Iii4 



>EW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Xov. IG. 1827. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK. 



BOSSTON, FRIDAY, NOV. IS, lS->7. 



RE-V.UiKS OJi THE I MPROVKJIE.NT OF LIVE 



We received, some lime since, a pacuphiet of 

 atoot firt» pages S»o. with the above title, prinlerf 

 St St. Jcha's, (New Bruosa-ick) and Jiare delayed 

 gi«ng it an earlier notice, in cons«-iiaence of ill 

 he.nlta, which reatJereti it necess-.ty to postpone 

 msay thicgs coonectcd wiiii our eJilcrial c:itie£. 

 I: is a sensible prosluciion. and caniio: fail to re- 

 •^ard liic intelir^ent ciilantor, who wiU give it a, 

 -.-arefal perusal with a portion of that skill, wiiich i 

 ;s indispensable, in order to eaable him to reihie 

 a fuU reward for his labors. If the head of in- ^ 

 -iuitrr is not directed by uje hand of science, it ; 

 becomes in a great measure paralysed and poir^ | 

 ■erjess. i 



It is not possible for os to follow this author 

 •hroQgh the mere tecbaica! parts of his v.ork : or 

 those which relate to the science of improTiasr the 

 jreeos of animals, without O5.venio§ a Nerv wide 

 ;e!<i for discossiun. and t. averting grcucd. which 

 ;is been repeated r trodden since the ccmtnence 

 wnt of our paper. We shall, therefore, mereif 

 » ,riv€ some esirscts of plain and practical atiiitT. 

 •■> .'iica nsT be unJer!.io«d withoat tr.tc:sT the 

 ■:Qks which conneot tnem with the rest •>:" the 

 "rsstise. Speakiug of the Durham, or Improved 

 Sucrl-borns..llie writer says 



-The prii:c>iHl featMr- in the character of those 

 r»li;e, fer rrrieb tBey ris so celebrated, is their 

 very early nttainaieot ct proof, as it is called, or 

 '■ispcsiuoa to make tit al an earlier age than any 

 -Sber breed whatever. Tiiis, no doubt, is aJ-Jed 

 '^y placid and docile letupers, which also renders 

 'hem ster.dy and wiliing ..rau^ht catUe : balls, 

 even, havin^j been by kind an.i gentJe ticatmenL 

 uiu^bt to perfbrm ro^oUr (a^ks for miles without 

 a driver.- With ••i:e tiiey will feed to great 

 weijiii, s'ler bating p-^rforrce 1 much labor, and 

 \hezt Ibsir beef is sailed uoc, it is said to retain 

 ^ juices losgsr than any o' er : in cocsequence 

 ■f which, it i:as long beea preferred to pack to 

 fnd:a and other coantrics, where retention of 

 ircoiaess of qaalilr for a grest letgth of time is 

 39 object. Thsy are also very good roilkers, con- 

 s!;!erir.g tue:.* i:^c!ji;atio2 to fatten. 



'-That the intra Turti'ja and increase of a breed 

 S3 valuable as the Purhani hitve proved themselves 

 tv» be, would be a geseril beaefit here, I believe 

 will Bot be qaesnoaed. It shonid, therefore, be- 

 coaie an object of soUcitucs with the .^g^ic3«tu^al 

 Societies, and firtners, to procore them as soon 

 as possible, and no period can be c:ore favorable 

 '.H- '.';'! -resent ; for if ever a people v.-cre biess- 

 '.t aud generous gcverr.mecl, striving' 

