1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



139 



also spoke of the difference between a breed and a 

 race of cattle. The Devons and Ilerefords \>ve- 

 serve then- idcntit)", but the Short-Horns are a 

 cross, and need reproduction for their preservation. 

 If Devons and Short-IIorns are fiftj- years in dif- 

 ferent pastures, the Short-Horns ■nill have the less 

 marked character. The tendency of the latter is 

 to run back or run out. Thus the difference be- 

 tween a breed and a race. The Short-Horns were 

 regarded as good for beef, but in England the 

 Devon beef Avould bring a cent a pound more ; and 

 the Hereford beef also took a high rank. In 

 speaking generally of the flesh of the ox, he al- 

 luded to the beef in the valley of the Connecticut, 

 and said that no where had he ever eaten any so 

 tough ! [Mr. Stedman responded, "We have sent 

 away our best breeds !"] 



Mr. Lewis, of Framingham, spoke of premiums 

 offered for grade bulls. He believed in going 

 ahead, not downwards ; and thought it better to 

 breed from the grade than the native, but should 

 not even do so where he could get the best blood 

 bull. But these animals are not always at band, 

 and he intimated that the best and handsomest 

 grades should be encouraged. The cattle disease, 

 too, had made some farmers rather shy of foreign 

 stock. He spoke of tlio first impregnation, and 

 said it was the impregnation of the blood. He 

 would drive a heifer to a blood bull fh-st, and af- 

 terwards to grades, if necessary. Mr. L, alluded 

 to the production of different colors in calves, and 

 to Mr. Jacques's assertion of his power to accom- 

 plish it. Dogs sojuetimes are in circumstances to 

 affect the color of the cow's offspring. Bulls, he 

 thought, at no distant day, would be licensed. 

 He mentioned an instance where a gentleman 

 drove a native cow to a Short-Horn bull, and the 

 progeny would bring $300. Spealdng of the con- 

 fusion in breeding, and the varied ideas of neat 

 cattle, he said he would give $1000 to any one who 

 would tell him how to stock his farm ! Ohio had 

 expended $10,000 for bulls, and he hoped that in 

 every town in our State there would yet be a 

 good bull kept. In conclusion, he said he wanted 

 our foreign cattle quarantined. 



Mr. HowAUD, of the Boston Cultivator, spoke of 

 the importation of cattle, and said that no disease 

 had been introduced except in the case of Mr. 

 Chenery. He spoke of the adaptation of breeds 

 to localities. The cattle introduced by Islv. Wil- 

 liams, were first placed on his farm in Northfield, 

 of tills State. But they were not adapted to that 

 locaHtj', and I\Ir. Lathrop, of South Hadley, took 

 them to the valley of the Connecticut. Some of 

 this stock was introduced into Essex county, and 

 placed on the Derby farm for milk ; but he could 

 now see no blood of this breed. INIr. H. alluded 

 to grade animals, and to the bull "Red Comet," 

 and cited the mixture of his blood. This ani- 



mal he praised, and said that M'hen animals were 

 promising they should be kept to try. We should 

 have some rule, and where a stock of value is in- 

 troduced, we should take care of it. 



Mr. Stedjiax said the Phoenix bull was differ- 

 ent from the Red Comet. We should breed even 

 from the best grades, if we cannot get good blood 

 bulls. He suggested that the color of the Devons 

 might have been spotted. 



Mr. Lewis cited an instance in 'Mr. Buckmin- 

 ster's speckled steers, though they were not full 

 blooded. He also spoke of some means by which 

 cattle might be changed or modified in color. He 

 related, too, a fact of a farmer having a white bull 

 who passed by and doNvn a street by his neighbors, 

 when some of their cows had white calves ! He 

 also observed that he could breed a speckled calf, 

 whatever the color of the bull. 



Hon. JosiAii QuiNCY, Jr., being called upon, 

 spoke of bad bulls, and thought it an indignity to 

 any respectable cow to be compelled to come in 

 contact with them. In regard, however, to breeds 

 generally, he thought that for milch cows the se- 

 cret of success was more in high feeding than in 

 the breed ; and he would venture to repeat that in 

 regai-d to milk, manure or beef, you can get noth- 

 ing out of a cow that you do not put into her. He 

 had 90 cows, and could increase their milk daily 

 from 100 to 200 quarts by feeding. A cow is as 

 much a machine as a mill ; the more you put in, 

 the more you will get out. He thought crossing 

 made the best cattle, and our native stock was the 

 best as a basis. The intermixture of Scotch, Ger- 

 mans and Irish into our society had made us more 

 robust, and produced our nation as it is. Mr. Q. 

 spoke of Jacob, of Bible history, his skill in breed- 

 ing ; of the good beef of England, Szc, of his visit 

 to a cattle fair in Paris, where there was much 

 contrariety of oi^inion as to what were the most 

 profitable breeds of cattle. And so as to pigs ; the 

 question was about the pig that wanted somebody 

 to take care of him, or the one that would take 

 care of himself. To a question put to Mr. Quincy 

 in regard to breeds, he said that he thought that 

 the good qualities of cattle were more in individ- 

 ual animals than in breeds. He inquired of Dr. 

 Loring if there was not a great difference in cattle 

 of the same breed. 



Dr. Loring replied, yes ; but it was the eleva- 

 tion of the average that gave the breed its char- 

 acter. 



Mr. Clarke inquii-ed of ]\Ir. Quincy, if his ex- 

 perience had been large and well tested in regard 

 to his views of no great difference in breeds. 



Mr. Qsincy said it had not been. To a ques- 

 tion in regard to feeding, Mr. Q, said he used 

 two tons a week of cotton-seed meal, and the man- 

 ure it produced was Avorth about as much as the 

 meal itself. He also feeds some Indian meak 



