RURAL LIFE IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY 



pork, besides packing or freezing several beeves for 

 home consumption. Beef cattle could be grown and 

 fattened on the hill pastures, and a little late-cut hay or 

 corn fodder would carry them over winter. Improved 

 types of beef cattle, however, were little known until 

 after the first quarter of the last century. Following 

 the introduction of the Devons, soon came fine speci- 

 mens of the Shorthorns, and later the Herefords, com- 

 monly known as the "white faces." These two breeds 

 did much to improve the quality of the beef, and it was 

 no uncommon sight to see large droves of sleek beef 

 cattle being driven from this county to New Haven and 

 Bridgeport for use in these markets, or for shipment to 

 New York. 



The Durham breed of cattle (later known as Short- 

 horns) had beef qualities that early led to their use on 

 many farms. It was found, too, that some families or 

 strains of this breed were excellent milkers, especially 

 for the first six months of lactation, and many good 

 dairies of grade Shorthorns were developed in the 

 towns of Goshen, Litchfield, Watertown and Wood- 

 bury. The Ayrshires, too, early attracted attention for 

 their heavy milking qualities, and large herds of the 

 grades of these two breeds were early developed in 

 connection with the cheese industry. 



About the middle of the last century, following the 

 settling of central and northern New York and Ver- 



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