EVILS OF OVERFEEDING. 35 



him. The Patton stock, originally imported into Mary- 

 land and Virginia, in 1783, and thence to Kentucky, 

 may be classed in the same category. A part of these 

 were at first known as the " milk breed," and others as 

 the "beef breed:" the first short-horns, at that time 

 good milkers, and the latter long-horns, of large size 

 and coarse in the bone. In Kentucky they were all 

 known as the Patton stock. 



The high-bred short-horn is easily prepared for a 

 show, and, as fat will cover faults, the temptation is 

 often too great to be resisted ; and hence it is common 

 to see the finest animals rendered unfit for breeding 

 purposes by over-feeding. The race is susceptible of 

 breeding for the production of milk, as several families 

 show, and great milkers have often been known among 

 pure-bred animals ; but it is more common to find it 

 bred mainly for the butcher, and kept accordingly. It 

 is, however, a well-known fact that the dairies of Lon- 

 don are stocked chiefly with short-horns and York- 

 shires, or high grades between them, which, after being 

 milked as long as profitable, feed equal,, or nearly so, 

 to pure-bred short-horns. 



It has been said, by very high authority, that " the 

 short-horns improve every breed they cross with." 



The desirable characteristics of the short-horn bull 

 may be summed up, according to the judgment of the 

 best breeders, as follows: He should have a short but 

 fine head, very broad across the eyes, tapering to Uic 

 nose, with a nostril full and prominent; the nose itself 

 should be of a rich flesh-color ; eyes bright and mild ; 

 ears somewhat large and thin ; horns slightly curved 

 and rather flat, well set on a long, broad, muscular 

 neck; chest wide, deep, and projecting; shoulders fine, 

 oblique, well formed into the chine; fore legs short 

 with upper arm large and powerful ; barrel round, deep. 



