44 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



years, he -vfloiild put himself to the fatigue and la- 

 bor of pl.intintj that, of which he was never likely 

 to enjoy tlie fruit.' The good old man, taking him 

 for a stranger, gently replied, ' I plant against my 

 Bon Ulysses comes home.' The application is ob- 

 vious, and instructive both to young and old." 



Determine now without delay the trees and 

 shrubs yon will set out in the spring, ascertain 

 where the best and handsomest can be obtained, 

 and suffer no ordinary circumstances to prevent 

 you from executing so important a determination, 

 as that of doing some good in the world before you 

 are calh-d upon to give upyour stewardship, which 

 may possibly be before another annual period of 

 planting trees comes round. 



Let parents encourage their children, and child- 

 ren plead witli tlieir parents, to progress with the 

 good work of |)lanting fruit and ornamental trees, 

 siirubs and vines, as soon as the spring opens ; and 

 then our farms and farm liouseswill soon exchange 

 that dull, comfortless aspect, which is so obvious 

 in many places, for a moPe cheering and exhilirat- 

 ing exhibition of the fruits of industy, care and 

 good taste, and travelers as they pass by will en- 

 quire, 



Who dwells in thisiielightful plafe, 



Distlnguislied for its f effect grace.' 



u. 



For tlie Farmer's .Monthly Vis-ilor. 

 Durham Short Ilorus. 



Mr. Editor; — I saw in the last number of your 

 journal some articles on stock; and the field of 

 improvement in this respect is so broad in New- 

 England .ind journals so silent, having given 

 great attention to the subject, and believing tliat 

 we may have here as fine stock as there is in the 

 world, by adopting a successful root culture ; and 

 finding by actual experience and examination the 

 Short Horned Diirh.im breed superior to any 

 other for early maturity, disposition to fatten, and 

 deriving the most nourishment from a given 

 quantity of food ; hardiness, docility, quality and 

 quantity and goodness of milk, quality of flesh, 

 and fitness for labor ; I have taken jjains to com- 

 pile some evidence in tlieir favor, for your journal, 

 that our farmers may purchase them and prevent 

 their being taken off west by speculators, where 

 they bring from $.'iOO to $;;,000 a head. I shall 

 confine myself to American testimony. 



A letter from Edward Lloyd, Governor of Ma- 

 ryland, to John Hare Powell, Esq. dated May 3d, 

 1825, contains the following passages i 



" Many of my half breed Champion short horned 

 heifers, now two years old, have had calves this 

 spring, and contrary to my expectation are fifty 

 per cent. superior for milk to any breed I have ever 

 had. They have had only the common fare of 

 cattle on my estate. All of my mixed bloods are 

 BO superior to my common stock, that I consider 

 myself well paid for my purchase by tlie mixed 

 bloods alone which I have reared. I have given 

 my mixed Devons a fair trial with my mixed short 

 horns. In size and form there is no comparison, 

 and the short hctrns are vastly superior for milk 

 tni size." 



In a letter from Gharles A. Barnitx, Esq. of New 

 York, to John H;ire Powell, Esq. " Early last sum- 

 mer I obtained from a neighboring fanner a l;eau- 

 tiful heifer of the native stock, of the finest shape 

 and promise, and the same age with my short hor- 

 ned Durham Hebe. I kept them upon the same 

 feed tiUnewyear, when the difference was so great 

 that Hebe appeared at least two years a head in 

 improvement." — " The great difficulty of obtain- 

 ing them and the high prices they command, will 

 for some years retard the progress of tli,e full blood, 

 but even the half blood, which almost every far- 

 mer may obtain, must make a sensible improve- 

 ment in the «oursc of two or three years." 



Mr. Alexander Reed of Pennsylvania, having 

 paid $2IJ0 for a bull of the Durham short horned 

 breed, expresses his satisfaction as follows: — '' The 

 object 1 had in view was the improvement in my- 

 own stock. I am now perfectly satisfied that this 

 will be accomplished equal to my most sani^uinc 

 e2pcctations. I have the additional satisfaction of 

 seeing my neighbors' stock rapidly improving. I 

 attributed the fine appearance of your stock to ex- 

 traordlniiTii keeping. The experience I have had 

 iscalculated to do away this impression. I have 

 sold every calf I could spare to experienced farm- 

 ers for from six to eight times the price of common 

 calves^ and reserved the best." 



Joseph Kersey, of Chester county, Pennsylva- 

 nia, to John P. Milnor, Recording Secretary of the 

 Pennsylvania Agricultural Society, writes — " Tak- 

 ing this breed in every point of view, I consider 

 them better adapted to the use of farmers than any 

 other breed I am acquainted with. They arrive 



at maturity early, are good milkers, and are exceed- 

 ing kind and docile — they have more weight in the 

 most important parts, viz. the standing ribs, sur- 

 loin, rump, &c.". 



