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fOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



NATIVE STOCK. 



1 freqiicMtly observe in the perusal of the New 

 Euglaiitl Fuimer, stateiiiunts on cattle, and very 

 iiniforiDly on the late imported breeds, but hardly 

 a solitary notice of our old accustomed breed. — 

 Being a farmer, and having some experience in 

 both breeds, and with strict observation of my 

 neighbors, I am very positive that the true worth 

 of onr ancient breed, as to their competition, is 

 much neglected. It is my intention to set forth 

 the true character of both breeds as to their milk, 

 impartially, and within the limits of my knov\'- 

 ledge, that the public may be on their guard, and 

 not led away against their interests by any new 

 fanciful representations. In doing this, I shall be 

 fearless of crossing or injuring any individual, and 

 in accordance to this avowal, I am not to lose 

 Bight of public interest. 



I was not a little pleased with E. C.'s remarks 

 in No. 22, present volume. Had lie been fear- 

 less of crossing so popular an opinion as now ex- 

 ists in favor of those new and improved breeds, or 

 had he viewed the thing as important as I do, he 

 would have gone on without leave, or request, and 

 described the size and particular properties of the 

 Cow, and maile bis comparisons generally. — 

 There are in this vicinity some of the large im- 

 ported breeds of cattle, much larger than the ordi- 

 nary breed, and they have been frequently exhibit- 

 ed at shows, and have been pronounced very fine, 

 not so frequently the female as the male, and no 

 conniiitlee would dare or think of anything less 

 than to encourage such an im|irovement, apparent 

 to all. They have also been highly reconmiended 

 by individi ills tliat possessed them, so that a great 

 impulse has been created, and A, B and C have 

 availed themselves of their best means of procur- 

 ing a heifer, a cow, or a bull, at an extra price, or 

 edged along the most econonncal way to obtain 

 some of the blood. Among the nundier I have 

 been one ; my first trial was in selecting a 

 heifer from seven others of the same age, going 

 in three years old. She soon brought me a fine 

 calf. The butcher for its fine properties, (espe- 

 cially its name) did not claim it. In the mean- 

 time, I was very much put to it to get her milked, 

 all females [irotesiiiig against going near her long 

 legs, in search for her bag and teats, as they were 

 pretty well conceided, depend on it, and not to be 

 found at all in the usual place in our ordinary 

 breed, but much higher. However tny anxiety 

 about milking was soon over ; the calf soon took 

 all, and wanted more. I began to alter my opinion 

 of the breed, and disposed of cow and calf. The 

 object of the purchaser was to procure a fine bull 

 calf. I soon beard the cow was good for nothing 

 for milk ; she was fed and slaughtered in the fall. 

 Smce, the breed has become more frequent ; some 

 'lave fallen into my bands tinctured with this im- 

 proved blood. I have found them larger, but uni- 

 formly less milkers. I have known several of my 

 neighbors to try those cows for milk, who have 

 uniformly condemned them, having fed and 



slaughtered them. In this vicinity, if well fed, 

 iliey weigh from 600 to 1100 lbs. 



A friend in an adjacent town has for forty years 

 been improving his breed of cows, and with the 

 greatest attention, like every good farmer. In 

 course his cows are uncommonly large, wilhout 

 the help of the famous improved breed. His cows 

 are noted for producing large stock, but nothing 

 more than common for milk. He has seized the 

 opportunity of crossing with this improved breed. 

 1 was at his residence the other day, vyhen, in 

 taking a view of his stock, he pointed out some 

 large heifers, observing be had gone too far, that 

 their legs were too long, their bags were small 

 and lugh, and that they gave but little milk. He 

 then showed me a bull that he had procured from 

 the country, of a famous breed, reversed, with very 

 short legs, long bodied, thick and round. He con- 

 fessed his cows were unprofitable, and too long 

 legged, and bad taken this method to cut them 

 down, and to improve them. Then showing me 

 two small cows of the old breed, not more than 

 half the size of his, brought there by his tenant, 

 with their bags auil teats close to tlie ground, he 

 asserted that they would produce'more than twice 

 the milk of his. 



A neighbor has had The curiosity to send to 

 Massachusetts, to a gentleirian, for a lieifer, who 

 is said to be of the first improved breed in this 

 country. I understand bis expense for her was 

 about $100. She is a show. He was under the 

 necessity of procuring milk immediately for her 

 ;alf, or it must have starved. He has offered me 

 the heifer, recommending her for calves. I ob- 

 served to him I was eonvmced the breed were not 

 good for milk, and that 1 was improving my breed 

 by going back as fast as possible for the most an- 

 cient blood ; that it was from them that I derived 

 any profit from my dairy. The mdker of this 

 heifer is now present, who is of good reputation 

 and he says she never gave more than three pints 

 in the height of feed at a milking. I could enu- 

 erate numerous similar cases ; suffice it to say I 

 know of but few better. 



