NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Published b y JOHX B. RUSSELL, at the conipr of C"n°TPs9 and I. inHall SIi'ppIs. (Six <1oor s from llip Pfist Offirp') r.nstm '^rTO'M^a <■; F'"l='^^^NI)KN^~^T^'~ 



VOL. III. 



FRIDAY, JULY 1/J, 1825. 



No. .'jl. 



AGRXCUI.TUIVZ:. 



From the Masiachufflts .isrirullUTnl Jourmil. 



ON THE IMPROVEMF.NT OF OUR nRKF.t) OF 

 HORNED CAITLE BY IMPORTATION. 



We are indncecl to s;iy something on this sub- 

 ject, not only beennse we think it an important 

 one, bnt because some very able am! interesting 

 remarks have been made upon it by the vener- 

 able Presidnil of the Essex Aji'iciilliiral Soci- 

 ety. 



In the course of liis remarks and quofalinn', 

 he has been pleased to refer to the editors of 

 this journal, or at least to one of thorn, ami he 

 has cited passages, which mi^ht lead readers to 

 inf/er that we entertain the opinion, that little 

 benefit will be derived from importing (he im- 

 proved races of Great Britain (at least such 

 might be the inference drawn from Ibem). It 

 is probable, also, that most persons who may 

 read the essays of Col. Pickering, will believe 

 that he is of opinion, that these importations of 

 foreign stock are of lilile im[)orIance, and ot 

 course, that the altpmi)t to cross the imported 

 nnimals with our own stock, is nearly useless la- 

 bour and expense. 



Such is the general effect of the remarks, and 

 such we think will be the impression, and as his 

 weight of character an<l great opporluniiies both 

 ol reading the most ap()roved books on this topic, 

 iind of seeing various descriptions of cattle in all 

 parts of the United States, justly entitle him to 

 a great sliare of jMiblic confidence, we think it 

 a rttity ive owe to the public to slate our own 

 views upon the subject. We are not opposed 

 to what we believe to be Col. Pickering's opin- 

 ions. We coincide with liim in the greater part 

 of them, but we think (he tendency of his essays 

 is lo discourage the attempt to improve our own 

 breeds by foreign crosses, and this tendencij we 

 regret, and shall give our reasons for regret- 

 ting it. 



We begin then by saying, that we presume 

 our ancestors very early ceased the importation 

 of cattle from England. The ships were small, 

 crowded with passengers and their effects ; the 

 passages long, the transport expensive, and we 

 assume it as probable, that few cattle, if any, 

 were imported after 1650. 



It is well known, that the agriculture of Eng- 

 land wns then in a low state compared wilh its 

 present condition. Successions of crops were 

 nearly unknown ; root crops for winter fodder 

 were, we believe, entirely so. The prices of 

 cattle were small, no great encouragement had 

 been given to improve the breed. It is proba- 

 ble, therefore, that the cattle imported were 

 not of a very improved race. 



On the other hand, there can be no doubt, that 

 our climate and pastures are well adapted to the 

 preservation of cattle in as good a stale as when 

 imported, and rather to improve them. This 

 we inf.r from the fact, that they are so line, 

 rather than from any general reasoning derived 

 from our climate and soil, and still less from our 

 treatment of them. If we regarded those only, 

 we should say, that the heat of our summers, 

 and length aad se?erily of our winters, were un- 



favourable loan animal impatient of great heat 

 and severe cold, and thriving much belter on 

 green siirculent food than on dry nieailow hay. 

 In a short excursion made this spring into the 

 country, we found llie cows turned out to very 

 short paMurcs, (on Iho I 8th of May) thin, feeble 

 and in every respect miserable. We spi-ak ol 

 the great mass of Ihem : and we undcrslaiiil the 

 <.ommon practice lo be, lo feed the cows on 

 meadow hay, reserving l!ie more substantial 

 food for their working catlle and horses. 



Now it does not s.'.em lo us possible, that we 

 can have materially improved our horne<l rattle 

 sincewe imported Ihem; that we hive preserv- 

 ed Ihem so perfect as they are in \ormonl, in 

 Hampshire and Woroester counties of Massa- 

 chusetts, is rather a matter of some surprise, 

 proving we think clearly, that a litlle more care 

 in providing against the cold of winter, and its 

 impoverishing diet, would enable us to surpass 

 Great Britain in this imjiortant article of lius- 

 bandrv. 



As Ihe agriculture of Great Britain has gone 

 on daily and regulaily in an improving course. 

 ever since the middle ol Ihe sevenleenlh centu- 

 ry, and more especially since the midille of ihe 

 last century, while ours has conlinucd stationa- 

 ry or even retrograde, lill wilhm Ihe l.isl 50 

 years, it \voald nnlnrally be expecled lliat ihfir 

 race of horned cattle would gradually improve, 

 and more especially since their opulent farmers 

 have devoted their attention to their improve- 

 ment. The spirit of rivalship, Ihe greal prices 

 paid for more than 50 years for line bulls and 

 cows must have had Ihis efl'ect. 



