204 



NEW ENGLAND FARxMER. 



FACTS AN1> OB'ERVATIOXS P.FJ ATIN'C TO 



AGRICL LTURF. & DOMESTIC ECONOM Y. 



FOR THE NF.W ENCLAXD FAR.MXIR. 

 ON NEAT CATTLE. 



In early ases oeat cattle, together with sheep 

 and goats, termed almost the only property of 

 men, who were reputed to be wealthy. Thus 

 Abram was said to be "very rich in cattle;"'' 

 the wealth of Lot consisted of " (locks and herds 

 and tents." 'Of Nabal it was said '•• the man was 

 very great, and he had three thousand sheep, 

 and a thousand goats." Cattle became of some- 

 what less comparative consequence as society 

 advanced in civilization ; still there is nothing 

 over which the knowledge, constituting power, 

 has given man dominion of more importance 

 than neat cattle, unless, perhaps, it bo iron. 



It is probable that cattle, aiul indeed all do- 

 mestic animals, were originally existing in a 

 wild state, and some arc still found in a state of 

 nature in dift'crent countries. 



A kind of cattle, called by authors the Urus, 

 or wild bull, was formerly a native of Great 

 Britain and Ireland, as is proved by the horns 

 q^bis animal, which have been tound in the 

 mosses and bogs of those countries. These 

 horns arc of great magnitude ; and their size 

 indicate that they belonged to the largest animal, 

 ol the ox kind, that ever was found in Europe. 

 The breed has been extinct in Great Britain 

 and Ireland, from time immemorial ; but still 

 exists in the Polish province of Lithuania. It 

 is described as having in general a curled shaggy 

 coat, especially on the forehead ; the hair con- 

 stantly long on the fore quarters, neck and fore- 

 head, and depending from the chin ; the neck 

 elevated, thick and short, with the tail long, the 

 eyes red and liery ; the horns thick and short. 

 It grows to a large size, the female being larger 

 than the largest bull of common breeds. 



The Bison (^Bos .Imericnnvs) is a large spe- 

 cies of ox, with round and distant horns, which 

 point outward, a long and wooly maine, and a 

 large and fleshy protuberance on the shoulders. 



These anmials are hunted on the banks of the 

 Mississippi and its tributary streams. Their 

 flesh is used as food, and the fatty protuberance, 

 in some large cattle, weighs forty of fifty pounds, 

 and is esteemed a great delicacy. When the 

 animals are in full flesh, they arc said to yield, 

 sometimes, as much as 150 pounds of tallow. 



The largest breed of cattle hitherto discovered 

 is found in the interior parts of India, and is there 

 called Ainee. Dr. Anderson gives the following 

 particulars respecting this prodigious quadru- 

 ped. 



" About the year 1790 or 1791, the Hawks- 

 bury East Indiaman, on her voyage outward, 

 while she was going up the river Gangefe, and 

 at the distance of about lifty miles below Calcut- 

 ta, fell in with a bullock ol this species floating 

 in the river, and still alive. A boat was imme- 

 diately liojsted out, which went in chase of this 

 game: a noose was soon lluown across (he 

 horns ; and it was dragged to the ship's side, 

 hoisted on board, killed, cut up, and soon after 

 dressed for the use of the ship's company, who 

 found It a most delicious moal ; being the tirst 

 fresh meat that they bad tasted for many months. 

 They all thought it a very large sized ox, and 

 were the more surprised at this particular when 

 it was discovered to be only two years old. — 

 When cut up, it was found to weigh three hun- 

 dred and sixty pounds a quarter, making one 



thousand four hundred and forty pounds of beef 

 in the whole carcase. As this animal must nec- 

 essarily be supposed to be lean at the time, for it 

 must have floated, in all probability, many hun- 

 dred miles down the river (none of this breed 

 being found lower than about Plassy.) and must 

 therefore have fallen oiT in fle>^h very much, we 

 canno{ compute that a full sized bullock of that 

 breed, when thoroughly fatted, could have been 

 less than three times that weight ; so (hat the 

 four quarters alone would have amounted to 

 two tons ; an enormous size for an animal of that 

 kind." 



In a work by Mr. Kerr, an English author, on 

 the Animal Kingdom, this kind of ox is said to 

 have been met with by a British officer, in the 

 woods above Bengal ; and to have been four- 

 teen feet high, measuring from the hoofs to the 

 top of the horns. It partakes ol the form of the 

 horse, the bull and the deer ; and is represent- 

 ed as a bold and daring animal. It is said to 

 have upright lunatcd horns, flat and wrinkled 

 on their surface. It is of a black color, quite 

 smooth, witii no bunch or protuberance like 

 that of the bison. The horns of these animals 

 are to be found in European museums and cabi- 

 nets. Some of them are said to measure three 

 feet and an half in length, and seven inches di- 

 ametei, at the base. 



The Arnee is, perhap-, the largesl breed of 

 cattle yet known. A very small breed is found 

 in Africa, ol which we have the following no- 

 tice in Dr. Anderson's Recreations. 



