1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



429 



DUTCH CATTLE. 



After reviewing the controversies of other 

 •writers upon the origin *of this breed of cattle, 

 Mr. Allen, in his late book on American Cattle, 

 remarks, "We are content to let the matter 

 rest on the one indisputable fact, that the im- 

 proved Dutch cattle of the present day, in 

 many of their characteristics, do possess 'so 

 great a resemblance to the Short-horns, that no 

 wide stretch of imagination need be exercised 

 to presume that the progenitors of each — many 

 centuries ago — may have been traced to a 

 common ancestry. In our history of the 

 Short-horns, we have alluded to the probability 

 that they were, at a very early day, originally 

 derived from the neighboring continent ; and 

 they may have descended from the same com- 

 mon ancestry to which the present improved 

 breed of Holstein, and Holland, trace their 

 lineage." 



Mr. Allen then alludes to importations of 

 these cattle by Hon. Wm. Jarvis of Weath- 

 ersfield, Vt., and by H, Le Roy, Esq., of 

 New York, as early as 1820, and 1825, which 

 were crossed with the common cattle, but in 

 a few years the pure blood became lost. Of 

 Mr. Chenery's importation he says, "these 

 animals were procured from the best dairy 

 herds in the vicinity of Beemster and Purmur- 

 end, in the north Province of North Holland, 

 with a special care to their sanitary condition, 

 and their possession of all the highly esteemed 

 qualities of their race, and are the only herd 

 of pure bred Holstein or Dutch cattle known in 

 the country, except their descendants, which 

 may be in some other hands." 



"Their surpassing excellence appears to be in 

 their milking qualities, coupled with large size, 

 and a compact, massive frame, capable of making 

 good beef; and in the oxen, strong, laboring ani- 

 mals. They are almost invariably black and white' 

 in color, spotted, pied, or mottled in picturesque 

 inequalities of proportion over the body. The 

 horn is short, and the hair is short, fine and silky. 

 The lacteal formations in the cows are wonderful, 

 thus giving them their pre-eminence in the dairy. 



For the dairy, the qualities of the Holsteins 

 must be acknowledged as remarkable. The Short- 

 horns, as in many instances of trial, have hitherto 

 acknowledged no superior ; yet'they have now, in 

 these new strangers to our soil, to say the least, 

 found most forniidable competitor*, and an oppor- 

 tunity is here offered, by those who cultivate them 

 for the dairy, to test their long acknowledged good 

 qualities by comparison. The Holsteins have been 

 long bred and cultivated with a view to develop 

 their lacteal production to the utmost ; and that 

 they are quick feeders, and physiologically con- 

 stituted to turn their food readily to milk, must be 

 evident. 



As .1 beef animal, their merits have been, as yet, 

 but partially tried in the half-breds, or grades 

 from the Holstein bull, on the natives, or other 



cows of different breeds. So far, however, they 

 are claimed to be satisfactory. 



As a working ox, they will probably j-ank with 

 other heavy cattle of like quality — better in their 

 grades with the lighter or more active breeds,, no 

 doubt, than in the thorough breds — as with the 

 Short-horn crosses. We consider Mr. Chenery's 

 importation a decided acquisition to the cattle 

 interests of our country, and trust they will be- 

 come widely known and distributed." 



Our cut represents the imported Holstein or 

 Dutch cow, "Texelaar," imported and owned 

 by Winthrop W. Chenery, Highland Stock 

 Farm, Belmont, Mass. She received the first 

 premium in her class at the fair of the Middle- 

 sex Agricultural Society in 1864, and at the 

 Fair of the New England Society in 1865, and 

 won the Sweepstakes — Society's Silver Medal. 

 Mr. Chener'y says that "Texelaar" has pro- 

 duced 4018 lbs. 14 oz. milk in nine weeks, or 

 an average of 63 79-100 pounds per day for 

 sixty-three successive days, her largest yield in 

 one day being 76 lbs. 5 oz — over thirty-five 

 quarts. 



THE HOKSE AT FAIRS. 



As we have never assumed the responsi- 

 bility of doing the thinking for our readers or 

 correspondents, we have no hesitation in pub- 

 lishing the communication of Mr. Lang upon 

 this subject, although we may not assent to all 

 his positions and conclusions. 



In objecting to the "trials of speed" at ag- 

 ricultural fairs we do not understand that 

 either Mr* Smith or Mr. Ploward would de- 

 prive horsemen or horses of their right to the 

 privileges and advantages of the exhibition. 



The "agricultural fair" and the "horse- 

 race" are old institutions. Until within a few 

 years past they have been entirely distinct. 

 They have been patronized by different class- 

 es. The character of each and of their concom- 

 itants have become well defined and clearly 

 understood. The question at issue is upon 

 the union of these two distinct institutions — 

 the "horse-race" and the "agricultural Fair," 

 — and not upon the exclusion of the breeders 

 of any kind of stock. 



We admit that the gentlemen of the horse 

 race show a disposition to be very courte- 

 ous and accommodating to the managers of the 

 agricultural Fair. They are willing even to 

 abandon their time-honored vernacular, by 

 substituting "horse-fair" for "horse-race," 

 "premium" for "purse," "track" for "race 

 course," &c., &c. Still we frankly confess 

 that we have serious apprehensions that here 



