58 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[Sept. 16^ 



fained from )4 to 16 qiKuts of milk) e:\cli cow 

 would have afTorded from I5J lo 18 j)oiinds 

 of biiiter a week.. Ifllipy had heen forced, as 

 the D.in\prs or O.ikes cow, by " coinnieal. 

 skim-niiik, hiitter-milk, eruel, and so much 

 food in the stable thai thev would liive lain 

 down ii(ion the pasture," and the indk ha<l been 

 placed in an " exlr.i number of pans," how 

 much they would have surpassed the Danvers 

 cow, no man can know." True : but, with the 

 privilea^e of a NHW-Ens:lan<l man 1 miarhl gness. 

 However. I waive it ; and resort lo Ihe data 

 which Mr. PowpI IiiinselC has adopted and as- 

 sumed. Up adoj(ts my stalemenl from Youno-, 

 that some Entrlish rows gave 9 gallons of miik 

 per day : and he assumes as a i'acl,^ that trom 

 14 to 10 qcrarts of this milk would hare made 

 a pound of butter: take the tredium of 15 

 quarts for a pound of butter. Then 9 gallons a 

 day, would be oZP,b gallons, or 13,1 10 quarts 

 in the year. The latter divided by 1,5, would 

 give 876 pounds of butter a year, produced bv 

 an English cow, as usually pastured and fed. 

 Now let her have the same sorts of rich food 

 with which Ihe Oakes cow was indulged — not 

 " forced," and which, in my lirst letter I allow 



■to have doubled her produce of butler, and 



we shall have the delightful vision of 1752 

 pounds of butler yielded by an English cow in 

 one year !— I forbear lo press this mailer any 

 further. Mr. Powel "is not ron.i -^f tU.luciinns 

 from figures, in relation lo Agricultural inav , 

 ters." 



In reference to what he had advanced in the 

 first letter of his lleply, Mr. Powel, in its con- 

 cluding paragraph says — " I hive adhered to 

 the Brilish authorities which Col. Pickerinc 

 had given in his letters, intended to show how 

 little can be gamed, by the use of English cat 

 *\o, for the improvement ol" oiiis, of which he 

 confesses " very few can be found of superior 

 character." — Here 1 ask, horn ninny fewer are 

 the imported improve.! short bonis ? Mr. 

 Powel probably pos«e«sps more than half thai 

 have been imported into the United Slates, 

 and .American larmers nust patiently wait for 

 (he imported race to raeliorale or chi^nje their 

 native slock ; instead jf enlering resolutely, on 

 the general imjirovement that may be immedi- 

 ately commenced, 6;/ s<?/ccrioni, «,fr^ where, of 

 Dur Lest native coxi-s and bulls. 



In what manner Mr. Powel has » adhered to 

 my British auihoriiies," the precedmg ex- 

 amination of his lust letter will show, to the 

 satisfaction, I trust, of every reader. Hut he 

 promises, " by .Xmerican proofs, to attempt to 

 «stablish, that much has been gained, that 

 much more may be acquired, by taking advan- 

 tage of the labours of nearly a century' of the 

 skill of even " professional breeders," whose 

 exertions have been directed by Ihe science of 

 Sir Joseph Banks, Sir John Sebright, and 

 Cline, whose deductions have been made with 

 the diligence and habits of '• practical men," 

 and whose success has t)een measured by the 

 Jland.irds wtiich every man can best cnmpre- 

 liend, " A/V/i /iriccj arirf pro/?!." For an illus- 

 tration of ihise " standards" of value, I beg 

 leave to refer the reader to my tliird loiter'; 

 0"U remirkinsr here, that time was, when a 

 mouey-gelling, money-loving Dutchman would 

 IfiVG fvom 20U.J lo d.-WO ^'uilder.-thal is, tVom 

 800 to 2i>y0 Mlurs—ilie " standaia"' prices 



in Holland — for a single tvu? root. Such was breeif^ij.but fron the " inventor ?" — Whoform- 

 the fishion and passion of ihe day. j ed ihe '' lew fir-l rale breeder*" of that day, 