" The smallest breed of cattle, which has 

 come to my knowledge, I never yet saw ; but 

 it has been so accurately described to me by 

 several persons who have seen and handled it 

 often, that there can be no doubt (hat such a 

 breed of cattle does actually exist. The dimin- 

 utive creature to which 1 allude, was n bull, 

 which, with a cow of the same breed, was 

 brought by way of natural curiosity from some 

 part of the western coast of Africa, as my in- 

 formation goes, to be presented to (he Duke of 

 Northumberland ; but, unfortunately, the cow 

 received a hurt on board the vessel, which 

 caused her death. The bull came safe, and liv- 

 ed about Sion house, near Brentford, above 

 eight years, being quite domesticated, and as 

 tame as a dog. Mr. Forsyth, of Kensington, 

 who was then gardener to the duke, assures me, 

 that he has measured him often after he had 

 attained his fullest size, and when he was enor- 

 mously fat ; and that from the ground to the 

 top of the shoulder was precisely two leet. He 

 was a neat, well formed, and beautiful creature 

 of his kind. His horns would seem to have 

 been rather longer in proportion, and liner than 

 those of the ordinary bulls in this country, biding 

 three or lour inches long and verysharj). Like 

 all other yjf.'.'j, he became very familiar in the 

 family. He used to accompany the brewer to 

 the cellar, and came at last to relish a horn of 

 good ale very well ; and, after having satistied 

 himself completely, he used to lake his place 

 before the hearth in the servants' hall, from 

 which it was not an easy matter to dislodge him. 

 He became at length a little mischievou.-> and 

 troublesome to strangers, who came about the 

 house, by some of whom, it was supposed, he 

 had been so severely beaten as to occasion his 

 death." 



The musk hull, which is found in the interior 

 parts of North America, between Churchill and 



Seal rivers is another remarkable variety of tt 

 Bos, or cattle kind. This species is "thougi 

 to have arisen from an intercopulatiou of tl 

 bison with the common kind, such as our d 

 mestic cattle. It is said to be somewhat lowe 

 but more bulky than the deer, with short leg 

 a small hump or bunch on the shoulders ; tt 

 horns very large, weighing from forty to sixl 

 pounds, bending downwards, and verging out i 

 the points (o the leng(h of (wo feet and uj 

 wards ; the hair of a dusky red color, tine, ac 

 long enough to reach the ground. Beneath th 

 hair the body is covered with an ash colore 

 wool or fur, so very (ine as to make stocking 

 liner than silk. The tail is about three incht 

 long, and covered with hair, of which the E 

 quimaux Indians, make caps. They are ver 

 prolitic and numerous, delight in rocky and hill 

 countries, have considerable speed, and dim 

 Sleep ascents with much agilit}'. Their flesh i 

 esteemed good and wholesome food, iictwith 

 standing its flavor of musk. 



The sarluc, or grunting ox of Tartary an 

 Thibet is a singular animal of this species. I 

 IS found in Tartary and Thibet, where it i 

 i.umbered among the domestic animals. 1 

 Ireeds with the bison, and is accounted an an 

 inal of the same species. It has, however, som 

 [■eculiarities not found in any other creature c 

 the bos kind. Instead of lowing like an ox, . 

 2ruuts like a hog. Its bod}' is covered wit 

 very long hair, which hang^ down below th 

 linees, generally black, excepting the ridge ( 

 tiie back and the mane, which are white. Th 

 liorns are short, upright, sharp and slender ; th 

 tail is formed like that of a horse, but white an 

 bushy. The animal, in its wild state, is ver 

 unruly and dangerous, and accustomed to slrik 

 or but with its head. The tail, being mounte 

 in silver, is used in India for the purpose of dr: 

 ving away flies, and serves various purposes c 

 ornament in Thibet and China. 



(to be continued.) 



Cisterns for holding rain ■water. 

 " The deeper cisterns are, the better wate 

 will be kept. A cube is a good figure, but 

 double cube is better, as it gains depth and con 

 sequentlj' coolness. A cistern ofG cubic feel 

 holds 16 hogsheads of 100 gallons each. A dou 

 blecubeofS feet would hold above 18 run 

 hogsheads of 100 gallons. The pit should bi 

 dug exactly bj' square and plumb. On the fad 

 of the pit, lay potter's clay, plastcrwise, with i 

 trowel, coat over coat, (as it dries and cracks 

 two or three inches in all. Against this tirn 

 even face of plaister, raise the brick or stoni 

 work. Bed the bottom, throe or four inche 

 thick, with strong clay, beat to a smooth evei 

 surface. Moisten the clay, and beat it will 

 switches or small hoop poles, but with nothin| 

 heavy. On this clay-floor, lay a double bed o 

 brick ; and, on the margin of tWs, carry up tht 

 side walls half brick thick, laying them in ter- 

 ras. Cover the cistern over, but leave rooit 

 to (ix a small pump, which must be two feel 

 from the bottom ; or a roller and bucket maj 

 be used to raise the water.'" — Bordlcy's Essays. 



" The following valuable composition for t 

 cement for water cisterns was given to the edi- 

 tor [of the Domestic Encyclopedia] and he ha! 

 used it ivith success. He lined the well with 

 brick, and left a space of about six inches be 



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