116 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



October 24, lfi32. 



From the Genesee Farn: 



STOCK. 

 Mr Editor — I am a little surprised that the 

 subject of cattle, and farming stock generally, has 

 not been oftener discussed in the pages of the Far- 

 mer. There is, perhaps no one article of hus- 

 bandry, in this country, wiiich needs ini[)rovement 

 more than domestic stock, particularly horned cat- 

 tle and yet how few herds of prime cattle do we 



see in the yards of our farmers. One reason may 

 be, possibly, that this being mostly a wheat grow- 

 ing country, it is considered of less consequence to 

 raise fine cattle, than in such parts of our country 

 as are devoted more exclusively to stock : hut 1 

 imagine the same rule will apply to one who keeps 

 three cows, or oxen, as to him who keeps fifty. I 

 ■will assume, however, that those breeds of cattle 

 which yield the greatest return for the amount of 

 labor and expense bestowed, are the best for the 

 farmer as well as the villager ; and, therefore, that 

 if we are not already possessed of the best kinds 

 known, they ought to be introduced into this re- 

 gion, if it can be done at a reasonable expense. 



I am not one of those who believe every new 

 breed of stock, or kind of grain, or new invention 

 iu machinery, to be an improvemenf. Far oth- 

 erwise ; so much so as to be rather sceptical on 

 these matters. But I do believe the ordinary cat- 

 tle kept on the fiirms, with but few excejjtions, iu 

 Western New York, to he of an inferior and ordi- 

 nary kind. It is useless to describe them, for if 

 Jacob's peeled rods had been set before them for 

 the last fifty years, a greater diversity of color, 

 shape, size and character, could hardly have been 

 produced. I am not about to recommend any 

 particular breed, as superior to all iothers, nor to 

 condemn any one as inferior to the rest; fori 

 freely confess that it is a subject which I do not 

 fully understand, having had less acquaintance 

 with the improved foreign cattle, as they are term- 

 ed, than those of my native state. Jluchhas been 

 written on the excellent qualities of the Durham 

 short horn, the north Devon, Hereford, Holder- 

 ness, Alderney, (S,:c, and each havi; had their advo- 

 cates, as experience, interest or fancy might dic- 

 tate. 



In my own estimation, the best breed of cattle 

 decidedly for all purposes that I have seen, are the 

 fiue red cattle of Old Hampshire and Worcester 

 counties in Massachusetts. The cows are clean 

 hmbed and well formed, and usually good milk- 

 ers ; the oxen large, exceedingly active, and of 

 quick growth, very hardy, and remarkably hand- 

 some. From what particular breed these cattle 

 originated, I am unable to say. They doubtless 

 sprung from excellent English stock, and have 

 been improved continually by judicious selections 

 from among the same, and perhaps slightly cross- 

 ed with different breeds. That this breed is ca- 

 pable of improvement, may be very true; yet I 

 have known bulls sold from an orrlinary drove of 

 cattle, for fifty to seventyfive dollars, to a farmer 

 to turn on to the farm, and of nothing more than 

 the common breed of that country. 



I confess that I am not altogether pleased with 

 many of the foreign cattle that I have seen. The 

 Devon, although highly recommended by many 

 appears to me a lank, awkward and unprofitable 

 animal, although these very qualities might render 

 them valuable when mixed with some others. 

 They have, in my opinion, too long legs, and they 

 are too crooked also, and I should think notstrong 



for labor, although they may be quick and light 

 travellers. I have never known that the cows were 

 extraordinary for milk. Instances have however 

 been given of superior cows and oxen of this 

 breeil. 



The Holderness, Alderny, and some others that 

 have hccn imjiorted, I atn not particularly intimate 

 with ; but those which I have seen, if pure 

 blood, have not sufiicicntly commended themselvei 

 to my partiality to believe them the best 



Of'the short horned Durham, there appears ti 

 be two kinds; one of the "Champion" stoc 

 ported by Gen. Van Rensselaer; the other of the 

 " Wye Comet," owned by John Hare I'ouel, Esq 

 of Philadelphia, both of which are figured in the 

 3d vol. of the Memoirs of the N. Y. Board of Ag- 

 riculture. I have seen many of those like thf 

 "Champion," and although superior and very fin< 

 cattle, T am inclined to think the cows are no 

 more than ordinary milkers. The steers and bulli. 

 that I have seen, appear also to be heavy boned, 

 running to offal, and of course less profitable to 

 the butcher. I lately saw a very superior stock of 

 Durham cattle in Dutchess county, consisting of 

 about twenty cows, several calves, and a bull ; all 

 fat, sleek, large and handsome; but was informed 

 that the cows wei-e not more than ordinary milk- 

 ers, although some of them were of celebrated 

 names, and had been purchased at very high pri- 

 ces. There were two or three native red cowd 

 among them, that, were I to choose lor profit, I 

 should select in preference, 



The " AVye Comet" I never saw. But Mr Bow- 

 ed imported a remarkably fine red hull last y 

 of the same breed, and two cow.s which I saw that 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



FATTENING HOGS ON SWEET APPLES. 



