366 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 9, 1820. 



immediately of your kind offer, and sent one ot my 

 short horn cows to him. She brought a bull calf 

 on the 5th of May last. He has been raised from 

 the pail, from his mother's milk. We have raised 

 six other bull calves of different breeds, who have 

 sucked from their birth, being requested they 

 should do so by those who gave orders for them : 

 and at this moment he is worth nearly twice as 

 much to the butcher as any of the others. He re- 

 sembles his sire in most of his points, and is the 

 best calf we have ever had. But whnt have we to 

 compare with the early maturity of this breed for 

 beef.-' An ox of this breed at four years old, if 

 well taken care of, will weigh as much as, under 

 similar treatment, I have been able to make the 

 finest oxen do, raised from other breeds, and which 

 have never done a day's work, at six years old. 



Those who keep a large stock, cnn best under- 

 stand the advantages of turning off stork at four 

 years old instead of six : but even this pre-eminent 

 characteristic of the breed has furnished objections 

 to some persons, who exclaim against the excess- 

 ive fat of these "pampered giants." I admit that 

 a slice of beef on a plate, with an edge of coarse j farming 

 fat si.x inches deep, does not tempt a delicate ap- 

 petite, especially when it is known to come from 

 a monster gorged with oil-cake, and weighing 

 2M0 lbs. Yet all ta.stes are not alike, and practical 

 farmers know very well that the chief recom- 

 mendation in the eyes of a butcher is the fatness 

 of an animal. As far as my experience goes in 

 the sale of cattle, I can truly say that I have 

 not sold many I should have been glad to part 

 with, because tliey were lean ; and that I never 

 met with any difficulty in selling a fat animal, 

 even if it was an old cow. Persons who keep up 

 what is called a genteel table, do not introduce 

 coarse legs of Bakewell mutton with six inches of 

 fat; nevertheless the lower class take off greater 

 quantitien of that sort of meat than of any other. 

 There is a greater demand for it in England than 

 for any other, and in time it will be so here. The 

 labouring classes, including the mechanics, in the 

 cities and villages adjoining my residence, consume 

 very little pork : they tind a great convenience in 

 purchasing joints of small fresh meat; and the 

 fatter it is, the clieaper they consider it to he. — 

 Thus, wliatever theories or opinions may iiilervcne. 



To recapitulate the finest qualities of cattle. 



must be in the hand of the improvers, or they wilt 

 not be able to avail themselves of the resources 

 which are indispensible to the success of their ob- 

 ject. Now as respects this country, I would ask 

 where are these extensive markets .' Where this 

 free capital applicable to agriculture ? Where all 

 that skill and experience requisite to give effect to 

 j the labours of a professional breeder. 



What is the reason thiit the farming interest has 



would be to write over what has so frequently been 

 written. This breed is approved of because it is 

 thought to afford a greater quantity of beef, tallow 

 and milk, than any other in the same time, and is 

 remarkable for its early maturity. The cowa are 

 deemed to be tine average milkers, equal to any 

 breed, and drying easily from milk to beef. As 

 long, however, as they maintain their present size, 



which will be, I think, as long as they are done I been so much depressed here at all times ? I sub- 

 justice to, I must continue to entertain an opinion mit, it is to be found in the stage of society where 

 before expressed by me, that the oxen can never! we exist at tliis moment, and which is sufficiently 

 make profitable laborers. The Dcvons are so i marked by limited markets far distant from each 

 lioht. and tight, and smart, that nothing gets over . other, by an almost entire want of free capital ap- 

 the ground like them ; and if the beautiful New- ! plicable to agriculture, and by a corresponding 

 England cattle, wliich compensate to the commu- ! deficiency of skill and experience. It was torem- 

 nity in muscle and activity for the want of other j cdy these obvious circumstances, which had so long 

 propensities, had the pains taken with them the ; kept down the landed interest, that the legisla- 

 first two or three winters which we do not hcsi- 1 live enactments of our legislature in favour of ag- 

 tate to give to young colts ; if tliey had some- 1 riculturc were carried into effect; the fruits of 

 .thing better than skim milk given to them, were ' which, through private enterprise and general em- 

 stabled in the winter, taught to hold up their feet,; ulation, are universally acknowledged. To nope- 

 and broken to quick paces ; they might, for all riod of my life do I look back with so much satis- 

 purposes, be substitutes for horses, and faction, as the six years during which I have had 

 save a great deal of money to the farmers. I should the happiness of co-operating with you in a disin- 

 think it would bo worth any farmer's while in New ! forested and strenuous exertion for the benefit of 

 England, to select some of the best bred steers, | the farming interest. The effects of the constant, 

 and educate them with that view. This ought to cheerful, and munificent support given by you to 

 be done soon; for the gentlemen of Massachusetts ; that interest, during your long presidency of the 

 have, with their accustomed spirit, imported many Board of Agriculture of this state, will never be 

 valuable bulls of the short horns, and their des- ' effaced. You never hesitated to countenance the 

 ccndants may he expected to give the natives a i improvements of older countries, or to doubt the 

 general cross before twenty years have passed a- . wisdom of possessing ourselves of all their iihprove- 

 wav. 1 ments in husbandry and rural economy ; the only 



As to any contemplated improvement of the New | certain direction perhaps in which private enter- 