 ■ e general and indivi.'.al icterest of 



. . . _ i at this raomeat, are under that be - 



:<.s«o>est and parental adailnistcation.^ [ 



Tiie writer then proceeds to quote the bi^b 

 arKes for which cattle of the SiiGrt-horned breed 

 !j»v5 sold ia Enr'aad : and amocg others, those 

 of 3 Breeder of Short.aorns in Xoitinirhanishire, 

 who sold at unreservei t-tbUc r.i.cti.o:i. i-ienty-five 

 of his "joBsr i<o<-i. ;■■ • -— . -f.-" 5~:r'.r-;e3s. sver- 

 affiag about tao 7 . '' sterling :" , 



a:id cootinccs : - .it plainly 



apaears, that if v;c :;. . - ; r.^liy a good 



breed of cattle in the country, a corresponding 

 price cicst be paid for it: but, however exorbi- 

 tant that price may appezr, it has been proved be- 



yond question, that they sre the cheapest cattle a 

 farmer can possess, for they are the most profita- 

 ble ; and great as the sum certainly is for an nni- 

 nisl, he is only e.vchanging value for value. 



"••The partiality of individuals for the cattle of 

 their own smtneiiiate country or district, led many 

 to give them the preference over the Short-horn- 

 ed, and such is the excellence of many of them, 

 that any prejudice that might e.\!st. may well be 

 excused. The .\lderney, Holderness, and others, 

 are celebrated for their milking powers. The 

 Devons stand deservedly bich : and the fine cat- 

 ile of Hereford, have carried away, probably more 

 prizes at Smithfield, than any other. But for » 

 combination of the most valuable properties, it is 

 now generally allowed that the Improved Short- 

 horns excel. Not only iu Englan J is the demand 

 for them great, but both Scotland and Ireland 

 purchase vast numbers ; where they are highly 

 thought of and eagerly sought after. 



'•The Cheshire establishments are the best con- 

 ducted in England -. and there the conduct of the 



dairy-men offers a fime example to the country 



They hold cows to be in their prime from fo'ir to 

 ten years old, and keep them as long as they milk 

 well, indeed until they are fit for nothing else. I 

 mean to make the exception of capit I milking, — 

 which I should be tempted to keep to even tW' nty 

 years of age ; but I yet tliiok, generally, cows are 

 not at their best until five years, and on the de- 

 cline at eight, when I apprehend, it must be for 

 the interest of the dairy-man to sell, or put them 

 to keep, [fatten.] I think few can snfier sach an 

 exhaustion es constant milking to the eighth year, 

 without deterioration. 



" If the quantity holds, the quality becomes poor, 

 and the appetite of the animal increases. Three 

 sach will eat considernbiy more than four fatten- 

 ing beasts. They find here, as elsev. r.ere, that 

 great milking and great proof in beef are incom- 

 patible. Great care is taken to keep tae cattle in 

 good condition during the winter, for tie follow- 

 irrg good reason : — The Cheshire tea «iseiy con- 

 sider it a grest object to turn their co.»3 to grass 

 !3 good condition, as they say 'to si<3ri tlkeat Jiiir,' 

 Eileging that if otherwise, and their juices are 

 dried up with straw foediag and the severity of 

 the winter's cold, the animsls are long before they 

 recover their uiilfcing powers, if ever tuey do re 

 cover them nnder S'jch circumstjr.ces. 



"Tae personal attendance, both of masters and 

 ser\-ants. seems to be most exemplary on ail occa- 

 sions. Sacks and mangers are cleared and kept 

 ccns'.ar.tly clean, and a trarked attention paid to 

 the ir.dividna! appetites of the beasts — before re- 

 tiring to rest the master goes round from sta!! 

 to stall, adding to or diminishing the quantity of 

 fodder. 



-It is recorded of an econoKiccl farmer, some 

 years si".~e, who kept eighteen cows en an unen- 

 closed Common, where little nourishment cocld 

 be found by them; and no better fare being allow- 

 ed, he V. as ot'.ised often to purchase butter for 

 famiiv i.'C. Uc m the reconiraendation of a friend. 

 he enelo.-ei and improved the Common, and better 

 fed his stock ; tne consequence was. bis family 

 was not or'v ple^'ifnlly supplied wiili butter, but 

 that V ■ ■ ir be effected by the who!f 



starve - now amply done by four. 



