206 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JANUARY 8, 1^34. 



NEW ENGLAND FARWEK. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING. JAN. 8, I83S. 



TYRAJVNY AMONG HORNED CATTLE. 



It is a fact of some consequence to be home in 

 mind by every person who lias any thing to do 

 with barn hold economy, that neat stock do nol 

 pay any regard to the rights of cattle, but every 

 animal is a tyrant to the extent of its power, and a 

 slave to the amount of its weakness and its fears, 

 The right of the strongest is apt to be exercised by 

 the higher orders, over the mote puny and pusil- 

 lanimous without measure or mercy ; and some 

 aristocratic animals appear to take as great delight 

 in worrying and tormenting their inferiors as if 

 they belonged to the classes of bipeds called em- 

 perors, kings, conquerors, Sec. On this and other 

 accounts it is important to give your stock plenty 

 of room for feeding ground, racks, troughs, iVc. 

 The size of a barn yard should be large in pro- 

 portion to the stock kept in it. A small yard gives 

 the stronger animals a greater chance to gore and 

 harass the weaker than if there was room for the 

 latter to escape from the assailants. 



" The spirit of domination" says an English 

 writer " is so remarkably prevalent among horned 

 cattle that I have a hundred times observed the 

 master beasts running from crib to crib, and abso- 

 lutely neglecting their own provender for the sake 

 of driving the inferior from theirs. This is, much 

 oftener than is suspected, the chief reason of that 

 difference in a lot of beasts after a winter's keep. 

 It is likewise a very common, and very shameful 

 sight, in a dairy of cows to see several of them 

 gored and wounded in a dozen places, merely From 

 inattention of the owner, and the neglect of clip- 

 ping the horns of those that butt. The weaker 

 animals should be kept apart ; and in crib feeding 

 in the yard, it is a good method to tie up the mas- 

 ter beasts at their meals." 



, Dr. Deane observed "There should be more 

 yards than one to a barn, where divers sorts of 

 cattle are kept. The sheep should have a yard by 

 themselves at least ; and the young stock another — 

 that they may be wholly confined to such fodder 

 as the farmer can afford them." 



Foddering Cattle. It is important to make the 

 most of your materials for foddering. Corn butts 

 and straw, which are often thrown away, with a 

 little naius may be made useful as fodder, by being 

 cut with a straw cutter, mixed with a little cut hay 

 or com, and the mixture sprinkled with a prettj 

 strong solution of salt and water. "There is a 

 remarkable difference" (according to Lisle, an 

 English writer on husbandry) "in cattle's eating 

 straw when fresh thrashed, and when it has been 

 thrashed several days, especially if the straw i> 

 indifferent fodder." 



Breeds of Domestic Animals'. "Mr. Bakewell 

 of the Dishley farm in England has rendered him- 

 self famous by his breed of cattle. His principal 

 aim is to gain the best, whether sheep or cow, 

 which will weigh the most in the most valuable 

 joints ; and the same time that he gains the shape 

 that is of the greatest value in the smallest com- 

 pass, he finds by experience that he gains a breed 

 much hardier and easier fed than others. In his 

 breed of cattle, his maxim is, the smaller the bone 

 the truer will be the make of the beast ; the quick- 

 er it will fatten, and the weight will have a larger 

 proportion of valuable meat." 



The shape which should be the criterion of an 

 ox, bull, sheep or cow, is that of a hogshead or 

 barrel, truly circular, with small, ami as short legs, 

 as possible; upon this plain principle that the val- 

 ue lies in the body, and not in the legs. All breeds, 

 whose backs rise in a ridge, are bad. 



By proper management Mr. Bakewell brings up 

 bis cattle to amazing gentleness; his bulls stand 

 still in the field to be handled; they are driven 

 from field to field with a small switch. His cattle 

 are always fat, and this, he insists is owing to their 

 breed. 



The small quantity, and inferior quality of food 

 that will keep a beast, which is properly well made, 

 in good order, is surprising. Such an animal 

 will grow fat in a pasture which would starve one 

 with great bones and ill made. 



Mr. Bakewell is equally curious in the breed of 

 his sheep. The bodies of his rams and ewes are 

 as true barrels as can be seen ; round broad backs 

 and legs, nut more than six inches long. An un- 

 usual proof of their kindly fattening is their feel- 

 ing quite fat between the fore legs upon the ribs, 

 where the common kinds never carry any fat: 



He finds that hardly any land is too bad for a 

 good breed of cattle, and hardly any good enough 

 to make a bad breed profitable. 



Mr. Bakewell was remarkably attentive to the 

 business of watering his stock. All his horned 

 cattle were tied up in open or other sheds during 

 the winter, and fed, according to their kind, on 

 straw, turnips or hay. Young cattle, which re- 

 quire to he kept in a thriving state, and fattening 

 ones, were fed on roots. His farm consisted of 

 440 acres; 110 under the plough, and the rest in 

 grass. He kept 60 horses, 400 large sheep, 150 

 horned cattle, and had generally 15 acres of wheat, 

 and 25 of other Spring grain." 