Willi regard lo the scienlilicgenllemen above who, as Bakeivell advanced in years and was 

 named, I would a'k what know ledge harl Hubert t iking his flight, wen- waiting for Ihe djopping 

 Bakewell of Sir Joseph Bardc, ol Sir John Se- , of bis mantle, each eager to catch it '!* 

 bright; or of Doctor Cline ? It may be doubted i Aiihoiigh Mr Bdiewell generally avoided 

 whether he ever heard <d' their names. Be this i alien crosses, as unnecessary, yet it appears that 

 as it may, considering the time — at lea=t sixty i he would give high prices for any animals su- 

 vears ago — when Bakewell had settled in hislperior lo his oun, or 7iecessary lofiitnuh or alter 

 own mind, and practised upon, the true princi- ! .?0'/ie ffod/re or quality in Tt'/u'c/i liis own were dc 

 pies lor imjiroving Ihe breeds of domestic nn\- '^Jicienl. This is a most important principle in 

 mals — 1 hazard nothing in saying, Ihat, neither breeding, and, indeed lies at the loundalion of 

 of lho>e three learned gentlemen had written all improvements. 



one word on the suliject ; or were known to Ihe : B ikewell. like the distinguishecl farmer Wil- 

 world as men of sc.ence ; although Sir Joseph, | liam West, of Pennsylvania, committed no ac- 

 Ihen a young man, was just entering the field of 1 count of his principles or practice lo paper.— 

 natural history. The only writing ol his bear- ' The laiter, when frequenlly importuned by his 

 ing a relation to husbandry which has fallen into friends to give to thi! world, a si;itpnienl of Ihe 

 my hands, is a small pamphlet on the mildew ol\ improvements he had efTi-cled, and of liis prac- 

 wheat; in which, though his theory seems to lire in general, as conslanily declined to corn- 

 have received joj/ie countenance from another {ply. His uniform answer was, " come and see 

 eminent naturalist.* I venture to express my ; I can inform you more by conversing, in a few 

 opinion that Sir Joseph has mistaken the effect hours, and by walking over the farm, than by 

 lor the cause. j writing volumes."! 



Of Sir John Sebright, member of parlimont. j I have attentively read Sir John Sebright's 

 I had never heard, until 1 saw his letter lo Sir; letter to Sir Joseph Banks, and have not discov- 

 Joseph Banks, on the art of improving the breeds ' pred in it any thing whxh Bakewell did not 

 of domestic anim.ils," writlen in 1800, "■ in obe- know and practise 40 or hO years before that 

 dience to the comin.mds of Sir Joseph," and in- letter was written — perhaps bel'ore the writer 

 Iroduced by Mr Powi I into the Memoirs of Ihe. was born. The letter may be useful to learners 

 Pennsylvania Agricullur..! Society. — Sir John i in the art of breeding; but could not benelit 

 meuliuns Mr Bnki well as " ihe tirst who assert- { breeifers intelligent like B.ikewell. To me 

 ^' that a cross was mmrcrssary ; and thai ani-ilhpre appear tn be some incnsistences in it. — 

 mals ..jould not degenerate by being bred in-and ! Mi< rhar^re against that eminent breeiler, that 

 in,T which w^s ^t that lime the received o^i;)- ^ he attempted to "mislead"' the public, ajqjar- 

 lon ; and adds " no one can deny Ihe abilily of enllv refers to hi? doctrine of breeding inaiid- 

