182,').] 



NE^V ENGLAND FARMER. 



91 



would not ?ell il off. iinil. if in his powor, prn- 

 ciire in ilf placo n slock '•eininenlly lilie'i (or 

 milk, for licofaiul for diiuig-lil ?"--! am reaily io 

 join tliemaiid say — tliat such cortainlv woiiUI lie 

 his course. But if we no>v have oxen for draiig'lil 

 superior to the English (uhich the Editors ol Ihn 

 ]\epnsitnry have asserted) linw, on this pointy 

 shall we he henefited by crossing with ihe im- 

 proved short-horns ? and as to ice/", does this 

 race furnish any better than onr own ? — The 

 English farmer Mr Fealherstonhaiiajh, siys they 

 do not ; nor equal oxen for draught. His words 

 are — " The Devon blood [liie hasis, it is admit- 

 ted of the native New England breed ami it is 

 to our native breed that he refers,] appears to 

 prodnce the best oxen, and these oxen make as 

 !;ond beef' us any other blood.'''' Mr Cidlev (qnot- 

 *d by Lawrence) notwilhslandino' his enlofjv on 

 the improved shori-horns, admils iheir iiderior- 

 ity in the i/Krf/iV^ of their beef; that is, "in fine- 

 ness of flesh." In that pirticnlar, he says they 

 can never equal certain other breeds, ivithont a 

 repetition of Ihe Norman or some other cross. 

 The shorl-horopil animals, 1 errant, are larger ; 

 but that does not prove them to be heller, — and 

 especially not better adapted to our /cecn,-— mis- 

 erable as the editors represent that keep to be, 

 both in summer and winter. In England, It is 

 a standing' rule to stock their farms with cattle, 

 larger or smaller, accouling to the quality of 

 their grounds, whether richer or poorer, by 

 which they are to be supported. That the 

 improved short-horns yield more quarts ofmilk. 

 than our native cows in general, I am difposeri 

 to credit, on Ihe many declarations of the fact. 

 But if it be so, will their greater quantity of 

 milk make more pounds of butter, than Ihe less 

 quantily of milk from onr native cows ? Of 

 this 1 do not recollect to have seen n shadow 

 of evidence. Opinioiis, indeed, of the richness 

 of the milk, are not wanting: but a few well 

 authenticated facts, of its greater products in 

 butler and cheese, would be of more value 

 than a score of opinions. The Editors say they 

 have now two cows of the mixed race, from 

 two imported hulls (of the short-horn variety, 

 but neither of the improved Durham short- 

 horns) and that they are much superior to anv 

 cows they had been able to purchase for '20 

 years. But I would beg leave to ask, whether 

 during those 20 years their native cows though 

 carefully tended, were equally well fed? Were 

 they in addition to their pasturage, soiled in 

 summer with as much good grass as they could 

 eat, and when grazing and soiling were ended, 

 did they, with prime hay, "eat daily each, one 

 bushel of mangel wurtzel," or other roots equi- 

 valent ? Further, have the mixed race, on the 

 same food, (or quantity and ^mo/jVi/, yielded more 

 pounds of butter than their former native good 

 cows ? — 1 v^ish the reader to recollect the case 

 ol the cow, of English blood (which was ap- 

 parent in the size, shape and colour of Ihe cow) 

 which Mr. Welles sold to Mr. Quincv : She 

 was a good milker ; and Mr. Welles held the 

 opinion, that if fed with as much rich food as 

 the Oakes cow, she would yield as much but- 

 ter. The experiment was made : and the 

 great milker yielded almost Aa//as much but- 

 ter as Ihe Oakes cow. — After all, the editors 

 pay " there are native cows, a very few, as 

 good, and some beller than the English cows. 

 These are the cows, together with the best 

 l»u!]s, that 1 am anitious to have selected for 



breeders ; to be as \\r\\ housed ir, vvinler, kept 

 as clc.ui, and as well led, in sumaier an.l winter, 

 as (he imported cows and bulls. And were 

 this done as extensively as 1 think to be easily 

 practicable, our cattle shows would soon be 

 pjiaced with cattle, if not so large, nor quite 

 so handsome, yet in all useful properties, at 

 least equal to any that have been imported ; 

 and better adapted to our pastures .Tud \vinler 

 food. And seeing "this subject has taken dee[) 

 hold on the public intci es!,'"l feel more sanguine 

 I than ever that the efTect will correspond with 

 ' that of [luldic feeling. 



' The Editors of the Massachusetts Repo^i(o^y 



, make some strong obj^ervations op ihe geacr.il 



admiration manifested by Ihe spectators of the 



imported cattle. "They lingered and looked, 



and crowded round these imported animals. ^ — 



j They thought they were superior to any ol their 



|own. Experienced farmers, herdsmen, butchers 



so pronounced them; Ihey awarded the prcmi- 



I ums. They produced calves ; the calves were 



j better formed, grow faster, had flesh on more 



' valuable parts, had l>elter hair, and " finer feel,'' 



indicating a disposition to fatten ; they xveighed 



more on Ihe same keeping. Was all this illusion? 



We think not."' 



The Editors will indulge me in a few remarks. 