 England cattle, which may ever be supposed to' prise, under our circumstances, can move, 

 stand in the place of the conspicuous improvements ' Who has ever doubted the policy of availing 

 we have derived from England, I cannot imagine i ourselves of the great example of England in her 

 any attempt desirable, if it is intended to be pros- ■ acknowledged preeminence in science, arts and 

 pectively exclusive, nor indeed do I understand it literature ? Why should there be any hesitation 

 to be so. A venerable and much honoured person, | in adopting her substantial improvements applica- 

 who at the age of eighty still delights, with a yet [ ble to the farming interest ? They have been a 

 vigorou.^ mind, to offer to his countrymen the bene- long while at it in that country ; the experiment 

 fits of his great experience, has incidentally found has succeeded with them ; the success of short 

 occasion to advi.se the farming interest of New- ; horns is complete there. Were we at this distance 

 Eng-land to turn their attention principally to their | and under all the acknowledged disadvantages of 

 native breeds of cattle : he has thought that great- , our husbandry, to say, without even having seen 

 er effects might be produced in tliat direction,than what is going on in Enghind, tliat they are in er- 

 all circumstances seem to conspire to encourage by waiting for the improvements which it would rnr, and that it is all to do over again: that we ought 



theYarmer to raise a stock tlitit will become very 

 fat at the least expense, because quick sales ennhle 

 him In fret the most monet/ nut nf il in the shortest 

 jifriod of time. In reasoning about these matters, 

 th '11, it ought always to be remembered that the 

 practical farmer ought to look to the tastes of the 

 great mass of his consumers, and in fact he docs 

 so. 



It would, however, he doing injustice to thnt 

 valuable quality of the short horns, early matu- 

 rity, to say that there is any thing disgusting in 

 the meat of their steers at four years old. We all 

 know tliat the ordinary ox beef, which has been 

 worked until six or seven years or later, and after- 

 wards stall fed, is frequently hard and veiny, fur- 

 nishing a very unsatisfactory dish to the table. — 

 The meat of the short horn steers, however, which 

 has been steadily kept up, and has received a little 

 pxtra attention the fourth winter, is us large a? 

 an ordinary ox of eight years and larger, but i^ ex- 

 tremely tender, and has no veins. When such 

 meat shall become abundant, for at present the 

 animals are too valuable to emasculate often, there 

 is every reason to believe it will be preferred, and 

 that the breed will be popular here as it has be- 

 come in England. 



take half a century or more to effect by foreign to begin the experiment here, it would be contrary 



to good sense and propriety. If any thing had 

 been wanting to make my mind up entirely on this 

 subject, the sight of your superb bull, and of his 

 stock, would have confinned my confidence and 

 admiration of the short horns. 



Champion is the finest animal I ever saw ; and 

 your heifer Conquest fully justifies the encomium 

 passed upon her in her pedigree. Mr Powel has, 

 I understand, received of late many additions to 

 his short horn stock, which I have not seen : if he 

 has any equal to the two first named animals, he 

 must have the finest cattle stock in America. It 

 is very pleasing to witness on all sides so many 

 efforts to enrich the agricultural interests here. — 

 In most cases, too, they are made by gentlemen 

 who are not governed by selfish motives. You 

 have already the satisfaction of having extensive- 

 ly diffused in your neighbourhood the nmst valua- 

 I'ble of all the breeds of cattle, with vour accustom- 



crosses. I have not used exactly his words, I 

 have intended to observe the strict sense of them. 

 I do not desire to enter into the controversy, sat- 

 isfied that the motives on both sides are at the 

 bottom connected with the public interest. Feel- 

 ing all the respect which that venerable person's 

 character inspires, I reluctantly express my differ- 

 ence in opinion with him on this subject, because 

 my name has been mentioned. 



Would it be justifiable in us to reject what is at 

 hand, and whih we know to be good, when we 

 have no security that any effectual steps here will 

 either be taken or persevered in ? What is the 

 extraorrlinary improvement of animals in England 

 owing to ? To the perseverance of professianal 

 breeders. What has encouraged breeders to per- 

 severe, and to succeed ? The use of free capital, 

 anrl the mo:'t extensive markets. These three 

 things I take to be essential to the successful 



improvement of animals,where the subjects are the ' ed liberality ; adding thereby to the numerous 



unimproved native races. Extensive markets, such j motives which men already have to remember you' 



as a great manufacturing island affords, must with unfeigned satisfaction. 



exist, or improvement will be measured by tlie Very respectfully, your.s, 



limits of the sphere it moves in ; and a free capital ' O. W. FEATHERSTONHAUGH. 