Tliere are but few instances of the old breed of 

 heifers that do not make tolerable cows, to pro- 

 duce in common feed from 7 to 12 quarts of milk, 

 wine measure, at a milking. It has lieen the case 

 with mine uniformly ; and that the smallest heifers 

 make the liest and most profitable cows. It is a 

 practice among those deep in the breeding of the 

 improved breed, a.aer proving them, to feed and 

 slaughter the most of them, reserving only the few 

 that will give the most milk. I never have lieard 

 in this vicinity with any confidence, of any giving 

 a large quantity of milk, nor any boasting of its 

 qualibj as being superior ; I presume the quality is 

 similar. It is not uncommon that our old ancient 

 breed make seven pounds of butter per week, and 

 the more extraordinary 14, 18 to 20 lbs. From 

 my experience and strict observation, I shall give 

 full credit to the improved breed, to say they give 

 generally half as much as the httle docile short 

 legged ancient breed. 



Now from my statement it does not show by 

 any means that the improved cows are half the 

 profit of the others. To show their comparative 

 difference, we will suppose a pasture feeds five of 



the improved breed well, ;,« j, „„isi, or they are 

 goo.l lor nothing. My criterion to know bow many 

 small ones it takes to fee.l the same pasture, is to 

 take the aame weight ; well, that is ten of the 

 small breed. If the five large give 4 quarts of 

 milk each at a milking, it is 20 quarts ; whereas 

 the ten of the small give 8 quarts each, which is 

 80 quarts. This is not all the difTerence. These 

 small cov's will do very well with half the feed of 

 the large ; then with propriety we will double the 

 number, which is 20, affording 160 quart?. This 

 will operate to keep the pastures from being foul, 

 and cause them to produce sweet feed, success- 

 sively ; whereas by slack feeding, they fast incline 

 to everything but good feed. There is also the 

 same difference in wintering these cows that there 

 is in summering. Now if my statements are cor- 

 lect, it is important ; it shows on the one hand 

 that by keeping our beautiful old breed of cows, 

 they give a farmer a fine profit ; on the other, wo 

 obtain from the improveil breed a heavy tax. 



A. R. 

 Porlsmouth, (JV. H.) Dec. 26, 1831. 



NEW FRUITS. 



Mr Fesse.\den — Your paper of the 27th April 

 noticed the receipt, by the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society, of grafts of 18 varieties of foreign 

 apples from Albany, which were distributed among 

 the members. I send you the chnrncter of the 

 fruits, as given in Lindley's ' Guide to the Orchard 

 and Kitchen Garden,'' one of the mcjst recent and 

 best British Pomologioal work.s. Tlie descri/jtions 



may be r-'^n under the numbers referre<l to. 



The varfSties are mostly i.evv, and of hi"h 

 repute. ° 



1. Alexander. ' An excellent and valuable [Rus- 

 sian] fruit.' Fit for the table fiom Octolier till 

 nearly Christmas. No. 22. 



2. Beauty of Kent. ' A very excellent fruit.' 



An autumnal desert apple. No. 47. 



3. Blenheim Pippin. ' Extremely pleasant and 

 high flavored.' In eating from November to 

 March. No. 47. 



4. Beachemioell Seedling. • An excellent dessert 

 apple from November to April.' No. 67. 



5. Cornish Gilhijlower. A very rich dessert ap- 

 ple from November to May. The Lon. Hort. So- 

 ciety awarded a medal in 1813, to a gentleman 

 who brought it into notice ; and the Pom. Maga- 

 zine esteems it the best apple grovvn. No. 130. 



6. Golden Harvey. 'A most lieautif.l and ex- 

 cellent dessert apple, ripening in Dec. and keeping 

 till May.' No. 91. 



7. Hau'lhornden. ' An excellent culinary fruit 

 from Michaelmas to Christmas.' No. 27. 



8. Kerry Pippin. An excellent dessert apple 

 from Sept. till Nov. No. 30. 



9. MinshuWs Crab. 'A culinary apple from 

 Nov. till March ;' and according to Louden, ' use- 

 ful for every purpose.' No. 101. 



10. Osliti (not Arlin ) Ripe about the middle of 

 Aug. and ' very excellent.' No. 6. 



11. Ribslon Pippin. 'May be truly said to be 

 one of the best, and certainly is one of the most 

 popular apples of the present day.' From Oct. to 

 April. No. 1.55. 



12. Devonshire Quarenden [Sack.] ' Very much 



