SIIORT-IIORNS IN MASSACHUSETTS. 175 



secretary. But if any one desires to see just such cattle 

 as these, let him attend the Housatonic, the Highland, the 

 Union, the Dccrficld Valley or tlie Franklin cattle-shows 

 next autumn and he will Ihul them, at all these i)laces, numer- 

 ous and excellent. As an example of steers raised from 

 milking short-horns on both sides, let me instance the expe- 

 rience of a former mcml)cr of this Board, Mr. Henry K. 

 Herrick of Blandford. He purchased from a milking herd 

 of short-horns the bull Joker. In answer to my inquiry as 

 to his achievements as a stock-getter he gave me the follow- 

 ing statement. It is not inserted as particularly noteworthy, 

 but as a sample of the experience of many enterprising farm- 

 ers among the hills of Massachusetts. He says of the bull 

 Joker : " I think he left more good stock in town than any 

 other bull in my remembrance. I sold a pair of steers of 

 his get, last fall, which are now five years old. Their weight 

 is now 4,500 pounds. They won the first premium at the 

 Union Cattle Show last year as four-year-olds. Also first 

 premium in four-year-old drawing class. Their weight as 

 four-year-olds was 3,600 pounds. I had done my farm work 

 with them that season, and in addition worked three or four 

 miles of highway. They had also done my farm work the 

 previous year, when three years old. I have at this time a 

 pair of three-year-olds from Joker which weigh 3,545 

 •pounds. They have done my farm work the past season, 

 and have made a good gain in weight, as their last year's 

 weight as two-year-olds was 2,770 pounds. I have also on 

 hand a pair of two-year-old steers which weigh 2,400 pounds. 

 They are nicely broken, but are thin in flesh on account of 

 short pasture by reason of severe drouth. There are a num- 

 ber of pairs of steers in town of Joker's get, all good, power- 

 ful steers. I have some fine young cows got by the same 

 bull which are as good dairy cows as I ever owned. We 

 get as much for our butter per pound as any Jersey dairies 

 in town that sell (as we do) at wholesale. I teach my 

 calves to drink, and raise them on skimmed milk. My best 

 steers were raised on skimmed milk." 



Farmers are a conservative class of people. They have 

 learned not to expect a bonanza in their business. They, as 



