NEW ENGLAND FARMER,. 



Published by JOHN B. RUSSELL, a t (he corner of Congross and Lindall Street?. (Six Hoors from tlip Pnst Office) Boston' — THOMAS G. FFS9F NPFN. 1 iirnii. 



"^^^^lTiV. " FRIDAY, AUGUST 2fi, 1825. " "" N^T^T' 



ORiaXNAI. OOMJffUWIOA TIONS. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FAR5IER. 



COLONEL PICKERING, 



ON LMPROVING THE NATIVE BREED 



OF NEW ENGLAND CATTLE. 



Letter V. 



Candid liiscussions of interesting subjects, on 

 •which men entertain different opinion^ are use- 

 ful. By tlie collision of sentiment?, Iififh< " 

 produced which maj guide the difputants to 

 the path of truth, to the henefit of themselves 

 and their readers. But misrepresentations and 

 their necessary corrections, occasion a waste <>( 

 time that is much to be regretted ; and by none 

 so much as by those to whom, at an advanced 

 age, what lemains of the span of life is pecu- 

 liaily precious. 



Impressed with the importance of the sub- 

 ject, 1 sent, in April last, to the l^ditor of the 

 N.'»v England farmer, lour letters, " on impro- 

 vin-:' the Native Biecdof New England Cat- 

 tle."— I could not aimd taking some notice ol 

 an imported breed called the" Improved Short 

 Hor'is," some of which were in Massachusetts, 

 bu, more ill Pennsylvania, of which . John Hare 

 Ponel, Esq. near P'luladelphia, was the zealous 

 patron. Concerning this brood there seemed to 

 Hje to be a passion not unlike, though less in de- 

 gree, that which our country exhibited not 

 many years before, in relation to the then new- 

 ly imported Merino Sheep. In noticing the 

 Short-Horns, il was my wish that New England 

 Fanners might think and act wjlh sobriety: for 

 numbers appeared to he captivated by iht-ir 

 large size and comely form ; without adequate 

 evidence of th.ir possessing other more es.>en- 

 tial qualities than hulk and beauty. Neveithe 

 less, after urging the Knprovement ol our native 

 breed, and suggesting a mode in which 1 tboutrlil 

 it might he most expeddiously elfected, — 1 re- 

 marked •' Such impriivem<-nts ot our native rat- 

 tle, so import. ml to our Urmers in sreneral, will 

 also be interesting to those ivboar'- possessed nl' 

 fine impoited cattle: for if Ih" latter, on lull 

 trials, shall be found to be really oi' greatly su- 

 perior excellence, — improved individuals ol our 

 native breed, will furnish hotter sul'jects ioi 

 coupling with them; and enaldc the owners ol 

 the imported animals more expeditiously to ini 

 prove and increase a superior stock, whethei 

 for their own use or for sale." The single s^n- 

 liminl here expressed sheuld h.ive saiedm^ 

 fr>'ii> the unfounded charge of desiring to ex- 

 clude all imported cattle, in the attempts to im- 

 prove our native stock. But in my note to ihf 

 Editor of the New England Farmer, introducto- 

 ry to my four letters, I remark, That were but 

 two or three farmers, in every township of the 

 State, to turn a zealous attention to il, the of 

 jecl would in a few years be acrom(d!-hed : 

 whereas half a century, or more, might elanst'. 

 belore a general improvement by foreign cros- 

 ses would be efiecled. At any rate, improre- 

 vienU in both Trays may go hand in hand, and be 

 mvtuaity beneficial to both sorts of improvers. 

 ThaJirst public expression of mj opinioo on 



this iijlijpcf. was in an address to the Massachu- 

 selis Agiicullural Society, at their Cattle Show 

 at Brighloii. in October 1822. "In respect to 

 live-stock (I re. narked) it is gratifying to see 

 the spirit excted, wilhin the last hve or six 

 ycar<, to attend to their melioration, by preser- 

 ving some of the most [iromising for breeders, 

 instead of sending them to ihe shambles [slaugh- 

 ter-house* ;] and by introducing fro.n foreign 

 countries some individuuh already ki:;hly improv- 

 ed.''' — I advened to 'he princijdes of im|)rove-| 

 nieid — (of v»-li;ch I ciMSiilered a selection of the 

 finesi individuals to lie the basis) adopted by; 

 emiiierrt En'.^lisii bre^'ders ; ;ind oii^erved thatj 

 on the same principles all our domestic animals 

 miglii he improved : and ihal ih.s course ap 

 peaied to be in lispens-ilde.for the speedy attain; 

 ment of the object ; fof that more liian one 

 gonM !iion must pa-s away iiefore highly im- 

 pr^x'd races, iV.im the few imported animals. 

 coubl bp geniiiallv obtained. 



hi i'lirsiiance of this idea, of improvins' our 

 nalivi breed o! iie;il caiif", the Trasi.es ol'thi' 

 Essf>s A-:rricultiii:;i Society, of w bich I wa-< Fres. 

 idem, ,(i .lanuarv 1823, offered iibiral prem.um-. 

 t< ?ncourage enler()rizin'.r faruuMs to engage ni 

 ilie measure. And that they might have full 

 time to select, procure and use animals of thi' 

 best promise for obtaining the desired objeci, 

 Ihe premiums were not to be awarded until 

 1228. The Trustees have since proposed the 

 samo premiums to be awarded in the years 182U 

 and 1830. The offer of these premiums was 

 acompanled with some information which it 

 w ■« thought might be useful, and contribute to 

 the success of the undertaking. 



