen- 

 tleman. 



Advantages of Raising Stock.— Farms 

 which are devoted to raising stock that 

 consume the crops grown ujjon them are 

 less rapidly exhausted than those from 

 which the crops of grain or hay are sold. 

 Upon farms where the grain, hay and 

 straw are fed to stock, the farmer may 

 realize a double profit. First, by the 

 profit arising from the sale of his stock; 

 and second, from the larger quantity of 

 manure he makes and applies to the im- 

 provement of his fields and thereby in- 

 creasing the quantity of grain, and thus 

 he is enabled to add to the number of 

 his stock. 



breed pure, and keep it improving, too, 

 if he uses care in his selection of breed- 

 ing animals. Then, if he has male or 

 female animals to sell, he can get as 

 good prices as he has had to pay. He 

 can sell his stock for three or four times 

 what it is worth for meat. It costs him 

 no more to raise it, and any surplus 

 stock he has, he can convert into meat 

 just as well as the mixed breeds:" 



How TO Educate a Bull. — The Coan- 

 trij Gentleman says: A bull should always 

 be SO fastened that he cannot strike his 

 attendant with his horns. He should 

 always be handled with a staff fastened 

 in his ring, and be taught to obey when 

 led, just as a horse is taught. If he 

 shows the least disposition to use his 

 horns when being led, a twist of the 

 staff will teach him better. He should 

 be handled in the stable as a horse is 

 taught to be, and should, for the sake of 

 his health, be carded and groomed to his 

 feet, as is a fine colt. When currying 

 his head and neck, always have a firm 

 hold of his ring, and never allow him to 

 think he can push, hook or even frighten 

 the attendant. Always keep him well 

 groomed. 



ARE 



TENDENCIES CF CHARAC- 

 TER INHERITED? 



Peofitabe Grades. — One of the great 

 causes of disappointment, saj's a corres- 

 pondent of Coleman's Rural, to those 

 farmers who attempt to improve their 

 stock, and then are dissatisfied with their 

 success, is because they work on the cost- 

 nothing plan, and get the cheap kind. 

 That is, they start their im; rovement by 

 getting a grade of its kind, ignoring the 

 fact that the pure-bred animal, when 

 coupled with the grade, or cold blood, 

 produces an offspring that cannot, with 

 any certaintj', reproduce its like in form 

 or fattening properties. Many men will 

 ask, Why is it so? It is because the 

 pure-bred has been the result of scientific 

 breeding and feeding for a limited time, 

 while the scrub has been an amalgama- 

 tion of races from generation to genera- 

 tion, without an eflbrt to imiu'ove those 

 essentials that make them profitable to 

 the farmer. A pure breed can be raised 

 just as cheap as a mixed breed. Each 

 breed has its peculiar characteristics; and 

 the farmer must first ask what hc*%ants 

 in an animal, or of an animal, and then 

 get the breed that most nearly meets his 

 wants. Then ho wants to keep it pure. 

 By buying pure males occasionally, if he 

 is not able to do more, he can keep the 



ET NELL VAN. 



> E do not live for ourselves 

 // alone," said a mother whose 

 1? pathway through life was not 



entirely strewn with roses. 

 -2* The words sank deeply into 

 my heart, and I love to feel that they are 

 echoing and re-echoing throughout space 

 for an eternity. If we fully realized that 

 those who come to fill our places upon 

 earth, bearing our blood in their veins, 

 and with it the transmitted traits of char- 

 acter and peculiarities of temper we pos- 

 sess, would we not be more constantly 

 on our guard, and strive more heartily 

 for perfection? The atmosphere be- 

 comes tinctured with the prevailing sen- 

 timent of our lives, and the harmonious 

 blending of contentment, forgiveness 

 and sympathy, with no nervous anxiety 

 about the future, produces a condition of 

 peacefulness that all might envy. 



Such thoughts as these were passing 

 through my mind as I sat in a friend's 

 house, whither I had gone to pay a brief 

 visit, when I heard a child's plaintive 

 voice in the entry saying: " Do, ma'am 

 — please do let us come in; we are afraid 

 to go home now, and if ,s7ie see us we'll 

 have to, and oh — " A flood of tears 

 here relieved the grief-stricken little 

 heart, while, with kind, soothing words 

 from my friend, two little forlorn speci- 

 mens of humanity were led into the sit- 

 ting-room. 



A bright, cheerful fire burned in the 

 grate, and Aunt Liddy sat in the soft 

 twilight knitting. Seats were placed 

 where two pairs of chubby hands might 

 feel the warmth of the fire, while little 

 by little we ventured to draw from their 

 owners the tale of sorrow which led them 

 to seek shelter under my friend's hospit- 

 able roof. 



"There she goes now!" said one of 

 them, pointing through the window. 

 "She's looking for us. OhI ma'am, 

 don't let her in hero." 



"No," said my friend, "you are per- 

 fectly safe here. But is she your own 

 mother, child?" 



"Yes, indeed, and a kinder one you 

 never saw when she's in her senses. 

 The man in the shop there always gives 

 her a drop too much, she says, and then 

 she never knows what she's about after 

 that." 