Let us take an example which is more easily 

 examined, because it is much more obvious, 

 their races of sheep. Surely it will uiit be ques- 

 tioned, Ihat the Dishley or New Leicester race 

 ot sheep, are far superior to any which we raise, 

 (Ihe merino an imported race alone excepted, on 

 accouni of its fine fleece). We have no good 

 race of native sheep, and we have no sheep to 

 compare with those of Great Britain. Why is 

 Ihis so? Possibly because Ihe perpetual verdure 

 of England is more favourable lo Ihe prepaga- 

 lion of sheep; but we think thai it is principally 

 owing lo neglect on our part. 



The same thing is true with respect to swine. 

 The Bedford, a sjiotted race, lirst introduced in- 

 to Massachusetts by Col. Pickering, is far supe- 

 rior to any one which we before possessed. 

 Since Ihe introduction of these, there have been 

 other breeds introduced, which, so far as we 

 can judge by descrijilion and by prints, are the 

 race called in England Ihe Berkshire, or per- 

 haps crossed wilh Ihe Chinese, which for apti- 

 tude for fattening, and for profit, are far superi- 

 or lo sur old, long-legged race, who consumed 

 Ihe farmer as well as the fruilf of his industry. 



We believe, and we believe because we have 

 seen, that the horned cattle of Great Britain are 

 as a whole body, superior lo our own. If Col. 

 Pickering should pass a six weeks' tour in Eng- 

 land, he would feel as we do, that it is not a 

 question to be discussed, but a point settled. 

 Twenty-two years since we spent a twelve-month 

 in thai country. We shall sav nothing of the 

 shows of cattle at the Smiihfie'ld club celebra- 



tion, nothing o! the Le-vis show of tallle. M'e 

 admit, that wlien J)til;es, and .Marquises, with 

 incomes of 500,000 dollars, are patrons and com- ' 

 pelilors, animals may be produced of m^y foria, 

 and of any reasonable dimensions. Money and 

 care will put flesh in any quantity, and in the 

 most profitable pnrts of any animal of good 

 form. We shall Ibcrcforo omit any reference 

 to their catlle shows as comp.ired with our own 

 Any picture of them (however true in itself^ 

 would appear to be as exaggerated, as an at.etiq/t 

 logive an idea ofiho coidluenco of pa^enger*, 

 and Ihe extent and vastiicss of London would be 

 to an inhaliilant of Ihe thriving town of Worces- 

 ter. Ht is no! a tiling lo bo described. It can 

 only be half undeisioo<) by seeing it, for- the 

 mind is so bewildered and lost, that it loses at 

 least half its powers of perception. 



We say nolliing, therefore, of the professed 

 exhibitions of rare animals, but this we do say, 

 that when wf travel through England, we find 

 ourselves among a race of improved horned cat- 

 tle, nearly every one of which we cozct. Let 

 Mr Marshall or IMr Young (idd writeis) say 

 what they w ill, nothing can destroy Ihe effect 

 of ocular dcmonsiralion. Tiie caltle of Eng- 

 land are far superior to our ov«i, as a body, and 

 il is not preriseiy correct in comjiare individual 

 exGe|;(ions in o.irronnlry with general and ave- 

 rage -slalemenls of whole counties in England. 

 We are sorry lo say furl her, that Ihe catlle of 

 the low countries and of Normandy, appeared 

 to us much finer than our own, in a visit made 

 lo these coniitries eight years since. They were 

 in heller condition, and much fewer miserable 

 individuals jimong Ihem. They ha.l learned Ihe 

 im[iorlant lesson, Ihat a poor animal is not worthy 

 of ils support. We have always thought wilh 

 Col. Pickering, that our country possesses at this 

 moment, a race of cows, and possibly of bulls, 

 which selected wilh care, their progeny raised, 

 and kept from contaminalion wilh inferior ani- 

 mals, for five or six generations, would produce 

 a race of cattle which we might shew wilh pride 

 at Smilhfield. But who are our capitalists that 

 will select and take due care of them? Where 

 is the man who has so cautiously guarded (he 

 progeny of a fine cow ? and if he did, unless he 

 sliOiild raise her bull calves as husbands, how can 

 he hope to keep the race pure ? 



AV'ould (here be any question in Ihe mind of 

 any sensible cultivator about to raise his own 

 stock, that if a neighbour had improved bis own 

 race so that they were eroinenUy fitted for the 

 various uses of Ihis most important agricultural 

 animal for milk, for beef, and for draught, that 

 it would be for his interest to procure Ihat slock, 

 and lo sell off his own miserable breed ? We 

 trust not. Well, then, another nation has done 

 this for us. She offers you the effect of 50 years' 

 experiment. Will yon refuse it ? We hope not. 



The Massachusetts Agriculturitl Society offer- 

 ed a premium for the importation of the best 

 races of Great Britain. They came. The pre- 

 miums were awarded. The public admired the 

 animals. The public may have lieen deceived: 

 they may have been carried away by the Dovel- 

 ly. Still ihey lingered, and looked," and crowd- 

 ed round these imported aniojals. They thought 