Bui these steps were limited to the county of 

 Essrx. And it occurred to me, thai an exhibi- 

 tion of the subject, with such observations as its 

 consideration should suggest, might be beneli 

 cially addre-spd (o all New Eng_land Farmers. 

 And 1 informal! the Editor of the New England 

 Farmer, that 1 should present hiKi with a com 

 miiuicalion on Ihe subject, to be published in 

 that Agricultural paper. When 1 formed this 

 des.gii, I did not know that such a book as the 

 •• Memoirs of the Pennsylvania Agricultural So- 

 ciety" had been published ; 1 did not even know 

 that «ucb a Sociefv existed. 1 had known, froni 

 its origin, in 1786, "The Philadelphia Society 

 lor Promoting Agriculture;" and was one of its 

 members at its formation. 1 then lived in thai 

 city. Its first President was Samuel Povvel, Esq. 

 uncle, by his wile, to the present John Har. 

 Powei, the youngest son of Mrs. Powel's sister 

 Hare. In order of time, the Philadelphia Soci 

 ety was the first agricullural inslitution in Amer- 

 ica. Three years ago, passing some months in 

 Philadelphia, I attended its meetings. Mr. Johtt 

 Hare Povvel was then an active member; hut 

 not the PRESIDENT nor the CoRRESPoNcrNo Sec- 

 retary. Since that time, the new Society has 

 been ^o« «p, bearing Ihe title of "The Pennsyl- 

 vania Agricultural Society" and certain funds 

 authorized by the Legislature to be raised and 

 paid to the Philadelphia Society for Promoting 

 Agriculture — which Society really embraced, 

 in its views and operations, the Agricultural In- 

 terests of the whele State, were taken from it, 



and hy the act of incorporation (ransferred to the 

 New Society, of which .Jonathan Roberts, Esrj. 

 is the President, and .John Hare Powpl, Esq, 

 the CoRREsroNDi.NG Secretary. And for its 

 " Memoirs" the public is indeiited to the talent, 

 zeal, and industry of Mr Povvel. A large por- 

 tion of the book is occupied in the descripiinn 

 and PRAISES of iIk; Improved Short Horn — or aB 

 Mr I'owel chooses to call it — The Improved 

 Durham Short Horn breed of cattle ; some o\ 

 which have, within a ie^w years, been impurieJ 

 from England ; and more hy Mr Powel than by 

 any other person. He is evidently ambitious to 

 take the lead — to be at the head of this enter- 

 prize. To this 1 have no objection. The 

 pursuit is laixlablc. In the use of fair means I 

 wish him success. My four letters already pub- 

 l.shed, on the subject of cattle, have given, Mr 

 Powel savs, "the spur to his hobby." Very 

 vvpII, all I should have asked of him would have 

 I't en, not to atietni't to ride over me. I cannot 

 possihly be a competitor in his career. At 

 sigiitv yoars of age, i! would be foliy to enter 

 ihr- li-i j|« a breeder of cattle. Besides. 1 have 

 imt the same ambition : and if I hail, am desti- 

 tute of the means of gratifying it. / am not the 

 adopted heir to a great estate, with present un- 

 i'miled pecunitiry re«i uices. Individually \hi\ve 

 no more interest in the question than any othe^ 

 small firmer. I entered on its discussion because 

 1 thought Ihe communication of my ideas, the 

 result of a little reading, and of seme experi- 

 ence, observation and reflection, might be useful 

 to farmers, particularly to those of Ne.v Eng- 

 land: not exporting that what I offered in sim- 

 plicity, wnnM involve me in a controversy with 

 Mr Powel, or any other person ; allho' it might 

 occasion some candid remarks, to ctirrect any 

 errors into which 1 might unwillingly have 

 fillen. 



The first knowledge I had of the existence of 

 the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society, was de- 

 rived from Ihe extracts Irom us Memoirs intro- 

 duced by the Editors of Ihe Massachuselis Agri- 

 cultural Repository, in their numbei lil. of vol. 

 VIII. published in January lasubut which (hav- 

 ing neglected to call for it) 1 did not see nniil 

 severa I months afterwards. Some things advanc- 

 ed in those extracts, in regard !o cattle, seemed 

 to me likely to mislead farmers who should read 

 ihem. To put these on iheirguard was the sole 

 object of my nniicing them. It is clear that the 

 Editors of Ihe M. A. Repository had not full faith 

 in Mr Powel's positions. They say, " We give 

 no opinion as (o the soundness of Mr Powel's 

 opinions; we mean to hold an even balance be- 

 tween all the contending parties " What the ex- 

 pression " between all the contending parties" 

 refeired to, 1 knew not. 1 had neither seen nor 

 heard of any contention in this country (lo which 

 i supposed ihe expression of the Editors applied) 

 about the different breeds of horned cattle. 

 Pbese breeds il is, true, wore the subject of my 

 four letters subsequently written, without any 

 reference to such a contention ; of which, to this 

 day, I continue ignorant. 



To show the practicability of iroiiroving ad- 

 vantageously, the native breed of New England 

 cattle, I described and compared them, and some 