 I will suppose a cool, intelligent farmer, one 

 not carried away by " novelty," or external ap- 

 pearances, on witnessing this admiration of the 

 imported animals, should ask the spectators, — 

 What they saw in those animals which caused 

 their admiration ? " They are so large — so 

 round and straight bodied — so fat — so sleek — 

 so clean — their hair is so short and shining — in 

 a word they are so handsome, — who can wilh- 

 hold his admiration?" — Well, but is Ihe beef of 

 this race belter mixed with fat and better flav- 

 ored ; and if their milk is in greater quantily, 

 will it make more or better butler ? — "We 

 don't know." — Will they furnish belter working 

 oxen than our native breed? — " No; we think 

 not. Those who have seen the working cattle 

 in England, say that our own are superior." — 

 It is,' then, the superior size, the fatness and 

 beauty of these animals that have fixed your 

 gaze and excited your admiration ? — " O yes : 

 what other rule of judging have we V — Thus 

 far, then, 1 will presume to answer Ihe question 

 of the Editors, and say " it is illusion."* " The 

 calves sell beller." 1 had a large bull of the 

 Bakewell breed, full three quarter blooded. My 

 neighbours had access to him. One of ihcm 

 not long since told me his calves were so much 

 larger than usual, that the butchers gave him a 

 dollar more a head than for calves by other bulls. 

 But this neighbour was not a breeder of cattle; 

 and if he had been required to pay five or three 

 dollars for the use of the bull, for each cow, he 

 would have applied elsewhere : he had Ihe use 

 of mine gratis. I had calves by the same bull ; 

 two of them I raised : Ihey are now cows. They 

 are bigirer iban others of my small stock. But 

 I have a little, round bodied heifer, bought out 

 of a common drove, price tilteen dollars, and 

 showing no signs of foreign blood : Yet, judging 

 from the experience with her first calf, she is 



* " A large animal is so beautiful to look at, ami 

 conveys such an iitea of plenty and luxuriance to the 

 ynagination, that it is apt to catch the fancy, and im- 

 pose upon the judgment." — .\nd'rr5on'3 Essays relating 

 to Agriculture, Vol. 11- p. 152, 



! more valuable th^n eitlierofthe two former.-- 

 which are only common milker.-;. 

 j My real (dijrc.t is. to improve, by tlin best 

 j means, oui native lirced of cattle. If on fair 

 and full experiineiits, cro-sing with the iniprov- 

 i ed short-horns, or with any other foreign breed, 

 .shall be proved to be most efTicient and advan 

 lageons, for the combined objects of Neve 

 I England farmers, labour — beef — butter — cheese, 

 j and particularly if all these may be obtained, 

 as is confidently said, at less expense of keep, 

 I than with the present breed, — then let every 

 i one exert himself to partake of Ihe boon. — I 

 have been willing Io be one, to m.ake the ex- 

 : pertinent'; and accordingly sent a large cow, cf 

 [the Bakewell blooil, to the Admiral; and it was 

 ' the anticipation of a bull on my farm, which 

 \ prevented my sending a second, oriC of Ihe two 

 ijust above meii'iioned. I also recommended to 

 : the farmers of Essex (by handbills distributed 

 ! through ihe county) to make a similar experi- 

 ! ment. Yet, although Mr. Derby has had the 

 I .Admiral at his farm in Salem, for a twelvemonth, 

 j only twelve ecus, (he not long since told me) 

 ; besides hi^: own, were sent to him. 



So great i> iny respect for the editors of t'lc 

 Massachusetts Agricultural Repository, I should 

 be unhappy if any of my remarks on their essay 

 should be deemed exceptionable. I cannot but 

 be gratified with their general approbation of 

 my four first letters, to which Iheir observa- 

 tions were applied. But they think that those 

 letters import an opinion, on my part, " that 

 Ihe attempt to cross the imported animals witli 

 our own slock, is nearly usele.ss labour and ex- 

 pense." And such they think will be Ihe gene- 

 ral impression of my remarks; and which 

 therefore they regret. As 1 think Ihe Editors 

 will see that they were mistaken in regard to 

 my comparative statements of Ihe products of 

 English and American dairies, — so, perhaps, 

 I they may find on further examination, that on the 

 principal point of difference we are not so wide 

 asunder as they may have at first imagined : 

 and that while i would not exclude crosses with 

 foreign races, the drift of my letter is in per- 

 tect harmony with Iheir own expressed opinion, 

 " I'hat far the most ready and rapid way to im- 

 prove onr stock, is to select and raise only the 

 best of our own breed." — .\nd if the Trustees 

 should concur with ihe Editors in this opinion — 

 as 1 think they will — in what way can its prac- 

 tical adoption by our farmers be most effectual- 

 ly promoted ? Certainly not by premiums for 

 the best bulls and Ihe Lest heifers, generally ; for 

 under the existing fascination (originating as I 

 have suggested) with regard to Ihe fashionable, 

 large, fat and handsome short-horns, the natives 

 it seems, have been nearly banished from our 

 cattle shows: but by premiums for ihe iest 

 bulls and best cores and heifers of our own native 

 breed; so decidedly the best as to manifest: an 

 important superiority to the general mass of 

 our native cattle. . ' ' 



In England they do not confine their premi- 

 ums to a single breed. At Sir Charles Mor- 

 gan's cattle show, so lately as December, 1824, 

 (mentioned by Mr. Powel in his Reply No. 3.) 

 it appears that " premiums were awarded for 

 the best bulls and heifers of the .Vor(/i Draon, 

 Short-Horn, Hereford and Glamorganshire 

 breeds :" all being considered as capable and 

 worthy of distinct improvements. 



T. PICKERING 



