No. 6. 



Audi Alteram Partem. 



197 



land ] I once saw there a Cotswold sheep, 

 shown as a great curiosity, weighing 62^ 

 pounds per quarter, which had more the ap- 

 pearance of a small bullock than a sheep — 

 but I can't come it any stronger than that — 

 although it leaves the difference of seventeen 

 pounds and three-quarters per quarter, be- 

 tween us, or seventy-one pounds on the whole 

 sheep — not a trifle. But indeed the whole 

 statement is so surprising on more accounts 

 than one, that I think the writer is bound to 

 revise it, and give us a second edition, with 

 corrections. — No wonder there is such a pre- 

 judice against book-farming ! 



After all, however, I do not say that I 

 doubt the writer's word, remember ; I only 

 say, as the man did, when told of a terrific 

 crop of potatoes — " I should like to see 'em 

 'are taters mishured." Agnus. 



P. S. I find the article, " On Large and 

 Small Farms," transplanted from the Farm- 

 er's Cabinet into the Western Farmer and 

 Grazier, without due acknowledgment — this 

 is bad, but it is worse, to find the same article 

 copied from thence into the Tennessee Farm- 

 er, and acknowledged to the Western Farm- 

 er and Gardener. The article on the manu- 

 facture of Cider, by the late Joseph Cooper, 

 taken also from the Cabinet, is, in the Ten- 

 nessee Farmer, credited to the " Agricultu- 

 rist." In the Western Farmer and Garden- 

 er, for the last month, are two other papers 

 from the Cabinet, not paid for : look out, Mr. 

 Editor, and see that every one has his own. 



For tlie Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Audi alteram partem. 



Mr. Editor, — I find an excellent article 

 in the Baltim.ore American Farmer of the 

 2d of this month, from which I wish to make 

 a few selections tor your pages. It is on an 

 important subject — the rearing of live-stock 

 — which is handled in a plain practical man- 

 ner by the editor of that very interesting 

 .TournaJ, and will go some way, it is believed, 

 to promote that greatest interest of our com- 

 mon country, stock-breeding. 



The worthy editor first gives us an extract 

 in favour of the Durham cattle from the 

 " Tennesee Agriculturist," for the sake of 

 contrasting it with the testimony of a well 

 known and highly valued Breeder, General 

 Davie: and by putting this and that together, 

 perhaps we may be led to see that a good 

 cow, any more than a " good hound," can- 

 not be of a bad colour : indeed it would ap- 

 pear that the age of nonsense is fast passing 

 away. 



*' The Agriculturist says, ' It is a matter 

 of no dispute at this day, that the Durhams 

 are transcendently superior in all respects to 

 ever?/ other breed of cattle.' He adds, rather 



awkwardly, ' To be sure we find one occa- 

 sionally, who doubts the assertion, but we 

 take it for granted that such are entirely in- 

 experienced with the genuine stock. The 

 following are the superior qualities for which 

 we strenuously contend in the Durhams, and 

 which we shall continue to advocate, till we 

 are convinced to the contrary. 



1st. They will keep in better order and be 

 more thrifty on the same quantity and quality 

 of food than any other breed with which we 

 are acquainted. 



2. They mature sooner than any others. 



3. They are the best stock for beef, and 

 are worth at least one third more for this pur- 

 pose than any others. 



4. For milk, Durhams are generally much 

 preferred to other breeds.' 



Per contra — General Davie, who has tra- 

 versed the three kingdoms, looking with an- 

 xious curiosity at all sorts of stock, and send- 

 ing home specimens of Short Horns and Ayr- 

 shires, stales the following fact, which he 

 noted in regard to Short Horns, which is in 

 accordance with his general observations. 



' On passing through the estate of the Duke 

 of Sutherland, I observed in one field about a 

 hundred head of Highland black cattle, and 

 in another, about thirty-four Durham cows ; 

 and on inquiry, I was told, it was the custom 

 for the duke to bring from his estates in Scot- 

 land, 200 black cattle every year for feeding, 

 and as the pastures were eaten by the Dur- 

 hams, they were removed to fresh grass, and 

 the black cattle succeeded them, never failing 

 to get into fine condition, where the Durhams 

 could barely subsist.' 



Now the opinion of the "Agriculturist" is 

 founded, no doubt on observation, and is un- 

 prejudiced, but limited as to time and extent 

 of opportunity ; while General Davie's springs 

 from observation and the view of numerous 

 herds in England, Scotland, and probably Ire- 

 land ; and if we possessed the luxuriant blue 

 grass pastures of Kentucky, we would covet 

 the Short Horns to turn them into beef, still 

 believing, where there is no restriction as to 

 kind, and no limit to the quantity of food, a 

 Short Horn bullock is the most beautiful ma- 

 chine that has yet been constructed for con- 

 verting these ricii substances into meat ; yet 

 we are not quite convinced that — where the 

 beef is to be sent on the hoof and not in the 

 barrel, a long distance to market, that a sin- 

 gle dip of the Short Horn blood on the coun- 

 try stock, would not be the belter system for 

 graziers generally — and this was the opinion 

 of the late Mr. Steenberger, a most sagacious 

 and experienced grazier — but after one dip, 

 let him select his best for breeders. And this 

 detracts nothing from the value of the Short 

 Horns, when it is considered that the tho- 

 rough-bred bull of that breed is indispensable 



