REPORTS OF DELEGATES. 237 



several from which he was allowed to select, he preferred 

 " Northumberland," having in view the locality and purposes 

 for wliich he was destined. The bull was of medium size, gen- 

 erally good symmetry, mostly of a red color, with a few streaks 

 of brindle about the head, neck and shoulders ; knowing the 

 Yankee prejudice against light colors in cattle, especially for 

 oxen, (much stronger at that day than now,) and supposing 

 that working oxen would be one of the objects in propagation, 

 it was thought that " Northumberland's '" color might serve to 

 recommend him to favor. His dam was a great milker, but 

 not of so good constitution as some cows. On the side of his 

 sire he inherited a good fattening tendency, a property which 

 he communicated in a striking degree to his progeny from grade 

 and common cows. As a proof of the slight estimation in which 

 the bull was held in Franklin County, it may be proper to men- 

 tion that, in the fall of 1847, Mr. Howard called at Mr. Ciiild's 

 farm, and found the bull in course of preparation for slaughter. 

 Mr. Child told him that the farmers paid very little attention to 

 the bull, and would not avail themselves of his services at two 

 dollars per head sufficiently to pay the expense of keeping him. 

 The bull, however, was not killed at this time, but was sold and 

 taken to Longmeadow, where he was kept two years. He was 

 then purchased by a company of farmers in Whately, and kept 

 for service two or three years ; from Whately he was taken to 

 Montague, kept two years, and fatted as a stag ; he is said to 

 have fattened like a steer. He was sold at Cambridge market, at 

 the age of fourteen or fifteen years. His stock proved as good 

 at the last as in his youth. After his progeny had demon- 

 strated their superiority over any other stock in the vicinity, 

 very much was said about the value of the " Northumberland " 

 breed, which continues to maintain its high reputation to this 

 day. Although he was not the first bull of the Short-horn breed 

 in Franklin County, (there having been before his day bulls 

 called "Durhams" brought from Hoosack, N. Y., that could 

 be traced to importations from England,) he was probably of 

 purer blood than his predecessors, and his great excellence was 

 the foundation for the high repute in which the Short-horns are 

 held through all this section of the State. 



To return to the report of the exhibition : The pure bred 

 Short-horn bull " Fourth of July," two years of age, was a 