 Mr Bakewell in the art of breeding, of which! in: but this practice, in Sir John's own ojiinion, 

 he may tairly be s^.a lo h^ye. been the juvcntor.- ]" may be henetiriai, if not carried too ftr." He 

 but (continues Sir John) Ihe mystery vv.>t. which even appl.-.-iJ' H..k...<.ll ; say in?, '• he had cer- 

 be IS well known lo li.ive carried one»ery pari lainly the merit o( desiroying the absurd prejU' 

 ol his business, and the various means nhich he dice which formerly prevailed against breeding 

 employed to mislead Ihe public, induce me not from animals lielween whom there was any de- 

 lo give that weight lo his assertions, which I grce of relationship,''^ But Bakewell did not 



should do to his real opinion, could it h.ive been 

 ascertained." — But beuig Ihe •' inventor" o( an 

 art — lo secure ihe exclusive profit of whi-h to 

 himself, a patent could not he obtained, — who 

 has a right to complain if Bakewell kefil hiso\vii 

 secret, in order lo enjoy the I'runs of his iiivenl- 

 ive genius, industry, expenditures, and experi- 

 ence ?J yet I greatly mistake if he did not can- 

 didly explain himself to Arthur yming, fndtake 

 pains pai licularly to instruct him in one essential 

 part of the Breeders art, that of handling — now 

 so much talked of by some of his modern 'ollow- 

 ers, as if it were a discovery of Iheir own day. 

 I do not recollect in which of Young's nun\ernus 

 writings this account was given : il is prcbably 

 upwards of thirty \ears since ! read it. The 



impression left on my mind is that Bakewell was i most every p ige of Sir John Sel>righ''s letter, 

 very frank in his communications lo Young ; and | And at length he says — "the alteration whuh 

 the laller as liberal in making them known to , may be made in any breed of animals by selec- 

 his countiymen and the world. llion, can hardly be conceived bv lbo>e wfio 



But I beg leave to ask, of whom could Bake-! have not paid some :-.tteiilion to Ibis subject. — • 

 well's contem|>oraries have learned Ihe an of! They atlnbule e\er\ iinproTemenl lo a crass, 



* I'homas .\. r.night. !.«;. ".''*'" '' '= "'""'> ''"^ *■"""' ot o judicious stlcc- 



1 11) lir. rdia^ in and m, is meant the coupliiij- of 

 ni:3r i-aatiuiiB : as ol a britlur vvitli a sister j .-ind cou- 

 liuuiiig the practice in the fump lamily 



contine himself to breeding in-and-in. This is 

 demoo'lrated by his purchasing animals possess- 

 ing qualities superior to his own, and capable of 

 correcting detects in them. The purchases of 

 such animals, and the n^e he made of ihem, 

 could not lie very easily ke[)t secret, if he at- 

 tempted it. 



But 1 may adduce Sir John Sebright's aulhori- 

 ty, in support i)f my own suggestion.; and advice 

 to Neiv England farmerE — to .'ie/ci:Mhe best ol' 

 our native stock, however small the number, in 

 every toji:nship. ;uid lo breed Iroin Ihem. Selec- 

 tion is, indeed, so obvious a principle, Ihat it 

 must be familiar to every farmer who thinks on 

 the subject. This doctrine, foi Ihe purpiv«e of 

 improving animals, pervades and is visible in al- 



lien. 



I pray every improving farmer in New-Eng- 

 ImciI, who shall see ihis letlpr, to read ai/ain ihe 



t Yoi'i'S say, that ISnlu-wcil travelled over Kn-lnnd,' •See my Ihiid letter for Marshall's accunt ol these 

 SrotlaiKl, Irelanil, llollaml. and Kiaii<I( rs, will, liis," few fuft rate l.rr: di'V« " 



e.v._j o,>t.Q 1,> (.atlle alone ; toc,.ll«et such hulls, laii.,,, t Kalo-uim on U illiatn West by Dr Mease, m tha 

 ami «iallu,n., a, were the Cm.A for his purpojc.-.i;. I .Viemoiis of tUe j-hiladelphia Society of Agriculture, U 

 mil u/^J^,t(ullvrc,iol.oi,ii»^e<iQ, ivpi. ' o > " 