At a ineetingof the Pennsylvania dairy farmers, 

 they gave tlieir opinion as follows ; *' We have 

 examined the Durham sliort horned cattle. We 

 have never seen animals better f\Hec\ for the yohc. In 

 girt, the bull although appearing heavy from his 

 round shape, moves with vigor, and pUtres his feet 

 so accuratchj that the track made by his fore feet are 

 occapied bif his hind feet, as he advances. We are 

 all dairy farmers, and have visited Powelton at our 

 own suggestion, to satisfy our minds as to the dai- 

 ry properties oi' the females. We do not hesitate 

 to say that they have all the appearance of great 

 milkers, having also yellow skins. We think the 

 heifers excel in these points, all that we have seen." 

 This certificate is dated January 10th, 1626, and 

 signed by Lloyd Jones, Isaac W. Roberts, Paul 

 Jones, David Robe.rts, John Roberts, Joseph Tra- 

 sel, Geo. W. Roberts and Isaac Heister. 



An extract from a communication made by Levi 

 Lincoln, Governor of Massachusetts, and Presi- 

 dent of the Worcester Agricultural Society: "With 

 nineteen of the short horned Durham breed in my 

 possession, I can safely say that my most confident 

 anticipations have been realized. I have now 

 seven heifers in milk, four of them three years old, 

 three, two years old, and for richness in quality, 

 and abundance in quantity they are not excelled by 

 the very best cows of any r.ge of the native stock. 

 A heifer of three years old with her second calf, 

 has not been dry since she dropped herftrst^ having 

 given four quarts on the morning of her second 

 calving. Next to the merino sheep I consider the 

 intioduction of the short horns in the blood of 

 Dentow as the ricliest acquisition to the country 

 which agriculture has obtained. For the dairy and 

 tlie stall I speak with the utmost confidence of 

 their pre-eminence. One of the heifers gives from 

 sixteen to twenty quarts of the richest milk by the 

 day since calving, the other a little less, from the 

 circumstance of having been in milk continually 

 for more than a year; but her milk is in no degree 

 inferior in quality. The last season, she gave 

 eleven quarts at a milking with grass only, and 

 this not unfrequently. They keep as easy as the 

 native stock and are as hardy." 



Mr. Lincoln says also, in a letter to Col. Powell, 

 that his " stock of short horns was kept wholly on 

 meadow ha^' and barley straw — no re ots or English 

 hay was allowed them," that *' the result was high- 

 ly favorable to this breed of animals, and would 

 appear to establish another link in the chain of evi- 

 dence in their favor. It proves that in hardihood 

 they are not inferior to our native cattle." He has 

 also a pair of steers of this breed, which in strength 

 and docility are not surpassed by cattle of any 

 breed. " The only objection against them lies in 

 tlieir color, which being light renders any soil or 

 stain conspicuous, and suggests an idea of their 

 lieing less hardy than those of deeper hues." — 

 Lawrence however siys, "the color of cattle seems 

 wholly immaterial in view of utility. The old 

 prognostics drawn from color are truly nonsensical. 

 Treatise on neat cattle." 



I cannot close this evidence without adding the 

 autliority of the Hon. John Welles of Boston, w'hn 

 is tlie oldest and has been the most careful breeder 

 of the Durham short horned cattle in America, and 

 has made hinisdf in this, and many other respects 

 eminently useful to the agricultural interest of this 

 and neighboring States. Public spirited and be- 

 neficent, limiting his munificence to nn party or 

 denominatinn, the agricultural interests of the 

 whole country have been promoted b}' his efforts. 

 Far distant must the traveller be, who can see no 

 traces of his usefulness in some descendant of 

 CcEi.EBS, De.nto.\', Admiral; Sir Isaacs, or Cor- 

 net, or otherwise. Mr. Wells' present breeding 

 has crossed his stock with the different importa- 

 tions of the Durham stock, and probably has it as 

 perfect as any man in New England. 



I have compiled this evidence for the Durhams 

 because the farmers in New England do not now 

 seem to be awake to the superior claims ©f this 

 breed of cattle, and are thereby relapsing, while 

 speculators are seeking the purest and best of the 

 stock and driving to the West and Soutli. 



In the years 1825, 6, 7, and 8, much was written 

 on this subject, and farmers began to open their 

 eyes to the light, but little having been written re- 

 cently, the subject has passed away from the pub- 

 lic eye and should be brought forward immediately, 

 and kept there, till every New England farmer rev- 

 olutionized his little stinted stock. 



