292 



xVEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 35, lg35. 



trjsss j&^am^a 



[From Ihe New York Farmer.] 

 ON STOCK POK THE DAIRY. 



Live stock, including horses, neat cattle, slieop, 

 Tind swine, is as important a subject as any to 

 which the farmer's attention can be directed. 

 That there are distinct breeds of various and pe- 

 riiliar properties, whicl) render them adapted to 

 the different jjurposcs of labor and food ; that 

 all of them under proper management, are sus- 

 ceptible of improvement; that by judicious cross- 

 ing, comparatively new breeds may be formed, 

 certain desirable properties be extended, increased 

 and propagated, and wliat we deem defects or 

 faults, remedied or entirely abolished, arc points so 

 well established in resjject to all the animal crea- 

 tion, so entirely confirmed by experiments within 

 the kno\vle<lge of every man who has any preten- 

 sions to intelligence, that it would be idle to waste 

 one word iu attempting to establish thcni. That 

 like tends to produce like, and that physical, in- 

 tellectual, and moral qualities are transmitted 

 from the sire to his ofl'spring, are among those es- 

 tablished laws of nature which common observa- 

 tion ascertained long before science attempted to 

 explore, and teach their wide and universal oper- 

 ation ; or experiment, with unhesitating confidence 

 venturerl practically to apply them. 



The farmer who disdains or neglects these es- 

 tablished truths, or who fails to act upon them, let 

 the sphere of his operations be as humble as it 

 may be, is blind to his true interest, and can lay 

 no claims to his rank among the class of careful 

 and intelligent husbandmen. The attemiits and 

 generous efforts, therefore, of those public spirited 

 men who have sought to avail themselves of the 

 long experience and extraordinary advances of 

 older countries in the improvement of their do- 

 mestic animals, and with the most praiseworthy 

 liberality to spread these advantages among us, en- 

 title them to high regard, and justly place them 

 among the benefactors of the community. 



It is with these views, with sentiments of grati- 

 tude and respect, that I have regarded the liberal, 

 and in many cases the entirely disinterested exer- 

 tions and expenditures of gentlemen in various 

 parts of our country, to introiluce the best breeds 

 of neat cattle from abroad, and to extend their ad- 

 vantages as widely as possible ; and it is with in- 

 effable contempt and disdain that 1 hear the sneers 

 wiiicli the malignant, narrow-minded, and ill-bred, 

 cast upon such patriotic services, and to which I 

 am sometimes impelled to listen. It cannot, how- 

 ever, be demanded, that we should hail every in- 

 novation as an improvement, or that we should 

 admit without ample inquiry, and the severe test 

 of actual experiment, and exact comparison, that 

 the introduction of any fonign breed of animals, 

 with a view to jiropagalion must be an advantage. 

 This is a question of fair discussion, and one 

 which is to be settled, not by any imaginary or con- 

 jectural standard — not by theories, however plaus- 

 ible — not by mere guesses, or vague reports, un- 

 attested by competent authority ; but by direct 

 oxamination, — by simple, uutlicnticated, and in- 

 controvertible facts. 



From the first time I ever saw one of the fine 

 animals of the Improved Durham Short Horns, I 

 have been an admirer of this beautiful race, not 

 only for the synunetry of form wl)ich they pre- 

 sent, but for the wonderful success which has fol- 

 lowed the skill, perseverance, and enterprise of 



those breeders, who have Ijoldly attcmiited to fornj 

 and propagate a race of animals after their own 

 bfcm ideal of excellence. It has been my good 

 fortune to see many of the choicest specimens of 

 this noble race which have been brought into the 

 country, and of those which have been pro]>agat- 

 e<l from them since their arrival, at the cattle 

 shows at Brighton, Worcester, and Albany ; in 

 the establishments of private individuals — at Sa- 

 lem, in the possession of E, H. Derby, Esq. to 

 whose care were entrusted the magnificent ani- 

 mals, Admiral, and Flora, sent as a present to the 

 country by Sir Isaac Coflin, whose munificence is 

 above all praise ; at Col. Jacques', iu Charlestown, 

 who had in his possession Coelebs, and the nuuch- 

 less hull Bolivar ; at the late Mr Williams', in 

 Chelsea, who had a numerous herd of them ; at 

 Hon. ,Tohn Welles', in Dorchester, who ]uid a sev- 

 eral valuable cows ; at Gov. Lincoln's in Worces- 

 ter, who was justly proud of Denton's progeny ; 

 at James D'Wolf 's, Esq. in Bristol, whose cows 

 with their deep udders were magnificent ; at Hen- 

 ry Watson's, Esq., in Windsor, where I had the 

 pleasure of seeing the celebrated bull, Wye-Com- 

 et ; at Charles H. Hall's, Esq. in Harlffim, whose 

 Short Horns, and whose Devons, a present from 

 the fine stock of Mr Coke, contended for the palm 

 of excellence ; at Powelton, at the establishment 

 of the most liberal importer and most devoted ad- 

 vocate of this fine race, whose admirable animals 

 were a perfect justification of the enthusiasm 

 with which he regarded them ; at Albany, whtre 

 liesides various fine specimens of the stock from 

 different individuals, (whose names, as 1 saw their 

 animals, but not their owners, only at a |)ublic 

 show, I shall be pardoned for not remembering,) 

