316 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[April 29, 



ORIOZNAIt COM lVgUKie ATIOHS. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



ON IMPROVING THE NATIVE BREED OF 

 NEW ENGLAND CATTLE. 



No. III. 



In the last number of the Mas^sachuselts Agri- 

 culdiral Repository and Journ;il, [No. 3, vol. 8.] 

 are some communications from John Hare Pow- 

 EL, Esq. to the Pennsylvanii Agriciilliiral Soci- 

 ety, from whose Memoirs ihej were exiracted. 

 The subject of the communications is the va- 

 rious breeds of neat cattle. The Editors oflhe 

 Repository, in introducing those pa])ers, say — 

 " We give no opinion as to the soundness of Mr 

 Powel's opinion; we mean to hold an even 

 balance between all the contending parties. 

 This, however, we owe to Mr Powel, to say, in 

 zeal, public spirit, industry, and experience, 

 he yields to no man.'' — I have the pleasure of 

 knowing Mr Powel ; and have been gratilied in 

 seeing his signal display of talent and energy in 

 applying his ample means to improve the agri- 

 culture of our country. 



Before I saw Mr Powel's letter in the Reposi- 

 tory, I had told the Editor of the New England 

 Farmer that I would give him my thoiiglils on 

 the subject of improving the native breed of 

 New England cattle. In relation to Mr Powel's 

 views, so far as on this subject they difi'er from 

 mine, I will offer such observations as appear 

 to me necessary to support the latter. 



It was Mr Powel's object " to establish, by 

 selections from various European works, certain 

 positions which had been assumed by him, in 

 some ot his late communications" to the Penn- 

 sylvania Agricultural Society. Those positions 

 must have related to " Farm-Slock ;" that being 

 ilic subject of his letters introduced into the Re. 

 pository. And he justly remarks, " that none is 

 more interesting, and none more important, to 

 the hnsbandmeri and landholders of the eastern, 

 middle, and western states, than that which in- 

 directly involves the application ofthree fourths 

 of the product of their labour and of their land ;" 

 that is, " for the nourishment of their neat cat- 

 tle, horses, sheep and sirine."— " I think it is 

 evident, (continues Mr Powel) that to our pop- 

 ulation at least,* it is worth some effort to as- 

 certain, whether experience has established, in 

 Ihe country [England] where they are best 

 known, and by the standard which every man 

 can best comprehend, Ihe superiority of one race 

 of neat cattle over every other, either original 

 or improved. If (says Mr Powel) it shall appear 

 that by the multiplication of this race, " the 

 produce of beef, upon a given extent of land, 

 would be nearly doubled"— Ihe quantity of but- 

 ter increased— the facility of procuring power- 

 iul oxen for draught not lessened— and without 



that the amount of offal ivould be diminished 



the weight of the flesh and fat would l.c carried 

 upon (he proper parls ; I trust it will not be 

 contended that Ihe discussion is futile, or the 

 premium absurd, which shall have brought this 

 race into view." 



Ry " the standard which every man can best 

 comprehend," for determining'' the superiorily 



of one race of neat cattle over every other" 



I understood Mr Powel to mean the prices at 



* This leUfT o[ Mr Powel's is addressed to the Presi- 

 leot of the ptnnsjlvania Agricultural Srociety. 



wliich they have been sold in England and he i 

 accordingly slates them. — He says — " It appears 

 by Bailey's survey of Durham, Ihat at Colli.ng's , 

 sale in 1810, seventeen cows sold for £2,802 9s. 

 sierling ; [averaging $732. per cow, at 444 cents 

 the pound sterlinsr] eleven buHs for 230 3 Z. — [av- 

 eraging ^953 per bull] — that Major Rudd paid 

 400 guineas for Lndy of nine years — for Lily 

 400 guineas — for Peeress 170 guineas — for Pe- 

 trarch 376 guineas— that Mr Wetherill & Co. 

 paid for Comet of 6 years 1000 guineas[^46G2,] 

 Mr Champion and Col. Mellish iiave since paid 

 450 guineas for the services of Charles during 

 tivo years." Mr Powel continues — " a regular 

 record is kept in the Herd Book, of the Pedi- 

 grees of the animals of pure blood. Although 

 140 lireeders— 130 bulls and nearly 3000 heif 

 ers and cows, are enumerated in ihis volume, it 

 will be seen, by Major Rudd's lelterand prices, 

 which 1 have paid, that their cost continues as 

 high as it was ten years since." 



Alter some other details, and mentioning the 

 opinions ol' some American gentlemen of the 

 good qualities and great value oflhe improved, 

 short horned breed, Mr Powel introduces Major! 

 Rudd's letter concerning this improved race. — | 

 Major Rudd says — to Mr Charles Colling the [ 

 world is indebted for the breed of cattle called 

 the Improved Short-Horned," — of which he 

 (Major Rlmi) became the purchaser, in 1810; 

 certainly, I am warranted in saying, with the 

 princij)al, if not the only view, of becoming what 

 Mr Colling liad been, a Breeder of Cattle, 

 for the rr.OFiT to be derived from the Sales. Ac- 

 cordingly he informs Mr Powel, " Ihat he has 

 never sold any bull, cow, or heifer, of the genu- 

 ine breed, for less th m one hundred pounds sler- 

 I ling per head. For '.his price he would doliver 

 j bulls or httifers at Liver[iool [when lo be sliip- 

 i ped for the L^niled Statos] warranted oflhe best 

 pedigree, and of the mo«t approved iorm, hand- 

 ling and hair." lOOL sterling are equal to 444 

 dollars— or $\50 at is. 6d. Ihe dolfir. 

