124 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



FOUETH LEGISLATIVE AGRICULTU- 

 EAL MEETING. 



Reported for the New England Farmer, 

 BY WILLIAM Vi\ HILL. 



Tho fourth agricultural meeting of the season 

 was held at tlio State House, on Tuesday evening, 

 February' G. Tlic Aveathcr was severely cold, and 

 in consequence but a small audience was present. 

 The subject for discussion was Fann Stock. 



William S. King, Esq., of Roxbury, presided, 

 and opened the meeting with some interesting 

 remarks. Tho subject of live stock he considered 

 one of the most interesting and important con- 

 nected witli agriculture, and one which could not 

 be fully discussed in a single evening. In his 

 remarks he would confine himself to neat stock — 

 milch cows. The principal breeds in New Eng- 

 land are the short-horns or Durhams, the Devons, 

 the Jerseys and the Ayrshires. He had owned 

 and bred all these kinds except tho Ayrshires, and 

 his experience was that the Durham would give 

 more milk. In proportion to the food consumed, 

 than any oth .r In-eed. There is a prejudice against 

 them in New England, however. There are two 

 tribes, as distinct as the Durhams and Ayrshires — 

 one built for the shambles and the other for milk. 

 Most Durhams in New England are those built 

 for beef — large , square, and small milkers. North 

 Devons are jjopular in this section of country, 

 and he would admit that, for all purposes, they 

 were the best adapted for New England. The 

 oxen are excellent, combining lightness, strength 

 and. docility. He had never fallen in with an 

 Ayrshire cow that equalled her reputation, al- 

 though he had looked through many herds. They 

 are not equal, as a whole, to the Devons. The 

 Jersey cattle are a breed which is yet to be more 

 extensively known in this country. There is no 

 doubt that they excel in richness of milk all other 

 varieticsj but whether they are so good for the 

 farmer to buy, is another question. A cross of 

 this with the best native stock would probably 

 produce a very superior breed. Tho native stock 

 he believed to have descended from the Devons. 

 It stood high in his regard, and if he were about 

 to purchase a single good cow, he thought he 

 should select a native. Tho great trouble with 

 native stock is, that it docs not perpetuate its 

 good qualities. They are a cross of every thing, 

 so that in the calf they sometunes take the char- 

 acteristics of their grandfathers or grandmothers. 

 If he were going to start to-day to bring up a 

 breed of cattle, however, he should start with a 

 native cow. In regard to the management of 

 cattle, much remains to be learned by formers. 

 Cleanliness is a great thing, not only for the ap- 

 pearance of the thing, but for promoting the 

 health of the animals and obtaining a good quan- 

 tity of milk. They should be fed, too, both in 



regular quantities and at regular periods. Great 

 care should also be taken to treat them well. A 

 cow, neglected or ill-treated, will not yield so 

 much milk, or give it so readily, as one kindly 

 treated and cared for. In closing, Mr. King al- 

 luded to the diseases of cattle, remarking that a 

 great many animals are lost whicli miglit have 

 been saved if formers were only better acquainted 

 with the subject of diseases in cattle. As we go 

 through the country, we find that farmers are 

 very ignorant on this point, and follow blindly 

 the customs of their ancestors. Cattle are often 

 put to death by the medicine given them. He 

 alluded to the "soft tail" and "milk vein" no- 

 tions, as illustrations of the need of information 

 among farmers. The idea that, by cutting off a 

 "soft tail," the life of the animal may be saved 

 by preventing its extension upwards and along 

 the vertebras, is wholly false, for the soft spot 

 would not spread half an inch in ten years, and 

 the animal would die of old age before that could 

 kill it. The idea that the large vein along the 

 belly of a cow is the "milk vein," is equally 

 erroneous, it being nothing but a canal from the 

 front to the hinder part of the body, and dis- 

 charging into the loins. 



Mr. Dodge, of Sutton, followed, and stated that 

 by the Patent Office returns, he learned that there 

 were some 20,000,000 horned cattle in tlie coun- 

 try, which, at $20 a head, would represent a 

 value of $400,000,000. Add to this the horses, 

 mules and swine, and we have a total of from 

 seven to ten hundred millions of dollars. Yet he 

 had not been able to find anything more than a 

 mere allusion in any President's message in re- 

 gard to agriculture ; and never any extended no- 

 tice of this important subject in the Governor's 

 message in this State, until this year. As an il- 

 lustration of the want of proper surgery in the 

 treatment of cattle, he stated that he once lost a 

 fine Devon heifer, worth $200, from bronchitis, 

 for which he could get no help. He had no doubt 

 but that the Devons, Durhams, Alderneys and 

 Ayrshires would perpetuate their qualities, and 

 advised a cross with native stock. Mr. Dodge 

 thought the State Board of Agriculture should 

 take in hand the matter of experimenting with 

 different breeds of stock, as it Avas too expensive 

 for individuals generally, and let the farmers reap 

 the benefit. 



Dr. Dadd, Veterinary Surgeon, being called 

 ujjon, made some very interesting remarks in re- 

 gard to the diseases of animals, and their treat- 

 ment. The veterinary science, he said, had been 

 too long neglected in this country, and for one 

 reason, because it has been practiced generally by 

 men who had but little knowledge of anatomy, 

 physiology, and the laws of life, and therefore 

 operated with poor success. They begin an ex- 



