214 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



IMPORTED CATTLE. 



Short-horns. — In his Compend of American Ag- 

 riadture, Mr. Allen says : 



"The Sliort-liorns or Durhanis arc decidedly the 

 most showy and taking aniono- the cattle species. — 

 They are of all colors, between a full deep red, and a 

 pure creamy white, but generally have l)oth iuterniix- 

 ed in larger or smaller patches, or intimately blended 

 ia a beautiful roan. Black, brown, or brindle are not 

 recognized among pure bred Short-horns. Their form 

 is well spread, synnnetrical and imposing, and capable 

 of sustaining a large weight of valualile carcass. — 

 The horn was originally branching, and turned up- 

 ward, but now frequently has a downward tendency, 

 ■with the tips pointing toward each other. They are 

 light and comparatively short, clear, highly polished, 

 juid waxy. The head is finely formed, with a longer 



WRIGHT," in relation to this breed, was published some 

 years since in this journal : 



" 'i'he question has recently appeared on the pages 

 of this journal, 'What kind of cows shall the farmer 

 keep ?' It will doubtless be expected that an answer 

 to this inquiry should suggest, what breed of cows 

 may justly be considered most profitable to the dai- 

 ry I We have many excellent cows of the native 

 breed; and by persevering and intelligent culture, 

 such as was devoted to this object by Mr. Bakkwell 

 in England, we might unquestionably have, in all re- 

 spects, a superior breed of native stock. But such, 

 at present, is not the fact. Our native cows, to a 

 great extent, are, in many respects, an inferior breed; 

 and instead of improving our own, we have resorted 

 to foreign stock. 



" There was a time when the Devons were all the 

 rage. Their color, a rich mahogany red, was capti- 



SIIORT-nORN BtJLL. 



facG: bui not so fine a muzzle, a.s the Devon. The 

 neck is deUcately formed, without dewlap; the brisket 

 projecting, and the great depth and width of the 

 chest, giving short, well spread fore-legs. The crops 

 are good; back and loin broad and fiat; ribs project- 

 ing; deep flank and twist; tail well set up and taper- 

 ing. They have a thick covering of soft hair, and 

 are mellow to the touch, technically termed liandling 

 well. They mature early and rapidly for the quanti- 

 ty of food consumed, jielding largely of good beef 

 with little offal. As a breed, they are excellent milk- 

 ers, though some families of Short-horns surpass oth- 

 ers in this quality. The Short-horns are assigned a 

 high antiquity by the oldest breeders in the counties 

 of Durham and Yorkshire, England, the place of 

 their origin, and, for a long time, of their almost ex- 

 clusive breeding." 



HoLDEKNESs Blood. — The following, by " Ark- 



vating; and their neat and finished forms — their be an 

 tiful horns — their sprightly, active spirits — conciliated 

 great favor. But they were generally rather small; 

 and, as a breed, often not deep niUkers. To these 

 the Short-horn Durhams succeeded, and have borne 

 the palm for several years. During this period, a 

 man would almost have been thought beside himself, 

 to have said aught to their disparagement. But the 

 homage paid to them has, in a measure, subsided. — 

 And the fact, becoming evident in the experience of 

 the farmer, that the object for which they were first 

 cultivated in England — ' profit for the butcher's stall, 

 rather than for the dairy ' — has diminished their value 

 as dairy stock ; the disappointed and dissatisfied now 

 venture to urge the inquiry, ' What kind of cows shall 

 farmers keep ?' 



" In the hope, or, at least, in the desire to obtain 

 something better than was already possessed, impor- 

 tations from England have been made, within a few 



