178 



Horned Cattle. — No. 2. 



11. 



flour, and the other, materials less costly) 

 would be about one hundred and twenty-four 

 millions of dollars." This is exclusive of the 

 "vast quantity of grain which is distilled, or 

 employed in the arts, or consumed by domes- 

 tic animals." 



But at the increased cost of last year, esti- 

 mated in the report at 80 per cent., the value 

 of bread stufts alone, consumed by our ov«7n 

 population, would be about two hundred and 

 twenty-four millions of dollars. The data 

 furnished by the Secretary of the Treasury, 

 while they show the enormous domestic con- 

 sumption of bread stuffs, exhibit at the same 

 time the comparative insignificance of the 

 foreign markets, the exports to all of which 

 during the most productive years have been 

 but about fourteen millions of dollars. 



Let the Agriculturist remember, 1st.. That 

 the increased consumption of grain has for 

 several years more than equalled the aug- 

 mented production. 2ndly. The abstraction 

 of hands from rural labor for manufacturing, 

 and labor upon public improvements. Sdly. 

 The shortness of the last crop, as compared 

 with average seasons, in several important 

 sections. 4thly. The fact that improvements 

 in husbandry are necessarily adopted very 

 gradually. These may be considered reasons 

 eufficient to account not only for the present 

 high price of produce, but a fair calculation 

 may be predicated thereon, that there must 

 be at least two consecutively productive sea- 

 sons before prices can be reduced to a low 

 standard. 



This should operate as a stimulus to every 

 man connected with the cultivation of the soil, 

 by judicious experiments with the various de- 

 scriptions of manures, and other methods of 

 cultivation, to extract from the earth the full 

 amount it is capable of producing. For even 

 in this " Pennsylvania of ours," though pre- 

 eminently a farming state, scientific agricul- 

 ture has not progressed in a comparative ratio 

 to its importance. 



But another duty would remain, namely 

 to communicate to others the information 

 gained by judgment and skill. To efiect this 

 the Periodical Agricultural press of our coun- 

 try aflords an excellent medium. The estab- 

 lishment of such papers indeed, constitute an 

 important era in Agricultural history. For 

 who can estimate the vast amount of every 

 species of improvement in cultivation, the re- 

 sults of individual exertion for ages, that has 

 been lost, for the want of convenient methods 

 of communication. 



Your Friend, 



MoRRtS LONGSTKETH. 



Valley Green, l8i 1110. ]st, ]838. 



Forget not that in all your plans and opera- 

 tionB there are two worlds. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Horned Cattle.— IVo. 3. 



Early maturity is a valuable property in 

 cattle, and this depends greatly, observes Mr. 

 AiTON, of Scotland, on the way in which they 

 are fed. The cows in the dairy districts of 

 Scotland, when meagerly fed, never had calves 

 till they were three, and frequently not till they 

 were four years old ; but since they have been 

 better fed they always have a calf at two years, 

 and some of them even younger. 



Aptitude to fatten is a valuable quality in 

 cattle. It is accompanied, says Mr. Bake- 

 well, with smallness of bone, and the cele- 

 brated John Hunter remarks, that small 

 bones are generally indicative of corpulency. 

 Hence the importance of avoiding coarseness 

 in cattle from which we wish to breed. 

 I The short horns possess fattening qualities 

 in an eminent degree, and in addition to their 

 smallness of bone compared with the size of 

 I their carcass, the docility of temper, for which 

 [they are remarkable, contributes to their lay- 

 ling oii flesh and fat rapidly. It is well ob- 

 I served by English writers that good tempered 

 animals feed more freely than ill-tempered, 

 vicious ones. 



" Formerly," says Mr. Aiton " very little 

 regard was paid by farmers to the breeding 

 of cattle. The nature of the bull they thought 

 a matter of no importance ! When large bulls 

 are put to cows of much inferior size, and ill- 

 fed, the result is a race of large-boned, ill- 

 shaped animals, generally inferior to both pa- 

 rents. 



The male parent amongst quadrupeds has 

 greater influence than the mother in the size 

 and shape, as well as of the character of the 

 progeny. 



Dr. Cline remarks, " that crossing has on- 

 ly succeeded in an eminent degree, in those 

 instances in which the females were larger, 

 than in the usual proportion of females to 

 males." 



In improving stock be careful to select and 

 couple together males and females as nearly 

 perfect in shape and quality as they can be 

 procured, without much regard to whether 

 they are related or not, but always take care 

 not to couple a male and female, both of which 

 have the same defect. 



" The most pure and perfect race of ani- 

 mals may be debased by improper mixture, 

 or injured by improper treatment. Indiscrim- 

 inate matches in breeding, and inattentive 

 management in rearing, are alike capable of 

 producing a worthless progeny."* 



A careful cross of the Durham bull, with 

 our best native stock, provided they are of 

 good size and form, and not stinted or abused, 

 produce cattle of exceedingly fine qualities. 



Dr. Coventry on Live Stock. 



