FARMERS' REGISTER, 



195 



» ON CATTLE. BY LEWIS SANDERS. (COMMUNI- 



CATION TO THE KENTUCKY AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY.) 



From the Franklin Farmer. 



At no time within my recollection, has ihc pub- 

 lic been so much exciteil and seemingly interested 

 on the subject ol" improving the breed ol" catlle as 

 •at the present. Frequent applications are made 

 to me fi-om different quarters, Ibr my opinion ol 

 the various breeds, best crosses, &c. &c. Have 

 often given my views, such as entertained at the 

 time — those opinions muy have difliered Irom what 

 I now hold — the expression of opinions by those 

 having experience on any branch of business, will 

 lead to discussion, from which truth may be elicited. 

 The general characteristic of the cattle of the 

 United States, is the same as the common cat- 

 tle of Devonshire, and adjoining counties of Dor- 

 setshire and Somersetshire in England, ti"om 

 whence, I think, they were derived. Plymouth, a 

 ■considerable seaport, lies in ihe former county, it 

 was the last port for vessels to touch at, bringing 

 out the first settlers of the colonies, and the most 

 convenient one tor taUingon board such live stock 

 and supplies generally, as would be thought use- 

 ful to the settlers of a new country. 



I have observed the rattle of the New England 

 Stales, of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 

 Maryland and Virginia, and they seem to have 

 had one common origin. The first settlers of 

 Kentucky brought wiih them the blooded horse and 

 the common cattle ol their native state, (Virginia.) 

 The first effort to improve the breed of cattle in 

 fhis couuiry that we have any account of, was 

 made by Mr. Matthew Paiton, then living on the 

 South branch of the Potomac in Virginia. Mr. 

 Patlon, with a numerous liimily, removed to Ken- 

 tucky, bringing with them their fine cattle, (a very 

 full and interesting account of this valuable stock 

 has been given by Mr. JJenj. Harrison, a grand- 

 son of Mr. P's. and published in the Franklin 

 Farmer, to which reference is made.) 



This breed was held in great estimation, and 

 was generally spread through the country. Cap- 

 tain Wm. Smith, was a very successful breeder, 

 immediately after Mr. Patton's time. Up to the 

 year 1817, all the English cattle in Kentucky, 

 were derived fi"om the Patlon stock, and from 

 Miller's stock ; Captain Smith's was made up 

 from them. Soon alter the late war, I imported 

 from England the stock, known as the impor- 

 tation of 1817 — in all twelve heatl — lour short 

 horned bulls, lour short-horned cows two long- 

 homed bulls and two long-horned cows. One 

 of the short horned cows died in Maryland, 

 and one of the short-horned bulls was sold to 

 Gen. T. Fletcher, of Bath county, where he 

 clied, having greatly improved the general's and 

 his neighbors' stock. Another short horn bull 

 was taken to the southern part of the state by Mr. 

 Tegarden, and sold by him to the shakers, who 

 took him to the Wabash country, leaving in the 

 L neighborhood of Lexington, Tecumseh and San 

 p. Martin bulls — and 3Irs. Moite the Durham cow 

 and the Teesewater cow; from these five animals 

 (short horns) have mainly sprung the stock of 

 1817. Mr. Clay imported at the same time a bull, 

 a cow and heifer of the Herefordshire breed. Mr. 

 Prentiss imported two short-horned bulls the next 

 winter. 



I continued to breed from this importation for 

 several years, and alter twelve or thirteen years, 

 could not discover any improvement in the young 

 stock — seemed to be rather a decline, the impreB- 

 slon was made, that we had bred too long in the 

 same fiimily. In 1831, 1 procured a bull and three 

 cows from Col. Powell's celebrated stock — cross- 

 ing these with the stock of 1817 was highly bene- 

 ficial, which has been continued with singu- 

 lar advantage. In 1833 all my stock went into 

 the possession of my son. About this time, Mr. 

 David Sutton imported several of the improved 

 short horned Durhams. Then the Ohio com- 

 pany imported a number from England, and subse- 

 quently numerous importations have been made by 

 spirited individuals of Kentucky, and we now have 

 an abundant supply of the improved short-horned 

 Durham, the greatest favorites at this time. 



" All ihiiigs in nature are destructible.'' There 

 is nothing permanent. Animate and inanimate 

 nature, like the moon, is constantly changing, 

 this well applies to the breeding of domestic ani- 

 mals. When a good breed has been obtained, the 

 great difficulty is to keep it good ; to prevent de- 

 terioration calls into requisition all the talents and 

 abilities of the breeder. 



No people with whom we have intercourse, 

 have given so much attention to the breeding of 

 domestic animals as the English. Within a less 

 period than a hundred years the weight of their 

 beef cattle, and of their sheep Igr mutton, has^ 

 been more than doubled. The first breeder of 

 note in that country, that undertook to improve 

 ihe breed of cattle was Mr. Bakewell. Sixty 

 or seventy years ago, he commenced his im- 

 provement, selecting for that purpose '.he long- 

 horns, with his contemporaries Mr. Princep, Mr. 

 Fowler, and Mr. Munday, this breed was brought 

 to a high state of excellence, and there held 

 in the greatest estimation. So much so, that Mr. 

 Princep refused 500 guineas for a two year old. 

 bull ! — he was offered one hundred pounds each 

 (!t?485) Ibr twenty dairy cows, and relused to let 

 his best bull go to his neighbors' cows for thirty 

 guineas the cow — a lour year old steer, of Mr. P's. 

 weighed 3400 pounds besides the rough fat. 



At this period (1798) the circulating medium 

 was gold. Mr. Fowler refused 500 guineas lor 

 ten bull calves, (near about the time that Hubback, 

 then a bull call, was bought for eight pounds ;) hif8_ 

 bulls were let out Ibr the season from the first of 

 April to the first of August, Irom sixty to eighty 

 pounds each. 



Notwithstanding the great value and impor- 

 tance of this breed, brought to such a high state of 

 excellence and perfection, with so much care and 

 expense, it was not kept up, but suffered to run 

 out, almost to disappear. 



About the time that the long-horns were in the 

 greatest lavor, commenced the improvements in 

 the short-horn breed. Skilful breeders, with C. 

 Collingsat their head, brought this breed toahigli 

 state of perfection, as evinced by the enormoua 

 prices obtained lor his stock in 1810, viz.; Comet, 

 six years old, one thousand guineas ; Lady, four- 

 teen years old, two hundred and six guineas. Coun- 

 tess, out of Lady, nine years old, four hundred 

 guineas, &c. &c. The Durham Ox, the wonder 

 of the age, was sold in 1801, Ibr two thousand 

 pounds (|9,700) he was taken about as a show. 

 At this time the circulating medium was paper, 



