No. 3. 



Improved Durham Cattle. 



79 



For tlie Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Improved Durham Cattle. 



One who signs himself " A Constant Sub- 

 scriber," in your August number, aslis nu- 

 merous questions about Durham or Short- 

 horn cattle, concerning which he has rather 

 confused and indefinite ideas; and apparent- 

 ly, he has taken but little pains to correct 

 tliem, for tlie information he desires, has 

 been printed an liundred times. But as he 

 probably does not know where to look for it, 

 I will endeavour to answer the questions he 

 has proposed. 



He has most certainly evinced his judg- 

 ment in the choice of breeds which he has 

 made; for milk and beef being the qualities 

 he desires, he could not have found another 

 race, which could at all compete with the 

 Durham Sliort-horns. In milk alone, per- 

 haps, the Yorkshire or the Ayrshire, might 

 push them hard; but the body of the former is 

 ill made and coarse, late in coming to matu- 

 rity, putting the flesh upon the most unpro- 

 fitable parts, and hard to fatten after a nuni- 

 ber of years milking. The carcass of the 

 latter, though compact and well proportion- 

 ed, is small, and better fitted to a cold and 

 scanty region, than to the rich pastures of 

 Pennsylvania. In beef, the Herefords claim 

 to be their equals, but they lack that docili- 

 ty — one of the peculiar characteristics of the 

 Short-horns, so much prized by the dairy- 

 man and the feeder. Add to this, the power 

 which the Durhams have, of almost imme- 

 diately conferring their good qualities upon 

 the crosses between themselves and our na- 

 tive stock, and I think no animal can any 

 where be found that will compare with 

 them. 



The breed of Short-horned cattle, was 

 formerly confined to the counties of York 

 and Durham; and though possessing, in a 

 great degree, those milking qualities for 

 which the present improved race are so re- 

 markable, they had none of their propensity 

 towards early maturity, and readiness to 

 take on flesh when too old for the pail ; on 

 the contrary, they were large, coarse, ill 

 made animals, taking a long time to prepare 

 for the shambles, and putting the flesh which 

 was finally got upon their shapeless bodies, 

 into the most worthless parts. The first im- 

 provements were made upon the banks of 

 the Tees, a small river running through the 

 county of Durham, where these cattle par- 

 ticularly abounded ; and from them, called 

 the Teeswater breed, the present improved 

 race is descended ; although now never 

 known by that name. It has never been 

 certainly ascertained, what other breeds 

 were resorted to by these early improvers, 



but it is evident the present race could not 

 have been built up from the old breed alone, 

 even by the most judicious selections. About 

 the time of these lirst efforts at improvement, 

 some cattle were imported from Holland, and 

 extensively used, but they were large, coarse 

 animals, and it was soon discovered, did more 

 harm than good. A few more judicious 

 breeders, were wise enough to steer clear 

 of them, and resorted to other breeds which 

 are not known ; but it is probable the white 

 wild breed was one, which accounts for the 

 prevalence of that colour in the present 

 race. 



These cattle maintained their superiority 

 for a number of years, until tlie appearance 

 of Mr. Charles Colling upon the stage, who 

 soon, by his remarkable talent for breeding, 

 wrought an evident improvement in the 

 race. Some however, deny this, and state 

 that Mr. Colling himself said, that he never 

 bred an animal equal to his first cow, pur- 

 chased of the Duke of Northumberland; 

 this is no doubt true; but by judicious cross- 

 ings and selectings, he perpetuated those 

 good qualities, which were only accidentally 

 obtained in this first cow, the celebrated 

 Dutchess, and his bull Hubback. Mr. Col- 

 ling, however, did not keep entirely to the 

 pure blood, but tried various crosses, among 

 which, that with the Polled Galloways, was 

 the most successful. The Galloways are a 

 much smaller race of cattle than the Short- 

 horns, with round, close bodies, low upon the 

 ground, and extremely hardy; they were, 

 therefore, well calculated to render more 

 compact the too loosely made Short-horns, 

 and lessen the length of their legs. Mr. 

 Colling chose a beautiful little cow — took 

 one cross from her, and then bred back to 

 the Short-horns; thus obtaining those quali- 

 ties he desired, without ruining- his herd by 

 too great an admixture of the Galloway. 

 From this cross, termed at the time, by 

 breeders of the pure blood, the " Alloy," is 

 descended one of the most celebrated of the 

 present Short-horn families. 



All the praise, however, at the present 

 day lavished upon the Short-horns, is not 

 due to Mr. Colling; there were other breed- 

 ers then and since, who have greatly im- 

 proved them ; and many celebrated animals 

 now living, date from far other progenitors 

 than Dutchess and Hubback. 



The three first questions are now, I be- 

 lieve, fully answered ; except that I would 

 add that the Yorkshires, although a breed of 

 Short-horns, are not to be confounded with 

 the race of cattle, which at present go by 

 that denomination. 



In respect to the fourth question, I will 

 only say, that one of the families of the im- 



