1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



399 



of the animal, yet it hag a striking breadth of 

 forehead, lis wck is well adapted to the yoke or 

 the collar; the horns are small and fine; the fore- 

 legs are wide apart, lookinij like pillars to snpport 

 a great weiiiht. Angular bony projections are 

 never (band in a beast that carries mnch flesh and 

 fat. A narrow-chested animal can never be use- 

 ful eitiier for working or grazing. 



The skin of the Devon of the pure breed, not- 

 wiihstanding his curly hair, is very mellow, fine 

 and elastic. Graziers know ihere is not a more im- 

 portant point than this. When the skin can be 

 easily raised from the hips it shows that there is 

 room to set fat below. The favorite color of the 

 Devons is a blood red. The hair in some is curl- 

 ed, tiie curls running like ripples on water, and 

 when dark wiving a mahosany appearance. Tf 

 the hair is smooth it should be fine and glossy. 

 Few of good blood have any while upon them, 

 and the pure Devon is as uniformly red, as is the 

 pure short horn red and white. 



The comparative smallness of the Devon cow, 

 is one of the most remarkable traits of their cha- 

 racter. The bull is much smaller than the ox, and 

 the cow proportionally smaller than either. This 

 is considered somewhat of a disadvantage, as it is 

 almost impossible to procure large and serviceable 

 oxen, except from a roomy cow. Owing to tneir 

 peculiar build, however, the Devon cow is more 

 roomy than most other breeds of cattle of the 

 same size, which in a great measure obviates the 

 objection. The Devon cow is particularly distin- 

 guished for her full, round, clear eye, the gold co- 

 lored circle around it, and the same color prevail- 

 ing on the inside of the ear. The muzzle orange 

 or yellow, but the rest of the face having nothing 

 of black, or even of white about it. 



The peculiar excellence of the Devonshire ox, 

 is a quickness of action in working, which (cw 

 horses exceed, and no other cattle can equal. 

 They have also a degree of dociliiy and goodness 

 of temper, and stoutness and honesty of work, to 

 which many teams of horses cannot pretend. 

 Mr. Youatt, who is great authority on the sub- 

 ject of cattle, thus describes their usual mode of 

 treatment and aptitude to fatten. 



The Devon steer is taken into work at about 

 two years old; and they work until they are four 

 to six ; they are then grazed, or kept on hay, and 

 in ten or twelve months, and without any ftirther 

 trout^e, they are fit for market. If the grass is 

 good, no corn, or cake, or turnips are required for 

 the first winter; but of course lor a second winter, 

 these must be added. The grazier likes this breed 

 best, at five years old, and they vviil usually, when 

 taken from the plough, letch as much money as 

 at six. Lord Somerville stales, that afier having 

 been worked lightly on hill land for two years, at 

 lour years old they are brought into heavy land of 

 the vales, and used in hard work till six ; and 

 what deserves consideration is, an ox must be 

 thus worked to attain his largest size. If he is 

 kept idle until he is five or six, he will invariably 

 be stinted in his growth. Mr. Youatt adds— In 

 their disposition to fatten, very lew cattle can ri- 

 val them. They do not, indeed, attain the great 

 weight of some breeds; but in a given time acquire 

 more flesh, and with a less consumption of food, 

 and their flesh is beautiful in its kind. It is of 

 that mottled, marble character so pleasing to the 

 eye, and to the taste. 



As to the value of the Devon cow lor the dairy, 

 different and somewhat conflicting opinions are 

 entertained in England. Mr. Youatt says : 



'• For the dairy, the norlh Devon must be ac- 

 knowledged to be inferior to several other breeds. 

 'I'lie milk is good, and yields more than an ave- 

 rage proportion of" cream and butter; but it is de- 

 ficient in quantity. There are those, however, 

 and no mean judges, who deny this, and select 

 the north Devons even for the dairy." 



Perhaps one of the most valuable crosses that 

 has yet been made, is the one described by the 

 celebrated breeder, Mr. Bolton, in a letter to the 

 Farmer's Magazine. 



" I have known many excellent beasts bred from 

 improved shorthorn bulls and long horn cows ; in- 

 deed I never knew one of these bulls put to any cow 

 where the produce was not superior to the dam, 

 but the cross which I advocate, and with which I 

 am best acquainted, is that with ihe Devon cow. 

 I have uniformly remarked that a cross here was 

 attended with a proportionate improvement in 

 size, quality of flesh, and aptitude to fatten. In 

 every instance they have shown themselves supe- 

 rior milkers, and stand to the pail till within six op 

 eiuht weeks of calving ; and several instances 

 have come under my knowledge, where they 

 have never been dry since they first calved. So 

 highly are ihey prized as milkers, that a friend of 

 mine who hires out dairies informs me that the 

 dairymen give him nearly £2 per cow per year 

 more for the half and three-fourth breeds, than 

 they would for cows of any other breed.'' 



judging from the expressions of opinions given 

 by cattle breeders in England, by the course of 

 the agricultural periodicals of that country, and 

 by the fact, that at the late Smilhland cattle show 

 open to the whole kingdom, the first prizes were 

 taken by Devon cattle, we should imagine that 

 since the demise of some of the most celebrated 

 short horn breeders, such as Collings, Berry, and 

 others, the Devons were treading close on the 

 heels of the short horns in public estimation. 

 The first premium was given at the late Smith- 

 field fair, to a pure Devon, the property of Mr. 

 Coke of Hoikham, and the second to a steer only 

 19 months old, of the improved Devon, or the 

 Devon crossed with the Somersetshire breed. 

 The ox weighed when dead, 1,122 pounds ; and 

 the steer when dead, weighed 1,3S2 pounds. The 

 steer was a most remarkable one, and was owned 

 byMr. Giblett. 



The Devonshire breed of cattle have been more 

 extensively introduced into the United Slates than 

 any other breed of foreign cattle, and they form a 

 large portion, in difl^erent grades, of the cattle of 

 New England and the middle states. Some fine 

 stock of this breed were sent from Mr. Coke to 

 Mr. Patterson of Baltimore, and two oxen from 

 this importation, raised and fattened by the 

 Messrs. Hurlbut of Winchester, Connecticut, 

 weighed when killed as follows : 



First Ox, Second Ox, 



Carcass 143S Carcass 1528 



Hide 117 Hide 115 



Tallow 175 Tallow 213 



1730 lbs. 1856 lbs. 



Mr. Fisher of New York, addressed a letter to 

 Mr. Coke, giving an account of these cattle, and 

 received the following reply from that veteran ag- 



