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tiires. The Hereford, of which some remarkably beautiful 

 animals have been imported into Albany, have warm advocates 

 both here and abroad, and come in strong competition with the 

 Improved Durhams. Those of the Herefords, which 1 have had 

 the pleasure of seeing, seemed to me considerably larger than 

 the Devons, but smaller than the Durhams. These were 

 choice specimens, and were remarkably thrifty and beautiful 

 animals, clean about the limbs, not so straight on the back and 

 square behind as the Durhams, but exhibiting upon the whole 

 admirable constitution and symmetry. Having had no farther 

 personal observation or experience with this breed of animals, 

 I will not venture to speak of them with any confidence. Of 

 their particular qualifications for the dairy I know nothing. 

 For our purposes as working oxen and for stall-feeding, 

 the North Devon cattle are most generally approved. This un- 

 doubtedly is the prevalent stock of the country, though diver- 

 sified and contaminated by various mixtures. No paitis have 

 been taken, by systematic efforts, by judicious selection and 

 by perseverance in endeavors to combine the best qualities and 

 to eradicate or remedy defects, in order to form from what we 

 call our native stock a distinct and valuable breed. Indeed, 

 where the improved blood has been introduced, it has been 

 suffered, after a short time, to run out through neglect, or to 

 become degenerate by poor keeping. 



With respect to the early maturity of different breeds, that 

 is, their reaching a fitness for the stall sooner than others, from 

 several experiments which have come to my knowledge, I 

 strongly believe that this, to a considerable degree, is matter 

 of keeping almost as much as of constitution. It is certain 

 that no animals of any breed whatever will arrive at early ma- 

 turity without good keeping. It remains to be seen with us 

 how far any animals of any breed may be advanced with it ; 

 for nothing can be worse or more adverse in general to im- 

 provement than the treatment of our calves. There is, be- 

 yond a doubt, a constitutional tendency in some animals, and 

 in some races of animals, to keep themselves fat and in good 