Mr Editor — I have long believed, that 

 almost a literal hog factory cotdd he establish- 

 ed, and that the manual labor necessary to be em- 

 ployed in it would be small. The hilly part of 

 our state, it seems to me, is remarkably well ad- 

 a[)ted to such an establishment. Lands are cheap, 

 and it is a great fruit country — especially for ap- 

 pies. 



Here, then, is my plan. I would select 

 some rolling, or rather steep lands. On these, at 

 a proper width, I would ])lant sweet apples, and 

 between the rows might be peach trees, which 

 would probably perish by the time the apple trees 

 would need their room. My apples should be all 

 sweet, or very nearly sweet. They should be se-- 

 lected from the largest trees and best bearers. The 

 delicacy or lusciousness, and size of the fruit, 

 slundd form only secondary considerations. Quan- 

 tity and sweetness woidd be my main object. I 

 would aim at a complete arrangement, as to time 

 of ripening, from the earliest ripe to the latest, so 

 that my hogs should at each period have plenty of 

 Olid ripe fruit. I would plant a large quantity of 

 winter fruit, which I would keep in caves to win- 

 ter upon. Stock hogs, I suppose, would do well 

 on apples left under the trees till Christmas, after 

 liich they would have to be fed till the coming 

 of clover, with which my orchard should, except 

 when ploughed for the benefit of the trees, be cov- 

 ered. When I ])loughed, I would sow with oats 

 or barley, and renew the clover. Such is my the- 

 ory. I have been reflecting on it for some years, 

 were very superior milkers. These differ from »<>'l liave not yet had it in my power to make any 

 the first named in being deeper in the body, short- Nl'sfactory experiments. A friend of mine had 

 cr legged, broader ou the chest, back and hips, and 'Wo acres of well grown trees of natural fruit, 

 of a^nore docile appearance. The udder of the chiefly sour. He was going to cut it down, alleg- 

 cow is placed forward, the navel is large, and tiny ing that his grafted orchard aflbrded sufiicient 

 are not inclined to take on so much fat while in 



milk as others. The finest animal that I have ev- 

 er seen of the last described, excejit Mr Powel's, 

 is the young "Admiral," owned by Mr Jenkins of 

 Canandaigtui. He is now three years old, his col- 

 or almost white, with red spots, and of most jier- 

 fect ])roportions. His weight must be from fifteen 



fruit ; that he had tried turning his apples into 

 both cider and brandy, and that he could make 

 nothing by either. I told him my theory. About 

 the last of July he put in twenty five hogs, thirteen 

 of which were of pretty good size, ^he others 

 shoats and pigs. The lot had on it little or no 

 grass. No slop or feed was given. At the end 

 to eighteen hundred pounds. I hope for his own I o'' two months and a half, the hogs were in fine 

 and the public's benefit, that Mr Jenkins will send i onler. and one of them being killed, the meat was 

 a description and pedigree of that beautiful ani- 1 esteemed delicious. My friend has given up cut- 

 mal to the Genesee Farmer. Such remarkably | ting ti""" '"^ trees. 



fine cattle ought to be extensively known. | I wish some good farmer, who has sweet apples 



Were I to say which of the foreign kinds of i to spare, would jnit up four pigs of the same lit- 

 cattle I prefer for all useful purposes, I would an- ' ter in two pens, and two in each pen ; that he 

 swer the short horned Durham, of the " Admiral'' would weigh and set down the weight of each ; 

 stock. I believe them to be the best milkers and that he would give two of them corn and water, 

 the most profitable for beef. I doubt whether and two of them ripe sweet apples and water, and 

 they will make superior working oxen, and do nothing else ; that he woidd measure and keep an 

 still believe that tlie best Massachusetts cattle I account of both the apples and the corn fed to 

 can receive little improvement from any foreign to them ; that after a proper course of feeding he 

 kind, except a cross from the Durham. My opin- 1 would kill all foiu', weigh and set down the weight ; 

 ions, however, I advance with some hesitation, that he would salt the meat and smoke it ; and that 



and I have thrown out these hints more for the 

 purpose of eliciting the opinions of others, than as- 

 intending to instruct. Were it in your power, I 

 should he pleased to see the prints of the two ani- 

 mals of which I spoke in the ''Memoirs," insert- 

 ed in the Farmer, as they gi\ e most excellent ideas 

 of what constitute fine cattle. 



The proper selection of stock is an important 

 subject to the farmer, and their attention cannot 

 be too earnestly turned to it. 



ITLMUS. 



after having its quality inspected, tasted and tried, 

 he would publish the whole. 



Notwithstanding my present imperfect know- 

 ledge, I have planted a number of sweet apple 

 trees, and am preparing to plant more, both with 

 reference to this object and the making of apple 

 molasses. Are there apples of supeiior quality 

 for these purposes in the State of New York, or 

 elsewhere ? and if so, how can I obtain grafts 

 grown there in Belmont county, in the State of 

 Ohio .' Valuable winter sweet apples, growing on 