"Ic;; -ted with our subject, the 



baro-yaru forms a ktry important branch of rc-;l 

 economy, from which the greatest advantages ir.iy 

 be derived. The fodder being giten in yard racks 



I IS less liable to waste, than when given loose ii<- 

 jlhe field: and the cattle being regularly fed in 

 such a place, fatten quicker than when abroad — 

 the exertion necessary to procure their food being 

 I less. Some intelligent men in the country, instead 

 :of yRrding, prefer feeding altogether in the stall, 

 I during winter, turning the beasts out only for 

 'water and exercise. This system may be pursued 

 I with advantage ; much food being saved, by feed- 

 |ing ia the house, and a great quantity of manure 

 iiad'- if straw be had iu sufficient quantities to 

 jlitier 1 ell." (To bt cciicludtJ next leeek.) 



; TK.A. 



I A great deal of declamation has been printed 

 land spoken on the subject of tea-drinking. Some 

 good people consider it almost as criminal to in- 

 • dulge in drinking tea as in making a too free use 

 I of ardert spirits. Dr Rush and Dr Cooper, how- 

 Jever, and many other mecical writers approve of 

 ' drinking tea, with proper precautious. Dr Cooper 

 says ■■ If good tea be urank in moiierate quanti- 

 lies, with sumcient milk and sugar, it invigorates 

 i the system, and produces a temporary exhiliralion, 

 and a clearness of ideas. But, when taken too 

 I strong aui copiously, it is apt to occasion slight 

 |trerao.-, aui s^ mptoms similar in a oegree to those 

 j arising; from narcotic plants ; but as it contains 

 gillie acid and tannin in moderate proportion, I 

 I regard it, on the whole, as a most wholesome. 

 . grateful and ecpucmic.1l beverage, affording the 

 j safest aui pleasantest refreshment after great 

 ■ bodily falieue or mental exertion ; at the same 

 (time teLciag to support and promote that perspi- 

 ralioa which might otherwise be impeded.*" 

 j Mowbray, a late English writer on economical 

 subjects has the following observations on this 

 I beverage : 



I «»The present topic of the comforts of the labor- 

 I ing classes naturally introduces the modern but 

 I now universal habit of drinking tea. The late 

 'Mr .\rthur Young, with perhaps a less profound 

 , attention than he usually bestowed on his subjects, 

 took every opportuuity of expressing his unvil- 

 Jiagness to allow to the sons and daughters of la- 

 1 bor their share in this common privilege ; and Mr 

 Touug, I observe, has successors in this opinion. 

 Tea making it is objected, is a grand consumer of 

 time, and the beverage itself a debi'itant, render, 

 ing those who use it, delicate and unfit for labour. 

 It may be replied, that the most expeditious meals, 

 necessarily consume lime ; that in order to make 

 the loo orien bitter draught of labour go down. 

 and so insure a degree of cheerfulnes."! and good 

 will, some portion of respite and relaxation is ne- 

 cessary. Tea is certainly a mere diluent and de- 

 tergent, altogether devoid of the rutritive proper- 

 ties of beer : it :s at the same time a cooling, se- 

 dative, and refreshiug drink, extremely ajreeable 

 and cleansing to the stomachs of those who are 

 feJ with the most ordinary, the hardest, and coars. 

 pst provisions. As a re 'axeat. it oi\en proves 

 e-.ially bcneficiil as agreeable to the robust, and 

 to those of rijid fibre. Nor have I ever known an 

 able laborer, or any well-fed laborer.icjured in his 

 strength by the custom of drinking tea. A parti- 

 ality for this .AsiRtic herb has long since taken 

 possession of the whole poodle of this country : 

 md I mast confess, I see no reason for attempting 

 t? direst the grer,t majnrity of their share of a 

 ccmmon right, which really oagbt, in this com- 

 mercial country, to be witbin the compssj of their 

 means." 



