216 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



of this stock is to be exceedingly thick and full built 

 in the hind quarter, especially the upper part of the 

 thighs and around the rump, so as often to exliibit a 

 very singular appearance. I have known this stock 

 for more than twenty years ; have taken pains lo as- 

 certain its origin ; and so far as it had any alliance 

 to foreign blood, have, satisfactorily to my own mind, 

 traced it back to stock in no way connected with the 

 Short-horn blood. 



" Xow, the Holderuess are pied cattle, generally a 

 deep red and pure white, the same as the Durhams ; 

 although, as among the Durhams, occasionally one 

 may be entirely red, or entirely white. But the leading 

 characteristic of both breeds as to color is the same 

 — 'marbled, mottled, spotted, red and white.' The 

 Holderness have exceedingly neat and beautiful horns; 

 and one striking characteristic in their form, so far as 

 I have known them, is great length of body. As to 

 size, they are about equal to the Durham?, some of 

 them being large, but generally of finer bone and 

 more delicate appearance. 



" I first saw the imported bull ' Holderness,' about 

 the year 1829. He was purchased in England, as 

 stated, at a cost of $1000, and imported into this 

 country by Goukam Pabsoxs, Esq., of Brighton, 

 Mass., then President of the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural Society. In color, he was deep red and pure 

 white, the red predominating. In form, he was ^ery 

 perfect — deep in the brisket, round in the chest, with 

 fine straight Hmbs, heavy quarters, and great length 

 of body. His weight in ordinary flesh was 3000 ^n. 

 " The English Encyclopedia, in speaking of this 

 stock, says: 'They are large, fine boned, possess great 

 aptitude to fatten; their beef is fine; they have both 

 size, strength and speed for labor, and their shoulders 

 are well posited for the draught. Being beautifully 

 variegated in color, marbled, spotted, speckled, red 

 and white, they make elegant Park stock (witness 

 the Earl of Chesterfield s dairy) ; and in one, perhaps 

 the most important respect, great milking, they stand 

 unrivaled, the cows giving from 24 to 36 quarts of 

 rich milk per day.' 



" In a trial on the farm of the Earl of Chesterfield 

 of seven cows, consisting of three celebrated varieties, 

 with crosses upon them, the Holderness cow, giving 

 20 quarts of milk, produced 38 J ounces of butter per 

 day, being 6 ounces more than was jjroduced by any 

 other one. 



"I understand the history of both Holderness and 

 Durham cattle to be this : originally, they were the 

 same stock — large, thrifty, pied cattled, brought over 

 to England from the rich meadow lands of Holland, 

 by the Durham and Holderness farmers. With the 

 latter, projit from the dairy was the leading object ; 

 and they bred with especial reference to this result. 

 With the Durham farmers, early maturity, rapid, large 

 growth, and aptitude to fatten, was the aim ; their 

 leading object being the 'butcher's stall' It has 

 hence resulted that the leading characteristic of the 

 Holderness cows has been, excellence for the dairy ; 

 while at least one leading characteristic of the Dur- 

 hams has been, excellence for the slaughter." 



Ayrshtres. — We give on the preceding page a fair 

 portrait of an imported Ayrshire cow, which will con- 

 yery a good idea of the distinguishing points of a 



properly-formed cow of that breed. According to 

 YouATT, " the origin of the Ayrshire cow is, even at 

 the present day, a matter of dispute ; all that is cer- 

 tainly known about her is, that a century ago there 

 was no such breed in Cunningham or Ayi-shire, or 

 Scotland." Quade, who wrote the Agricultural Sur- 

 vey of Jersey, asserts that " the Ayrshire was a cross 

 between the Short-horned breed and the Alderney." 

 And Count de Gourcey seems to be of the same 

 opinion, as he remarks that " there is a considerable 

 affinity between the two breeds." But Mr. PiObert- 

 soN, in his Rural Recollections, conjectures that they 

 are either of the Holderness breed, or derived from 

 it — judging from the varied color, or from somewhat 

 better evidence, the small head, in which they bear a 

 striking resemblance to them. 



BRITISH AGRICULTURE, 



WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF HIS OWN OPERATION, AT TIP- 

 TREE HALL FARM, BY MR. T. T. MECHI.* 



In presenting another balance-sheet, the author 

 stated that he intended chiefly to call attention to the 

 new method of irrigation as practiced successfully by 

 him, which involved in its consideration our water 

 supply, sanitary condition and physical support, and 

 the application of steam to cultivation. The balance- 

 sheet gave a favoraljle and encouraging result, as the 

 benefit derived this year, in real profit and interest, 

 was nearly £600, and this notwithstanding the pur- 

 chase of £700 worth of corn, oil cake, &c., for the 

 live stock. Nearly the whole difierence between this 

 balance-sheet and the former one arose in the live 

 stock account. By irrigation he was enabled to 

 double, if not triple, his green and root crops, and 

 thus render them profitable instead of unprofitable. 



It was quite clear that if he could double his stock 

 he doubled his manure, and thus aflected importantly 

 the cereal crops. If he doubled his green and root 

 crops, he would diminish their cost one-half This 

 was actually the fact, and therein was his present and 

 agreeable position. Every practical farmer knew that 

 the losing part of his farm was the root ci'op, in cost- 

 ing him more than the annual repayed, and" leaves a 

 heavy charge on the ensuing grain crop. Irrigation 

 changed all this, and permitted each crop to be re- 

 sponsible for its own annual charge, thus rendering 

 them all remunerative. Professor Way, in his recent 

 analysis of grasses in the Royal Agricultural So- 

 ciety Journal, has revealed the astounding truth that 

 irrigated grasses contain tv.-enty-five per cent, more 

 meat-making matter than those not irrigated. We 

 know, by our great chemists, that our sewers contain 

 the elements of our food — of, in fact, our very selves 

 — and that to waste them, as we now do, was a cruel 

 robbery on the welfare and happiness of our people. 

 Practical experience had taught Mr. Meciii that the 

 sewerage was all the better for ample dilution ; that 

 the more you flood your cities with limpid streams, 

 rushing from every tainted and poverty-stricken court 

 and alley, the elements of pestilence and suffering, the 

 grateful earth will absorb them in her bosom, and 

 return them to you as treasures of health and strength. 

 When he spoke of liquified manure, he must be un- 

 derstood as meaning all excrementitious matter, soUd 



• Read before the Society of Arts. 



