OL. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



53 



/. Well, Henry, I will try your plan next win- 

 ter. But I must have some of those big- beets; — 

 how do you raise them? 



//. I will let vou know tliat npxt timft. 



March 15, 1845. WHEATLAND. 



iX^ We are always pleased to hear from our 

 Wheatland correspondent. 



LEGISLATIVE AGRICULTURAL MEET- 

 INGS—BEST BREEDS OF CATTLE, &c. 



It is doubtless known to many of our readers, that 

 the fi lends of ag-vicultural improvement in the legis- 

 lature of this state have established regular weekly 

 meetings, which are held every Thursday evening, at 

 the Capitol, for the purpose of discussing the various 

 subjects connected with the science and practice of 

 agricultuie. These meetings are not confined 

 merely to members of the legislature, but all other 

 friends to the cause are invited to participate in their 

 deliberations. We should judge, from the reports 

 we have seen of their proceedings thus far, these 

 meetings must be very interesting, and cannot be 

 otherwise than productive of much good. Similar 

 meetings have been, and are yet kept up at Boston 

 and New York, and with the best results. These 

 agricultural clubs are also much in vogue in Eng- 

 land, where not only practical farmers join in giving 

 the results of their experience and observation, but 

 many of the nobility — Prince Albert, Sir Robert 

 Peel, Earl Spencer, the Duke of Richmond, and 

 other distinguished statesmen and land-owners — 

 take an active part in the discussions, and in aiding 

 onward the cause of agricultural improvement. 

 These are certainly omens of good, to the friends of 

 agriculture. 



The last of these legislative agricultural meetings 

 of which we have seen any report, up to this present 

 writing, (Feb. 18,) was held on the 30th ult. ; and 

 the subject under discussion was, " What breed or 

 breeds of cattle, are best adapted to the purposes of 

 farmers in the state of New York ?" The Albany 

 Argus, of the 13th Feb., gives a sketch of the de- 

 bate on this question ; and as it is a subject of great 

 interest to our readers, we know of no way in which 

 the same space can be occupied in our columns to 

 more advantage and profit than in giving an abstract 

 of that debate : 



" Mr. Sotham said, he was an advocate for the 

 Herefords. He believed they would make more 

 flesh with the same expense than anj^ breed in the 

 country' — that they would carry themselves to mar- 

 ket with less loss, and that their beef would, from its 

 superior quality, command the highest price. In se- 

 lecting these cattle, he had done so from a convic- 

 tion they would prove more generally useful here 

 than any other breed in England. He had had fre- 

 quent opportunities of examining all the breeds 

 there, and thought he was acquainted with the pe- 

 culiarities of each. He had been perfectly satisfied 

 with the Herefords here ; and he only asked a fair 

 trial for them, to satisfy others. He, however, con- 

 sidered mere opinions as or but little consequence in 

 regard to cattle ; he therefore proposed to have the 

 Herefords tried on their own merits ; and for this 

 purpose was willing to put three steers and three 

 cows to a trial with the same number, owned at this 

 time by one man, of any other breerl, under such re- 

 gulations as impartial individuals should deem prop- 

 er. He made th's public oflfer for no other purpose 

 than to have a fair comparison made with various 

 breeds. 



" Mr. Danforth, member of Assembly from Jeffer- 

 son County, said, he began breeding with native 

 stock; and about 16 years ago, purchased a short- 

 horn bull of the late Matthew Bullock, of Albany, 

 with which he very much improved his natives. 

 ' They were more profitable by at least 20 per cent, 

 than the old stock.' Mr, D. also crossed a Devon 

 bull with his grade Durhams, to very good advan- 

 tage. 



'•Mr. Betts, of the Assembh'^, thought the natives 

 best : [he spoke more of the experience of hia 

 ' neighbors* vhan of his own.] 



" Judge Leland, of Steuben county, said they had 

 tried several breeds in his section — the Short-Hjrns, 

 Herefords, and Devons had all been there. Several 

 years ago, Mordecai Hale, Esq., who was in some 

 way connected with the U. S. navy, sent some Her- 

 efords into that county ; and perhaps he ought, in 

 justice to the advocates of Herefords, to say, that 

 they proved the most generally useful of any stock 

 they had tried. They were very hardy, were pow- 

 erful in the yoke, and a decided improvement on the 

 native stock for the dairy. Comparing those Here- 

 fords with the herd owned at this time by Messrs. 

 Corning and Sotham, he thought the latter showed 

 that the breed had been improved in regard to a dis- 

 position to accumulate fat on the most valuable parts 

 — the ' quality pieces,' as Mr. Sotham had called 

 them ; but while this had been gained, it was a qiies- 

 tion in his mind whether they had not lost something 

 on the score of muscular strength and constitution. 

 In relation to this, howeverj he only spoke of the ap- 

 pearance of Messrs. C. and S.'s stock. 



" Judge L. remarked, that his experience and ob- 

 servation had convinced him, that the native stock of 

 this section would be improved either by the Dur- 

 hams, Herefords, or Devons — that is, a cross from 

 either of these made more profitable stock for gene- 

 ral purposes. 



" Mr. Howard, associate editor of the Cultivator, 

 spoke against the erroneous notion prevailing with 

 many, that the largest animals must necessarily be 

 the best. 



"Mr. H. said, he knew it was common, for peoplo 

 who had not given much attention to the matter, to 

 attribute excellence in animals to large size ; and he 

 knew of no error more fatal to improvement. It 

 had been well observed by a distinguished breeder, 

 that large size, merely, no more indicates excellence 

 in quadrupeds than in meii ! The best cattle, for 

 any purpose, whether Short-Horns, Herefords, or 

 Devons, are comparatively small-boned. 



" Mr. Bement had tried the Durhams, Herefords, 

 Devons, and Ayrshires. He liked all of them ; but 

 the latter he thought rather best adapted to his farm, 

 which is a light sandy soil. 



" Mr. Stevens, of Buffalo, spoke briefly of the 

 properties of different races ; though as the evening- 

 was far advanced, he could only give a general no- 

 tice of them. In general, he thought the Devons 

 were not good milkers. Some breeders, however, 

 had cultivated the milking property, and had obtainei 

 Devons good for the dairy. He cited the stock of 

 Mr. Patterson, of Maridand, (which had been ob- 

 tained from the Earl of Leicester, and his tenant, 

 Mr. Bloomfield,) as being of this character. The 

 milking properties of the Short-Horns that have 

 been brought here, as he had before said, have been 

 various. Mr. Heaton, of Throg's Neck, Westches- 

 ter county, imported some in 1793. They were 

 good milkers, and a useful stock. The late Samuel 



