134 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



be confessed, although there might be an excep- 

 tion in favor of the grades. If weight was of 

 any importance to the farmer, he had the advan- 

 tage in cultivating the Durham grades. For 

 raising calves the adoption of the Durham grade 

 was the best that the speaker knew. He men- 

 tioned that an instance was within his knowledge 

 where this grade stock had, for fifty years, in one 

 stock, produced five milk cattle, very similar in 

 productive properties. To keep the best cattle 

 for liret-ding purposes was a rule that no family 

 should keep out of sight. 



Asa G. Sheldon, of Wilmington, spoke brief- 

 ly to the question, throwing out hints that the 

 disposition of premiums at shows tons not the best 

 calculated to encourage improvement. There 

 ought to be no distinction made between the 

 breeds, but all should compete on the same level.' 

 When it was otherwise, the effects were profita- 

 ble, and, in a series of competitions within his 

 knowledge, the native stock, for three years suc- 

 cessively, took the first premiums. This was 

 proof that the native stock made the best dairy 

 stock here, and it would be again, provided op- 

 portunity for proof were given. The production 

 of milk and oxen were the two grand objects 

 with the Massachusetts farmers ; and it was Mr. 

 S.'s opinion that the native stock were the most 

 reliable for oxen. Mr. Sheldon said he raised 

 his own stock, and described the peculiar marks 

 which, in his estimation, denoted perfection in 

 his breeding animals, and related a curious anec- 

 dote concerning one of liis cattle. 



Mr. John C. Moore made a few observations, 

 by request, relative to the mode of breeding and 

 treatment of cattle followed in Ayrshire, amongst 

 improving farmers. These differed essentially 

 from what we have them among us. He thought 

 attention to native stock would perfect them to 

 the extent of production of imported cattle. 



The Chairman was in favor of native cattle, 

 and quoted statistics showing that they were, on 

 the average, preferable to any other stock. 



Mr. Davis, of Plymouth, also spoke of the na- 

 tive breed, and thought that, if improvement was 

 to take place, it might as well be among them as 

 by the means of other cattle. He quoted instances 

 ■which tended to show that the process might be 

 a profitable one, and that there were cases of 

 great productive ability among native stock. 

 Four pounds and a half of the milk from a cow 

 of a friend of his had yielded one and a quarter 

 pounds of butter. If this could be done in one 

 instance, why could it not be in many instances ? 



Dr. LoRiiNG reviewed the arguments of the 

 several speakers, and drew consolation from 

 those of his opponents, in so far as they support- 

 ed his own in showing that, (as stated by Mr. 

 Sheldon.) several competitions had taken place at 



which no native cattle were produced worthy of 

 the prizes. He further urged that whenever per- 

 fection had showed itself in cattle, it had been the 

 fruit of previous importation of foreign stock. 

 It was his opinion that, wherever there was a 

 really valuable herd of cattle, it had its origin 

 from foreign importations. 



Mr. Sheldon retorted that when the imported 

 cattle were shown against the native cattle, in the 

 instances he had quoted, none of them had taken 

 a premium. As certain evidences of the superi- 

 or merit of the native cattle, he had spoken of 

 they were brought down from Middlesex County 

 to Boston, and took the premiums when pitted 

 against all the breeds that could be exhibited 

 against them. If we had taken half the trouble 

 in improving as we have done in importing, our 

 improvement would have been much greater and 

 more reliable. 



The subject for next week's discussion will be 

 "Fruit and the Cultivation of Fruit Trees." 



A motion was made by Mr. Sargent, of New- 

 bury, that the Ayrshire cattle w^ere the best stock 

 for general purposes. 



Mr. Page, of Brimfield, spoke briefly concern- 

 ing a purchase he made of cattle which he 

 deemed to be native — and which possessed ex- 

 tra properties. At 23 months old one of their 

 produce brought $50, and when 4 years old, she 

 gave 40 lbs. of milk per day for three weeks in 

 succession, and could not be bought for $100. 

 But it turned out that the dam of this cow was 

 an Ayrshire cow ! All her produce was thrifty 

 and easily reared ; and as there was little native 

 stock now to be found, the fact spoke favorably 

 for the opinion laid down by Dr. Loring, that per- 

 fecture comes from imported stock. 



Mr. Sargent, of Newbury, made a few remarks 

 in support of his resolution. He had long been 

 in favor of Durhams, but his experience had told 

 him the Ayrshires were preferable. 



Simon Brown, editor N. E. Farmer, was not 

 satisfied that the Ayrshire cattle were the best 

 for all purposes, otherwise he would vote for the 

 resolution. He had seldom seen Ayrshire oxen, 

 and was not ready to give an opinion of their 

 merits. He believed Ayrshire cows, or grade 

 Ayrshires, the best stock for the dairy. He ap- 

 proved of systematic breeding, in order that pure 

 results should flow from its practice. He would 

 vote for the resolution if the words "general use" 

 were stricken, out and the words "dairy purposes" 

 substituted. 



Dr. Reynolds, of Concord, spoke briefly to 

 the general question, arguing that cattle were 

 improving, and that the cause was judicious cros- 

 sing with imported blood. He doubted the ability 

 of any gentleman to trace the pedigree of native 

 cattle in such manner as to prove them uncros.'scd. 



