214 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Mat 



received a note from him in rdation to them which 

 we will publish next week. 



TENTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING, 



At tub State UoiiK, Tuksdav Evesiso, March 21. 



Subject, — Neat Cattle — What is the best meth- 

 od of improving the stock of animals to be kepi on 

 our farms ? 



The meeting was called to order by Mr. Simon 

 Brown, Chairman of the Executive Committee, 

 and Hon. B. V. French, of Braintree, was invited 

 to preside for the evening. 



Mr. French, on assuming the chair, introduced 

 Mr, S.VNFORD Howard, of the Boston Cultivator, 

 who proceeded to deliver a very interesting lecture 

 on the subject of farm stock. 



Mr. Howard opened with a succinct history ofj 

 the domestic ox, its origin, kindred species, &c., 

 which displayed considerable research and a full 

 knowledge of the subject. The ox, he said, could 

 not be traced to any extinct race of animals, or to 

 any now in existence, and although there is gen- 

 erally supposed to be but one species of the do- 

 mestic ox, yet there are different breeds, varying 

 in their characteristics. Breeds are of two class- 

 es, natural and artificial, the latter being the re- 

 sult of man's agency — as the Ayrshire cattle may 

 be called an artificial breed. 



The object in breeding cattle should be to propa- 

 gate varieties which combine most fully those 

 qualities needed for a specific purpose, as for beef, 

 milk, or lalx>r. These qualities are somewhat 

 antagonistical, particularly fattening and milk- 

 ing. Piit cattle should be marked by fulness and 

 rotundity, while the milch stock should be char- 

 acterized by flatness rather than roundness. The 

 animal, too, which has the greatest tendency to 

 fatness has insufGcient muscle and nervous energy, 

 for lalxir. Stock can be best improved by culti- 

 vating for specific purposes, Some farmers think 

 a stock should be obtained which will combine all 

 qualities, but this is unreasonable. No farmer ex- 

 pects to get his clothes, shoes, farming utensils, 

 &c., all made by one individual ; and on the same 

 principle, he should rear stock ibr particular uses, 

 A great point in rearing stock is to provide suffi- 

 cient food and shelter, for until this is attended 

 id, it is of little use to talk about breeds. Far- 

 mers lose immensely every year by insufficient feed- 

 ing. As to breeds of cattle, nothing definite can 

 be said, \\\ reference to this section of country, be- 

 cause no adequate experiments have been made 

 'm this matter in this section of the country. Dif- 

 ferent breeds are required for different localities. 

 Mr. ilowARD submitted tljQ following list, as the 

 best he could recommend :— 



As Dairy stock, on poor and rough soils, the 

 Kerry breed, -which is indigenous to the mountains 

 of Ireland, apd jrepresonted by all authorities aa 



combining a remarka}>le hardiness of constitutioD 

 with superior dairy qualities^ especially for but- 

 ter. 



2d. For better soils and milk-selling establish- 

 ments, the Ayrshires. 



3d. For cities and towns, the Jerseys, at the 

 same time testing them by fair trials as to general 

 adaptatiooa. 



4th. A selection from the common or so-called 

 Native stock., to be subjected to a systematic course 

 of breeding. 



5th. Crosses of the Ayrshire and Jersey with 

 the common stock, the offspring to be kept separ- 

 ately for such a period as may be necessary to 

 test their qualities. 



For fat stock, of secondary value for dairy pur- 

 poses, — on poor and rough soils and severe climate, 

 the West Highland Scots. 



2d. For somewhat better soils, Galloways and 

 Devons. 



3d. For medium soils, Hekefords. 



4th. For the best soils and a milder climate, 

 the fattening variety of Suort Horns, tried, also 

 in comparison with the Hercfords. 



The Herefords, "West Highlanders, and Devons- 

 are excellent draught cattle. Our climate is a 

 very trying o*ne for cattle, on account of its ex- 

 tremes of heat and cold, and this is one reason 

 why the Short Horns have so seldom succeeded 

 in New England. The Western Highland breed 

 is a very hardy one, and fatten as readily the 

 third year as any other variety. In England it 

 is considered the model in the improvement of all 

 other breeds as to form. 



At the close of Mr. Howard's lecture. Col. 

 Newell, President of the Essex Agricultural Soci- 

 ety, inquire! of him the qualities of Ayrshire 

 stock as working cattle. 



Mr. Howakd said he had never known full- 

 blooded animals of this stock to work well. He, 

 however, had no acquaintance with them as work- 

 ing cattle — only as dairy stock. 



Mr. Sprague of Duxbury, said he was familiar 

 with the breeds of cattle kept on Mr. Webster's 

 farm, embracing several foreign varieties. The 

 farmer in charge esteems the Devons as the best 

 working cattle. The Durhams are slow, although 

 possessing great strength. Some people Siiy that 

 Ayrshires are smart and good workers, and oth- 

 ers say that they are vicious. 



Mr. Sheldon of Wilmington, said he had a yoie 

 of Ayrshire oxen from the Webster farm at 

 Franklin, N. H., which he purchased last August 

 from Mr. Ames. They are stout, active cattle, ful- 

 ly equal to any he ever had. He thought he 

 had never owned any cattle which would travel 

 twenty miles quicker than they, although he had 

 never owned lighter cattle. They plowed last year 

 at Concord and obtained the first premium, fin- 



