1847. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



47 



Breeeds of Improved Cattle. 



Mr. Editor : — In a paper generally so ac- 

 curate as the Genesee Farmer, when errors or 

 misstatements do occur, you will, I presume, 

 have no objection to set your readers right in re 

 lation thereto. For this purpose, I notice your 

 article in the December number, (last issued) at 

 page 281. Under the title, " Cattle," you re- 

 mark : — " Bakewell, the celebrated English 

 breeder of fine Cattle, so improved the New 

 Leicester stock, (the old long-horned Durham,) 

 from an inferior race to one that took precedence 

 of all others at the time of his death, in the year 

 1795. The race degenerated in the hands of 

 his successors. Figure 1 represents a new Lei- 

 cester Ox." Now, with your leave — as I con- 

 sider all erroneous statements of whatever kind 

 exceedingly mischievous in their eflects — let me 

 remark : that Bakewell took the long-horns, 

 — there is no such breed of cattle as the long- 

 horned Durhams — (which he afterwards named 

 the "new Leicester,") from the elder breeders, 

 (Sir Thomas Gresley, Welby, of Linton, and 

 Mr. Webster, of Caxley,) of that stock, who had 

 them in great perfection, (not an inferior race,) 

 many years before he (Bakewell,) commenced 

 breeding. He was certainly very successful in 

 keeping up their quality and reputation, and 

 made much money from the sales of his cattle. 

 They have not "depreciated," although in the 

 hands of his "successors;" and there are as 

 good long-horns now in England — if we are to 

 believe the accounts of eye-witnesses — as Bake- 

 well ever bred. Neither is figure 1 a portrait 

 of a new Leicester ox. It is an attempt at a 

 portrait of " the Durham ox," a thorough bred 

 short-horn, bred in 1796 by Charles Colling. 



Again you remark : " Mr. Charles Collins im- 

 ported cows from Holstein or Holland, and by 

 crosses and skilful management got up the Hold- 

 ernee breed, one of which, his bull, "Comet," 

 sold for 1000 guineas at auction, in 1810. — 

 Closely connected with this breed are the "short- 

 horned Durhams." Now, permit me to correct 

 this : Charles Colling — not Collins — who was a 

 celebrated breeder of short-horns, or Durhams — 

 although they are no more Durhams, than Nor- 

 thumberlands, or Yorkshires — never imported 

 cows or bulls from Holstein or Holland; nor 

 never, "by crosses and skilful management," 

 or in any other way, "got up the Holdernes 

 breed" of cattle ; nor was "his bull Comet," for 

 which he certainly did get 1000 gu'neas, of the 

 Holdernes or Holstein breed at all, but a pure 

 short-horn, or Teeswater. Neither are the 

 short-horns connected closely with the Holder- 

 nes breed of cattle ; bu^ are of themselves a dis- 

 tinct breed, or variety, as well knbwn and un- 

 derstood in England, and by their breeders in 

 this country, as any otiier kind of animals what- 

 ever. 



As to their "popularity" and "superiority" 

 for "dairy," or any other purposes, that is a 

 matter of individual opinion, which those who 

 breed and prefer them to all others will adjust to 

 their own satisfaction. All they ask is, that their 

 cattle be not misrepresented in the public prints 

 by those not understanding the subject. And I 

 am a little more surprised at this article, as you 

 have the American Herd Book at hand, which 

 does give the true history of the short-horns, or 

 " Durhams," with which every one who pre- 

 tends to write about them, should be well ac- 

 quainted. 



Excuse this freedom. It is only to correct an 

 error, that I ask you to insert this in your papen 

 Very truly yours, 



Lewis F. Allen'. 



Black Rock, Dec, 1846. 



Remarks. — The article alluded to by Mr. 

 Allen, was published in the absence of the Edi- 

 tor of the Farmer, and without his knowledge. 

 If the reader will refer to "Gardner's Farmer's 

 Dictionary," and read from page 135 to 140, he 

 will find that the principal statements in our ai-ti- 

 cle were founded upon good authority. m. 



Red Ants. — A correspondent of the Albany 

 Cultivator gives the following remedy for pre- 

 venting the ravages of red ants, which are troub- 

 lesome insects when domesticated : 



" He made a thick mark with chalk about an 

 inch wide around the article or vessel to be pro- 

 tected from the ants, at any convenient distance 

 from the bottom of the vessel, and he found that 

 they would not attempt to pass over it. I watch- 

 ed their motions for some time. They crawled 

 as busily as ever up as far as the chalk, where 

 they seemed to get very much excited, but not 

 one of them attempted to pass over. 



To MAKE Red Ink. — Take 2 oz. of the best 

 of Brazil wood, half an ounce of alum, and half 

 an ounce of crystals of tartar, and boil with 16 

 oz. of rain water down to half its bulk, add half 

 an ounce of gum Arabic, after it is strained. To 

 this add also one half ounce of cochineal, made 

 into a tincture with 1 i oz. of alcohol. 



How TO KEEP Smoked Hams. — The best meth- 

 od of keeping hams is, after they are smoked, to 

 put them back into the pickle, an J the smoky 

 taste is preserved as perfectly as M'hen put iu 

 ashes or kept in a dry place. 



In Vermont they are making furniture and 

 flooring of a beautiful variety uf green and red 

 slate, lately discovered. It takes a beautiful 

 polish, and splits into any sized slab required. 



The hog Crop of the United States, this year, 

 is three times the worth of the cotton crop. — 

 The "standing army" of swine consumes annu- 

 ally two hundred millions of bushels of corn. 



