1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



251 



For the yew England Farmer. 



NATIVE AND IMPROVED CATTLE. 



Friend Brown: — At the time of first writing, 

 through the Farmer, to "Essex," about breeds of 

 cattle, I intended to examine the books of our 

 County Agricultural Society, for the yield of the 

 various premium cows, and to institute a com- 

 parison of yield in reference to breeds. But I 

 can make no comparison which would be satis- 

 factory to any one, on account of the great differ- 

 ence in manner and amount of feed. Failing in 

 their attempt, I laid down my pen. But the pe- 

 culiar reply of my friend "Essex" to my former 

 communication, led to another search of our 

 records, the result of which I will give you. 



"Esse^" says that if I had charged him with 

 partiality instead of prejudice, he would have 

 "owned up ;" for "I must confess," he says, 

 ^^ other things being eciual,^^ I do like "our own 

 better than foreign breeds." My friend wont 

 take it amiss, I know, when I tell him that my 

 inclination to laugh, at this point, was irresist- 

 ible. B.Si\ ha'. ''Other things lieing equal !'' Why, 

 that is just the point in dispute ! — " Other things 

 being equal.'" Why should either of us care 

 about the mere accident of birth-place, ''other 

 things being equaU^^ — that is, all cows costing an 

 equal sum, giving an equed amount of milk, from 

 which, with an equal amount of labor, an equa. 

 amount of butter or cheese, of equal quality, 

 could be manufactured — the cows keeping in 

 eqtial order, upon an equal amount and quality of 

 food. Well, for the life of me, I can't see wiiy, 

 "other things being equal,'''' there can be room for 

 a great difference. 



"Essex" accuses me of being "sensitive" to 

 the use of the term "native,^'' when applied to 

 animals, and indirectly charges me with an at- 

 tempt to "mystify the matter," under "an affec- 

 tation of learning not to be commended." I 

 have no desire to mystify the matter in any de- 

 gree; and, after the perusal of this article by 

 "Essex," I will leave to his cooler judgment to 

 determine whether "secresy and double-shuffle" 

 I 'mystery," and "an affectation of learning" is 

 justly chargeable to me when asking the meaning 

 of the term "native," as applied to our stock, 

 nine-tenths of which, he says, are yiative, and 

 ' ' nothing different from natives . ' ' 



In 1819, the Worcester Agricultural Society 

 held their first cattle show, at which was exhib- 

 ited the imported Teeswater bull "Denton." If 

 nine-tenths of the stock on the best farms of the 

 best county of the Commonwealth could show his 

 blood now, I would undertake to decide before- 

 hand where the State Society's premiums would 

 go next year. "Admiral," another imported 

 bull, graced our shows in 1825, 26, 27 and 28. 

 In 183G, a full blood Ayrshire bull was sent into 

 the county by the Massachusetts Society. In 

 1842 another animal, of the same blood, was pre- 

 sented to the society by Hon. John P. Gushing. 

 And in 1848, the renewed munificence of the State 

 Society put us in possession of two bulls, one an 

 Ayrshire, the other a North Devon. In addition 

 to these animals, there have been many others 

 from the herds of different individuals in this 

 State, Connecticut and New York. 



Up to the year 1828, the breed of the animal 

 was not generally entered on record. Still, to 



that year inclusive, of bulls and bull calves en- 

 tered for premiums at the different shov.'S, the 

 blood of which was given by competitors, there 

 were 126 of improved to 24 of native breed. I do 

 not find the records from 1839 to 1842. From 

 1842 to 1854, both inclusive, (and in this time a 

 statement of breed was required,) there were 308 

 entries of hulls and bull calves, 272 of which 

 were certified to be, in whole or in part, of foreign 

 blood, improved — 36 only being entered as native. 

 From 1842 to 1847, both inclusive, there were 

 exhibited 37 native cows, against 34 of mixed or 

 improved breeds ; while from 1848 to 1854, there 

 were 108 of improved breeds against 39 called 

 natives. 



In the class of heifers and heifer calves, in the 

 first period, there were 89 natives against 153 of 

 improved breed. In the last, there were 130 na- 

 tives against 317 improved. Now, from 1843 to 

 1854, both inclusive, there were in the classes oi 

 bulls and bull calves, cows, heifers and heifer 

 calves, 1115 entries, 784 of which were classed as 

 improved. In 1854, out of 33 bulls and bull 

 calves, there were but 2 entered as natives ; out 

 of 39 cows, 2 only were entered as natives ; and 

 I will give "Essex" one of these two it he does 

 not pronounce her a grade Durham, and high 

 grade at that. I entered her as I bought her, 

 and, out of 51 heifers and heifer calves, only 7 

 were claimed by their owners as natives. 



If it is fixir to presume that these exhibitions 

 offer a fair pro rata exhibit of our stock, then 

 Essex mvist admit that in the lest county of the 

 State nine-tenths of the stock are not natives ? 



If we assume that the best stock of the county 

 is exhibited at these Shows, then in the judgment 

 of the community the best of that exhi'iited has 

 been and is now in whole or in part of foreign 

 blood, and so, properly, called "improved.'''' 



Because from 1843 to 1853, both inclusive, the 

 disposition of premiums has been as follows : 



Bulls and Bull Coui Heifers and 



Calves. "' Hei/er Calves. 



Irapr'd. Native. Impr'd. Native. ImprM. Native. 



Up to 1843. . .44 8 24 19 80 50 



..5 2 1 3 5 6 



1S43. 

 1853. 



lSo4. 



..3. 



.aU. 



.0. 



From 1842 to 1847, both inclusive, there were 

 entered of 



Cows. Heifers and Calves. Bulls and Calves. 

 Native. Impr'd. Native. Impr'd. Native. Impr'd. 

 37 34 89 153 29 104 



while from 1848 to 1854, both inclusive, there 

 were entered of 



Con-9. Heifers and Calves. Bulls arid Calves. 

 Native. Impr'd. Native. Impr'd. Native. Impr'd. 

 76 142 219 470 7 164 



or 457 native of all classes, against 1067 of im- 

 proved breed. 



One thing no Worcester county farmer will 

 deny, tliat, beginning with Denton in 1819, our 

 stock, whether for the dairy, the shamldes or the 

 yoke, has l)een very much improved. This im- 

 provement must have been caused either by great- 

 er care of the stock, as originally among us, or 

 from the intermixture of foreign blood. 



If from greater care of our original stock, why 

 as an almost universal thing, are our premiums 

 bestowed upon animals the farthest removed from 

 it? 



If, in a county favored with the presence of 