If any person is inclined to pursue this matter 

 further, and ascertain the merits of the difterent 

 breeds of neat cattle, I would refer him to »n essay 



on the subject in 0th vol. N. E. Farmer, also Rees' 

 Cyclopojdia, and other volumes of the N.E. Farm- 

 er. TEWKSBURY, Mass. 

 Feb. 10, 1839. 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Treatment and Fattening of Oxen. 



To the editor of the I'isilor. — Dr.AR Sir:— As 

 you have* been pleased to publish some few facts in 

 regard to fatting cattle, drawn from an incidental 

 interview, in the first number of the Monthly Vis- 

 itor, you will excuse me if I trespass upon your 

 time by giving in detail my own views and method 

 in regard more particularly to that noble animal 

 the ox. And one reason moving iiie to do it 

 is, I know there is a great mistake with many in 

 regard to the increase or profits to be derived when 

 a. right method is pursued ; and I have regretted 

 exceedingly that so many have been led by mista- 

 ken policy to substitute horses in the ordinary labor 

 of the farm instead of that of oxen, to point out 

 all the injurious results of which would be depart- 

 ing from what was intended at this time, and occu- 

 py too much space, should you think this worthy a 

 place in your useful paper. 



It is a well known fact that there are not half 

 the number of working oxen inthisregion of coun- 

 try there formerly was : this is one reason for the 

 extra price of ordinary cattle without any beneficial 

 effect to the farmer. I suppose I could have per- 

 formed the labor upon my farm in the usual meth- 

 od of exchange, &c. by keeping one pair of oxen 

 together with the help of the horse, one of which 

 is a very useful and necessary creature upon a 

 farm. Notwithstanding it was my practice to keep 

 two pairs on the scale of economy or profit — 

 which were usually sold, and replaced in the course 

 of the year by others at a profit in cash of from 

 thirty to fifty dollars a pair, besides doing all the 

 work of the (arm, including getting up wood, fenc- 

 ing stuff, and more or less lumbering during the 

 winter season. 



In selecting, when about to purchase, several 

 prominent points were to be observed. First, the 

 age, from four to six: — second, the form to be well 

 made, what is generally termed square built, smooth 

 and thrifty, tlesh ordinary, and free from blemishes 

 and overstrains ; — thirdly, well matched and uni- 

 form in color, pleasing the eye (or fancy) so as to 

 secure the greater price either for work or slaugh- 

 ter. Next, attention and feed, (the former to me 

 was a luxury,) lieside the ordinary time necessary 

 to place the fodder before them, which should be 

 o"iven in small parcels and often ; one half hour 

 at least should be spent in the morning and anoth- 

 er at noon carding the oxen, and at other times 

 whc=; not at work very much is gained in gently 

 carding and removing the old coat in the sj)ring. 

 My cattle will very soon follow me in the yard or 

 pasture, they like it so well. My mode of feeding 

 perhaps was not much different from that of others 

 until about the l:ist of February or first of March, 

 when oxen need more salt than you can yet into 

 them in the ordinary manner either by salting the 

 hay, or keeping it in a trough where they can come 

 at it, for they will not eat it in sufiicient quantities 

 in a crude state, and you cannot get enough into 

 the hay, which led nie to try some experiments, 

 and finally I hit upon the following which has fully 

 answered my most sanguine expectations ; 



Preparation : Take for instance a half bushel 

 even full of potatoes; divide them into two equal 

 parts, chop them fine, add then about one gill of 

 pulverized salt to each ; mix them well tegether ; 

 then add to it Indian meal sufficient to absorb the 

 moisture. 7Vi(j>- c/nantity given to each pair twice or 

 three times o trech has done viors towards increasing 

 the fcsh and bcuatij of tlie animal than any other feed 

 hoiccrer costly. Some care is necessary in regard 

 to the looseness of the animal which may at first be 

 produced, which ii very easily checked or regulated 

 by feeding with meadow hay, &c. 



Following this course through the spring work and 

 fjr some weeks alter they are lurued out to pasture, 

 my oxen have uuifornily become quite fat by the 

 middle of July. The preparation is to be given 

 immediately on preparing it, or the salt drives all 

 the moisture out of the potatoes: if it stands any 

 considerable time, it turns a redish color and the 

 ox will refuse it. I have usually done my feeding 

 in the morning because of uniformity, whicli I con- 

 sider of some importance in this as well as other 

 matters. At that time of day the cattle are cool. 

 It is not good to give provender to a creature when 

 it is heated by labor. This kind of feed has anoth- 

 er advantage over any other within my knowledge, 

 viz. correcting tliose disorders to which cattle are 

 subject. It gives them a good appetite for their 

 common fodder and also for water. Cattle fed iu 

 this manner are not apt to stand long over the 



