CATTLE OF IMPROVED BREEDS. 219 



toasts, lively speeches, friendly carte and tierce, flashing allusions and sparkling 

 repartee, " the feast of reason and the flow of soul " — such as we used to have 

 at the old Fairs of the Agricultural Society in Maryland, and the brilliant meet- 

 ings at the Central Course, under the Presidency of Judge Heath, in the time 

 of that bland, courteous and accomplished gentleman, J. M. Selden, in adver- 

 sity as in prosperity — in look, in feeling, in action — always the gentleman ! It 

 was in him by nature ; it came to him by education ; and we rejoice to have a 

 spot on which to hang this portrait of him, poor as it is, and short of doing jus- 

 tice to the original. 



CATTLE OF IMPROVED BREEDS. 



UNACCOUNTABLE APATHY IN REGARD TO THEM. 



Few things are more remarkable in the agricultural economy of our country 

 than the neglect of cattle-breeders to avail themselves of the use of improved 

 animals, descending from imported stock. Is it ignorance, or is it downright 

 stinginess — that " penny wise, pound foolish " policy which often leads other- 

 wise sensible men to lose money by saving it ? Nothing was more observable in 

 our late rambles in the mountains of Virginia than the failure of those who breed 

 their own cattle to provide themselves with bulls that would soon give them a 

 race yielding as much beef in three years as they now get in five. Yet so it is, 

 that so lukewarm are cattle-breeders generally that no importer of choice stock 

 can hope for remuneration. The premium bull Marius, at Saratoga, is said to 

 have cost $700 on the wharf in New- York. He was imported from the stock 

 of the late Earl Spencer, one of the wealthiest farmers in all England, and par- 

 ticularly distinguished as a zealous and enlightened Short-Horn breeder. We 

 doubt not that ' Marius ' would this day, at a National Fair in England, bring 150 

 guineas. What they will bring here is attested by the sales of Mr. Prentice and 

 Mr. Gowen, and by the abortion of Mr. Sherwood's attempt to sell. Yet, for 

 any part of our country well adapted to raising and fattening beef-cattle, the 

 get of such bulls as Marius would doubtless give as much beef of the best 

 quality in three years as our best native cattle would in five. 



At a late meeting of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society in England, Mr. 

 John Outhwaile was called on at dinner to give the health of the successful com- 

 petitors in the cattle department. Whereupon he rose and said he 



" had pleasure in rising to discharge the duty j One of them obtained the first and the other 

 devolved on him, because he considered that [ the second prize ; and being sti-uck with the 

 the countiy at large was greatly uuleljted to " " 



that body of gentlemen he was about to in- 

 troduce to their notice. And, as a tenant- 

 farmer, he felt that he and those similarly 

 situated ought to hail lhi.s toast, for he could 

 assure them that tliis Society, whicli had been 

 the means of brmging tiiosc gentlemen so 

 promiuenlly before the public as breeders of 

 stock, had also been the medium of great ad- 

 vantage to him as iui individual, and he doubt- 

 ed not also to oUier membci's of the company 

 then assembled. A few years ago the meet- 

 ing of this Society was held at Northallerton, 

 and on that occasion two animals (twuis) bred 

 by Mr. Lax, of Ravensworth, were exhibited. 

 (459J 



perfection of their breed, he and two other 

 tenant-farmers were induced to liire the use 

 of them, aud he nieant to tell them, as the re- 

 sult, that while they may not be able to beat 

 Mr. Lax, Mr. Booth, or Mr. Bates, still they 

 had improved their stock so greatly by the 

 introduction of those animals upon their 

 fiinns, that, so far as he was concerned, 

 whereas his father used to hold his bullocks 

 until they v*.ere rising four years old, he 

 never kept his more than two years. And 

 farther, before they attained the age of two 

 years luid si,\; montlis, thoy generally aver- 

 aged sixty stones each, [S40 pounds,] and 

 that too without any food beyond the pro- 