 I had the gratification of seeing Mr Van Rensse- 

 laer's extraordinary bull of two years old, and Mr 

 C. N. Bement's imported cow, whose superior in 

 promise and general appearance I have never yet 

 seen ; at Messrs Percy's and Rogers', at Iloosic, 

 N. Y. whose stock is admirable, and have been 

 managed with great care ; and at Hyde Park, at 

 the noble establishment of Dr Hosaek, where 

 without question, judging from the actual inspec- 

 tion of their yield of tuilk, as well as their general 

 api)earance, 1 found the most nmnerous and finest 

 lamily of Sfiort Horn cows that I have seen, 

 or which, indeed, I ever expect to see ; and a bull 

 whose splendid form gave him a just right to pre- 

 side over such a seraglio. 



Greatly, howover, as these opportunities have 

 contributed to my personal gratification, I shall 

 not assume the character of a practised, or in any 

 measure a competent judge. I hold myself as 

 no other than a plain inquirer after truth ; much 

 as I have admired their appearance, and delight- 

 ed as I have been with the encomiums which I 

 have heard ])assed upon them, and not doubting 

 in any case that great advantages are to result 

 from their introduction into the country, — if no 

 other, the great one of seeing what can be done 

 in such cases by human skill aiul perseverance, — 

 still I wait anxiously for more facts before I nuike 

 up my judgment as to the extent of these advan- 

 tages, and in what particular respects these advan- 

 tages are to be found. I am aware that I am ap- 

 proaching an exciting subject ; I recollect with 

 sorrow the angry collision into which two highly 

 respectable gentlemen were brought on this very 

 matter, and the fear of kindling again in others 

 these slumbering, may I not rather hope, these 

 extinguished fires, has long deterred nie from en- 



tering Upon it. I shall not willingly, however, 

 provoke hostility ! I shall engage in no contro- 

 versy. If there must be contention among the 

 short horns and the long horns, let the cattle settle 

 it among themselves. 1 go into the field unarm- 

 ed, and as a non-combatant. 



There are various points yet to be settled in re- 

 spect to these cattle. Their early maturity, a most 

 valuable property, seems to be determined. That 

 they are great consiuuers is equally admitted. 

 Their general tendency to keep themselves in 

 high condition is not so well settled. In Brighton 

 market they do not sell so well as our native stock, 

 because, as it is believed there, (I have it from the 

 highest authority,) they do. not prove as well, — 

 that is, do not have so much tallow. It is obvious 

 they can have had but few samples for trial, and 

 those not })erhaps of the best kind ; there must have 

 been very few indeed if any, of the pure blood. 

 But a matter which I deem of great importance, 

 especially to the northern section of the couutrj', 

 is whether they are |)rcft'rable to stock ah-eady to 

 be Ibimd among us for dairy |)in'poses. Here it is 

 we want facts ; exact, authentic, and well estab- 

 lished statements of the quantity and quality of 

 their milk ; how much milk has been obtained 

 from them ; how many pounds ; how many 

 quarts ; whether beer or wine measure ; how 

 much butter and how much cheese has been ob- 

 tained from them in a given time ; and how at 

 such times they have been managed and fed : 

 and as, iu such a case as this, the public advantage 

 ought to be oiu- only object, and the truth must in 

 the end be equally ini])ortant to all, we respect- 

 fully ask gentlemen, who possess these fine ani- 

 mals, to make these experiments and examinations 

 and fully report them; that if it should appear 

 they are as valuable for dairy pur|)oses as has been 

 represented, the agricultural public may know 

 what a blessing is within their reach ; but if it 

 should be found that they are not so productive as 

 animals which have long been possessed among 

 us, we may be induced to further, by more ju- 

 dicious selection, and more faithful and liberal 

 keeping, the improvement of our own native 

 stock. 



The only decisive experiment, which has come 

 within my knowledge, is that of a cow, called 

 Belina, owned by John H. Powell, Esq., Phila- 

 delphia, from whose milk, in three days in May, 

 1827, eight pounds thirteen ounces of butter were 

 obtained, which would be equal to twenty and 

 one half pounds per week. This is an extraor. 

 dinary yield, Vmt it will be perceived that it waf 

 a very short trial, and that it was only an individ- 

 ual example. It were greatly to be wished tha' 

 this public spirited gentleman had given the pub 

 lie further results of the same cow, and like- 

 wise the results of similar experiments wit! 

 others of bis noble animals. My own experl 

 cnce with this stock has been singularly unfor 

 timate. I have bad seven of them, sotne ful 

 blooded and others half blooded, from Ccelebs 

 Admiral, and Denton ; and, for the quantity an. 

 quality of their milk, they have been very infe 

 rior, I had almost said worthless, even under ever, 

 advantage of keeping and attention. I by n 

 means, however, consider my own experienc 

 as conclusive; as I know some who have bee 

 more fortunate, and I am myself dntenniue 

 upon further trials. 



In the absence of this desirable infonnatio 

 respecting the produce of the improved Durhw 