 i Alter slating the prodigious prices given for 

 i Colling's stock, Mr Powel remarks Ihat, " if the ' 

 I cost were regulated by the caprice of men of for- 

 tune, it might be alleged that fashion g:\v.p. to 

 them a fictitious value ; but as the practical far- 

 mers of England sanction it by their purchases, 

 and support it by their demands, it must be in- 

 ferred, that after a trial of fourteen years., the 

 i animals po.sses8 Ihe merit which has been claim- 

 ed." — The professed Breeders are doubtless proc- 

 i tical farmers — as was Mr Bakewell, who was in- 

 i deed a most extraordinary one, as the quantity 

 I of stock kept on his farm would show. But cer- 

 j tainly no mere farmer in England can find his 

 account in giving 450 dollars a-piece for cows 

 and heifers, to compose his dairy. The aver- 

 age annual product of cows in England, may be 

 six or seven pounds sterling per cow. When 

 Young wrote his Tours, it was only 5/. or Gi. — a 

 dairy of 30 cows (though there are many Larger, 

 there are many of a less number) at 11. each, 

 210/. — a little more than the cost of two cows 

 oflhe improved short-horns. And as the Eng- 

 lish dairy farmers seldom keep their cows after 

 they are ten years old — ottener turning Ihem off 

 to fatten, or selling them lo graziers, when past 

 eight — thus keeping them in milk six or seven 

 years — each cow, in that time, would yield the 

 farmer about fil'ty pounds (j!(222) in buller, 

 cheese and veal ; to which add seventeen pounds 

 (a high price) for the cow, cither fattened or 



sold lo a grazier, and he would receive about- 

 two thirds of the prime cost oflhe cow, six or 

 seve:; years before. — It is true, Ihat mere farm- 

 ers will never think of making up th-»r dairies 

 of such high priced cows; while the more able 

 may purchases heifer or two to be put to the 

 high bred bulls, to lay the loundalion of a full 

 dairy of them, in Ihe end; or by an experiment 

 with one or two, to ascertain their intrinsic val- 

 ue. — Upon the vvl'.ole, it evidently appeare, that 

 Professed Breeders must be almost exr:(j>!vely 

 the purchasers of such high priced stock as ihat 

 of Colling's and a few olher eminent Breeders. 

 And until this breed of cattle shall he extensive- 

 ly niiiltiplied — and in the 14 years since Ihe 

 great improvement is stated to have taken place 

 the individuals cannot bo very numerous — they 

 may continue to bring high prices. 



The purchaser of a bull at a thousand pounds, 

 by pulling him to ten cows of the same race, 

 may in two years at Major Rudd's prices, by the 

 sale of his oQspring — ten heiiers and bulls — have 

 his 1000/. replaced. But a good buil may in iivo 

 years be Ihe sire of filiy such heiiers aii<l liu'ls 

 and of fifty calvos ; or be let, Ike Charles, ;o 

 surh breeders as CiiAMnoN and Mellish. 



The great leader Bakxwell, liy (he superior 

 management of his farm; but especially by his 

 immense profits, arising from bis improved slock, 

 chiefly cattle and sheep, must have amassed a 

 fortune ; and his genius and industry entilied him 

 to it. His tirsi improved rams were Id at very 

 low prices — 16 shillings each for a season He 

 proceeded in his improvements unlit he could 

 lei his rams for the enormous sum of 300 guin- 

 eas each, for a single season. In 1789 he let 

 three rams for 1200 guineas [g5694] ; and his 

 ivliole letting that year bioughl him full 3000 

 guino.is — equal lo ^513,980.* 



" The high prices (says .Marshall) are net 

 ^iven by graziers, for the purpose of getting 

 ivcdders as grazi^ig si 'ck ; hut by i<.am-Brceders 

 for Ihe purpose ot gett'.n^^ Rams to be let to giaz- 

 ziers ; the highest being given by Ihe PRiNfiPAL 

 BREEDERS ONLY ; not for 1 he purpose of gell ing 

 rams to be lei to graziers as wedder-getters ; but 

 for Ihat of gelt ng rams to he let again, as ram- 

 getters to inferior tup-men'' — or breeders of 

 shoej). 



Again Marshall says — " With respect to the 

 renj high prices, they are given by a few first 

 RATE breeders, who are playing a high game — 

 running a hard race — i'or the pride and profit 

 of being leader, when Bakewell is not.'''' Bake- 

 well, indeed, is not ; but doubtless the same 

 passions continue to actuate the " few first-rate 

 breeders;^'' and their history, in regard to keej), 

 may, I presume, fiirly explain their characters 

 as breeders of cattle. These first rale breeders 

 who keep bulls & rams to let, use some art to make 

 them tip \oshoxi> to advantage ot the time of letting, 

 particularly in making thorn excessively lat ; for 

 fat covers or conceals defects. Afterwards they 

 are reduced to a plight whiclj fits them for ser- 

 yice.t 



The common price of a ram let to a grazier, 

 when Marshall wrote, was live or six guineass 

 for a season; the hi.ghest ten guineas ; for Ihe 

 sole purpose of getting grazing stock. And as 

 Bakbwell's improved breed would get as lat at 

 two yeais old as other common breeds at three, 



*• .Vlarshaira Rural Economy of the Midland Coun- 

 ties, vol. i. page 384. t Same volume, p. 38U. 



