SECRETARY'S REPORT. 59 



"With regard to the Devons, they have reached a higli standard 

 in England, where for two centuries they have been bred and 

 improved with great care. For aptitude to fatten, after reach- 

 ing the age of three or four years, they are quite remarkable 



Devon Cow.* 



and the accounts given of their^weight and shape, indicate great 

 skill on the part of those engaged in their production. Their 

 blood has evidently been largely infused into our New England 

 stock, and must have been prominent among the earliest impor- 

 tations into this part of the country. With their size, shape, 

 and quality, as represented among us, every farmer and butcher 

 is acquainted ; and he may be somewhat surprised to learn that 

 in England they are fed to over two thousand pounds, and have 

 competed successfully with some of the largest breeds, when 

 brought to the stall. With us they have furnished that admirable 

 animal known on the New England farm, as the " seven foot ox," 

 red, straight, even, thrifty, hardy, quick, and vigorous, living 

 well on short pastures, and, after having performed a vast 

 amount of useful service, yielding on an average, a thousand 

 pounds of beef, of the best quality. This is the animal which 

 stands high among New England cattle, and which is evidently 

 some form of Devon, bred and crossed here for many years, 



* The illustrations for this article are taken from the Treatise on " Milch Cows 

 and Dairy Farming," by Charles L. Flint, Secretary of the State Board of 

 Agriculture. 



