468 JASSEMBLT 



by insufficient and improper food, rarely if ever turn out advan- 

 tageously to the tarrner. 



The Devon breed of cattle are more extensively cultivated in 

 Connecticut for oxen, than in any other State. I have owned 

 for the last ten years several very fine pair of perfectly matched 

 cattle raised in that State ; and I have uniformly found them free, 

 active, quick in their motions and little inferior to horses for 

 all the usual farming operations. An animal intended for use 

 should have certain characteristic points which are essential ; and 

 first, the feeding qualities should be determined ; a round, thick 

 bone indicates a bad feeder and corresponding inferior produce 

 of flesh. The bones generally should bear a small proportion in 

 weight to the flesh, and the bones of the head should be fine and 

 c-evered with skin and muscle only. The neck should be small 

 and short at the joining of the head. A full, bright and promi- 

 nent eye is an indication of a well bred animal and fine bone. 

 A calm expression of the eye indicates a patient disposition, and 

 is a favorable characteristic of a good feeder. A perfect judge 

 of cattle can determine the feeding qualities of an ox by the state 

 of the skin which they call the touch. A firm, thick skin indi- 

 cates a bad feeder and an indisposition to take on fat. A flabby 

 skin, on the other hand, denotes a weak constitution. The body 

 of a fat Devon ox should fill a parallelogram, taken longitudi- 

 nally vertical, transversely vertical and horizontal ; and in order 

 to possess this configuration, the back must be perfectly straight 

 from the shoulder to the tail, the tail must fall perpendicularly 

 from the line of the back, the rump should be filled out, the 

 stomach should be straight and filled at the flanks, the ribs must 

 curve in and be at right angles to the bones of the spine, the loin 

 bones should be long, broad and well filled. These are the 

 prominent points which determine a well-fatted Devon ox. 



Mr. Blakeslee said that heretofore great art and deception 

 have been used by individuals to procure premiums on stock ; 

 and, worst of all, those who did not raise the stock managed 

 to get the reward of merit due wholly to the intelligent, careful 

 and industrious man who breeds the animal. 