The Encyclopedia Briltanica, under the article 

 Agriculture, gives the following notices of some of 

 the improvements above adverted to : 



" By Bakewell's skilful selection at first, and 

 constant care afterwards to breed from the best 

 animals, he at last obtained a variety of sheep, 

 which for early maturity, and the property of re- 

 turning a great produce of mutton for the food 

 they consume, as well as for the small proportion 

 which the) weight of the offal bears to that of the 

 four quarters, are altogether unequalled either in 

 this or any other country. The Dishley or New 

 Leicester sheep and their crosses, are now spread 

 overthe principal corn districts of Britain ; and 

 from their quiet, domesticated habits, tire probably 

 still the most profitable of all the varieties of 

 sheep, mi farms where the rearing and fattening 

 of live stock are combined with the best courses of 

 tillage crops. 



" The practice of Bakewell and his followers 

 furnishes an instance of the benefits of a division 

 of labor, in a department of business where it was 

 little to be expected. Their male stock was let 

 eiu every year to breeders from all parts of Eng- 

 land ; and thus, by judiciously crossing the old 

 races, all the valuable properties of the Dishley 

 variety descended after three or four generations 

 to their posterity. By no other means could this 

 new breed have spread so rapidly, nor have been 

 made to accommodate itself so easily to a change 

 of climate and pasture. Another recommendation 

 of this plan was, that the ram-hirer had a choice 

 among a number of males, of somewhat different 



properties, and in a more or less advanced stage 

 of improvement, from which it was his business 

 to select such as suited his particular object. 

 These were reared by experienced men, who gave 

 their principal attention to this branch alone; and 

 having the best females as well as males, they 

 were able to furnish the necessary supply of young 

 males ill the greatest variety to those farmers 

 whose lime was occupied by other pursuits. The 

 prices at which Bakewell's rams were hired, ap- 

 pear enormous. In 1789 he received tweKe hun- 

 dred guineas for the hire of three brought at one 

 birth ; two thousand for seven, and for bis whole 

 letting, at least three thousand guineas." 



GAMA GRASS SEED. 



Extract from a letter from Mr. M. Bartlett, Ed- 

 itor of the Southern Planter, to the Proprietor of 

 the New England Farmer. 



" Enclosed I send you a few seeds of the Gama 

 Grass which at this time is exciting a good deal of 

 interest in the southern states, as you will perceive 

 by the papers. It has hut lately been brought into 

 notice in this Slate, and experiments with it have 

 not been fully tested. It promise's, however, the 

 most beneficial results. It is perfectly naturalized 

 to our climate, being found wild in almost all pans' 

 of the state ; yields abundantly, and the roots with- 

 stand our severest winters. But it may be no ob- 

 ject in your climate and section only as an article 

 of curiosity. It can never, probably, compete with 

 your fine grasses and clovers." 



Mr. Bartlett then requests some exchanges of 

 seeds, lucerne, white mulberry &c. and promises 

 in return to send us seeds and roots. We shall be 

 bappj to reciprocate favors of this kind, and arc 

 very much obliged to Mr. Bartlett for his kindness. 

 The Gama grass seed which we have received 

 shall be put into the hands of such of our friends 

 as we think will turn it to the best account. 



The Editor of the N. Y. Fanner gives the fol- 

 lowing notices of this grass. 



" The seeds are put in drills IS inches apart, 

 and the plants should be hoed sufficient to pre- 

 vent the growth of weeds. The first season they 

 spread and cover the whole surface. During 

 the second, they are cut once a month from 

 May or June to October or November. Being 

 a perennial, it will probably continue to pro- 

 duce for several years without renewal. Those 

 who are zealous advocates for the introduction of 

 this grass into southern husbandry in particular, 

 say that it will produce 70 to 80 tons of green hay 

 or 20 to 30 of cured hay to the acre. 



Some botanists describe lour species of Trip- 

 saeum, but that called Gama Grass is supposed to 

 be the T. monostacbyon ; others enumerate only 

 three, and, in the opinion of some writers, two of 

 these are identical. Professor Eaton describes 

 only two, considering the T. inouostachyou a vari- 

 ety ofthe T. dactyloides. 



1 Farmer's Manual. 



BLACK TONGUE. 



The following Recipe was furnished us by a 

 gentleman who has tried and proved its efficacy. 



Take of Saltpetre, Copperas, Alum and Loaf 

 Sugar, ^ oz. of each, and 1 pint of Brandy. Sim- 

 mer them together, so that the ingredients be well 

 mixed, and apply it as a wash. The mixture should 

 be heated over a slow fire, as it is very inflamma- 

 ble, and should it boil over it would burn like 

 gunpowder. 



