THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



147 



feet upon public opinion, as lo ihe value of lliia I had iwo cows, wliose dams were eired by Comet. 

 Bioik, tiiiil brou<i;lit tlieni into lii<:h repute. I Mr, Dodge of Hamilton inquired whether a 



It was the aim of JMr. Collings to rcdure the j native cow, rrcesed by a Durham bull, would not 



size of the original race of animals from which he 

 bred ; and to remier them more comj)act. It is 

 not, sale to breed from too close affinities, unless 

 done wiih great care. If pursued too lar, it pro- 

 duces a cavity and deformity between the shoul- 

 ders. Many breeders have aimed, not so mucii 

 at gooti points in the animiil, as the incrense ol 

 Ihe size. The best breeders seek to renderihe 

 animal compact and close. There is no animal 

 perfect; it is only an approach to [icrfeclion that 

 We can make. If an animal in Ibrm be too lonir 

 or too short, she should be crossed with one hav- 

 ing 0()por;ite properties. 



Karl Spencer, one of the most disiinguisiied 

 breeders of in)proved short horns, says the male 

 animal should approach to i oarseness, the neck 

 be thick, and that he should handle well. These 

 facts are established respecting this race of ani- 

 mals,— that tliey come early to maiuriiy, and that 

 at two or three years old they will make greater 

 wei<rht than any others known. 



The color of the pure race is red or white, or 

 red and white mixed. So lar as his experience 

 goes, any black or blue tints indicate an impurity 

 of blood. The improvement or formation of this 

 race of animals has been the work of half a ccn- 

 tur}'. The progeny will partake of the proper- 

 ties of the sire, or dam, or jointly of both. Some 

 families of the short horns are deep and rich 

 milkers; others have a strong tendency to thrill 

 and fat. The former seem better adapted to our 

 situation ; the latter, more suitable lor the west. 

 The beef is good ; and those portions vvhi( 



produce a calf 90 large as to sufl'er in parturition. 

 He had seen this sTatement. The fact had oc- 

 curred on his own farm. 



Mr. Lathrop answered, that the principal 

 breeders are of the opinion that the progeny takes 

 alt'T the sire, more than after the damf He had 

 tievereeen a thorough bred animal, williout per- 

 ceiving that he partook strongly of the character 

 of the sire. An improved Durli'am bull will mark 

 his stock strongly. He was not able to answer 

 further than this. 



Mr. Dodije was anxious, farther, fo ascertain 

 whether the Durham cows give more milk than 

 others, and would yield more dairy produce 1 



Mr. Buckminster remarked, that Eiigland had 

 been sixty years engaged in improving her stocfr, 

 and we had seen lo what point she had carried 

 these improvemen!s. They had doubled the ave- 

 rage weight of their cattle, which were sent to 

 market. The important question now is, whe- 

 ther our animals are superior to theirs? Are our 

 native stock better than any which we have im- 

 ported ? He would be glad to have the imported 

 stock, if it is better than that which we have. If 

 our animals are not surpassed, can we gain any 

 thing by importation? 



He is of opinion that the English have erred 

 in attempting too n)uch to increase the size. It 

 should be our plan lo breed a small race. The 

 middle sized animals are the most profitable for 

 us. The late Gov. Gore introduced a large bull 

 info the coimtry. His descendants are siilT fo be 

 found. Some of the cows died in calvinty. If the 



of little value, are of light weiiiht. For miiki' g! bull is not more than one year old, the calf is not 

 and dairy properties, he is of opinion that ihi,s j likely to be loo large. If ilie "bull should be se- 

 race can be relied upon. He did not come pre- j ven or eight years old, a small cow would suffler. 

 pared for detail, but he would reli^r to two or j Col. Jaques had chosen a native cow as the found- 

 three cases which had come lo his knowlediip. alion of his impiovement ; and, in his opinion, 

 A cow. of this breed, owned in Delaware, had j ''ad accomplished much. He is of the opinion 

 given thirty-five qnaris ol milk per dav. Ano- j that the cows near London do not give so great a 

 Iher, owned in Pennsylvania, had jriven thirty- produce as the cows near Boston. (This we be- 

 three and a half quarts of milk per day. Thell'^ve is an error. The cows in the London 

 Messrs. Laihrop, themselves, own two cows, one i dairies, while in milk, average ten quarts; with 

 of which gave fbrty-eiirhf pounds, Ihe other, us not six. — lieporter.) 



forty-five pounds of milk per day, for ninety days i Mr. Paoli Laiiirop remarked that, if the bull be 

 in succession. Another cow, raised by the late a coarse animal, and large when a calf^ his calves 

 Mr. Williams of Northhoro', and now owned by will be large and coarse. The true Durham bull 

 Messrs. Lathrop, upon grass only, had given i will produce small calves, weighing from sixty 

 twenty-eight quarts per day. They had nine- j 'o eighty pounds. His cows, on the same keep, 

 teen of these animals on their farm, at South- produced a quarter more than other cows, which 

 Hadley, which were Herd-book animals. They be had previously owned. A cow which he had 



had ten more which were high-bred. They had 

 two heifers, which were two years old last spring, 

 and another, two years o'd last autumn — which 

 weighed 1200 lbs; 1175 lbs; 1065 lbs, on 7ih 

 October last. They were so compact and snug- 

 built, that good judges of cattle estimated them 

 at no more than three-fourths of their actual 

 weight. The dams were all deep milkers ; and 

 he had sent these three heifers to Philadelphia, 

 to a bull bought of Mr. Bales, a principle improv- 

 er of the race. This bull was imported by Mr. 

 JosephCope, of West-Chester, Pennsylvania, and 

 cost, in England, one hundred guineas, at one 

 year old. Mr. Bates bred wiih arreat judgment, 



from John Welles, Esq., of Dorchester, filled at 

 a milking a twelve-quart pail. He had a calf 

 which, when dropped, weighed sixty-five pounds, 

 and on the day when it was one year old, one 

 thousand and twenty pounds. The calf run with 

 the cow through Ihe season. The cow was kept 

 on coarse hay. A cow kept by Gov. Lincoln re- 

 quired two pails lo receive all her milk at a milk- 

 ing. If the bull be fine, the calves will be good ; 

 if otherwise, coarse. 



Mr. Dodge of Wen ham had his bull from 

 Poor's Indian-Hill Farm, at West-Newbury. Ha 

 was large when a call| weighing 121 pounds at 

 his birth. He inquired whether lar^e cows pro- 



and produced animals of great weight. Two ani- duce more milk than small ones? He observed 

 mats, imported from his slock, by Mr. Vail of that the cows belonging fo the milkmen, who 

 Albany, cost $700 each. The Mesers. Lathrop I supply the cities with milk, are in general large. 



