186 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Oh the Different Breeds of Cattle. 



To tlie Editors of tlte Neio Genesee Farmer. 



Gest : — At the present time there nppeara to be n 

 great diversity of opinions in regard to the different 

 kinda or breeds of cattle which are bestciilculated fur 

 the rnrmere of onr Northern latitudes. Wliat conclu- 

 sion can a dieintercsied person arrive at, if he is gov- 

 erned by the different articles which are penned on 

 this subject? Were we governed by all that contend 

 i'>r the increased value of the different varieties of neat 

 stock, we might arrive at a safe determination upon 

 this point, yet but few of our farmers are able, and if 

 60, willing to go into the rearing of those breeds which 

 s'.and in higher order than our native stock, as all en- 

 terprising men are v/illing to b;; governed by the ex- 

 perience of those pei sons or nations that have excelled 

 in that Uind of business which is necessary in a course 

 of farming operations. If we place due credit to all 

 that have written on this BubjccI, and no doubt from 

 a thorough conviction of the truth of iheir observa- 

 tions in this branch of business, we shall find that all, 

 or nearly so, vary in their observations according as 

 they are interested, consequently we farmers tnust be 

 "overned by those who have two or more of the dif- 

 ferent kinds, &c. : Derons, Darhams, and Ilcrefordd 

 ■which seem to stand preeminent amongst all distin- 

 guished breeders, both in England and the United 

 Spates. Yet, in England, we find n variety of con- 

 flicting opinions in regard lo the above breeds as in the 

 States, for instance — in Cultivator, Vol. 8ih, No. 1, 

 page IS, we find a Mr. Price in England, challeng- 

 ing the Kingdom to produce as fine a stock of cattle 

 aa those reared by him, which weio pure Hcrefords. 

 But on reading fariher we find a Mr. Bates who was 

 ready lo meet him in his challenge by producing a 

 stock of pu.e Durhams; but sickness of the formtr 

 gentleman •\vaa the cause of the lailnre in the testing 

 between the exceedingly fine qualities of those two 

 stocks, which would have been a great point decided 

 if disinterestedly upon their true merits. Mr. Bates 

 remarks that ho thinks the very best Short Horns, 

 which arconbj a few, are capable of improving all oth- 

 er stocks in the Kingdom, yet he says the common 

 Darhams are inferior to the Devons, Herefords and 

 others, which is candid in him. It seems aleo, from 

 the statement of Mr. Howard of Gainsville, Ohio, 

 that in the year 18'2.5, there were sent from England, 

 as a present to the M.iSiachusetls Agricultural Society 

 a true Hereford Cow and Bull, from Sir Isaac Coffin, 

 of ihe Rjyal Navy, which proved a great acquisition 

 lo the stock of that country, and were highly appreci- 

 ated by the teamsters from their fine horns, 

 stately gait, powerful draught and beautiful mahogr.- 

 iiy color, &.C. 



In the same article which will be found in CuI. 

 Vol. ^, No. 1, page 19, he says — "I will here re- 

 mark ibnt I knew many and owned several of the pro 

 geny of the improved Short Horn Bidl Admiral 

 (which animal was also sent as a present by the same 

 Mr. Coflin to the Missichusetts Agricultural Society) 

 and 1 have no hesitation in saying that for iheordini- 

 ry us'Mto which cattle are applied iu the Northern 

 section of our country I cinsidered the stock of the 

 Hereford Bull alluded to decidedly preferable. ' Next 

 ■we hear from a very intelligent rearer of stock, Mr. 

 Hepburn in CuI., Vol. 8, No. '2, page 33, in an arti- 

 cle whichsnys, " that an argument to prove that the 

 Herci'ords nre an aboriginal race is the largeness of tbf 

 bend and thickness of the neck when compar- 

 ed with the Devon cattle :" — Funher ho states, 

 " were it not for the while face, thick neck, and large 

 head, it would not be easy at all times ti distinguish 

 a light Hereford from a he.-ivy Devon," &c. &c. His 

 ideas are quoted from Youait. I would here remark, 

 I'nit by some the Herefords are considered n dislinrt 



race of cattle, by others across of the Devon, with 

 some larger breed. From the heat of souices of informa- 

 tion, I should think that they were most certainly a 

 cross of the Devonswith moat probably the Durhams. 

 In support of this I would also refer the reader to an 

 article witlen by Judge Buell, in C'ul., Vol. 5, No. 1, 

 page 8, headed " Select Breeds of Cattle." He also, 

 in the same aeticle quotes from a British author in 

 high terms of a ci-oss between the Holderness and 

 Durham for the dairy, and ends in these words: •' The 

 Devons were introduced into Berkshire county some 

 dozen years ago, by Col. D>vight, and at the last fair 

 in that couiily we thought the wyrliing catilc surpass- 

 ed any we had before seen, and we atiribute their ex- 

 cellence in a great measure to the D,cvon blood which 

 we saw strongly developed in some of the finest indi- 

 viduals. We unhesitatingly reconrmend a cross of 

 the Devons upon our native cattle, as a certain means 

 of improving both their working and fattening proper- 

 ties." In the foregoing extiacts which ore only a 

 few that might be cited from good authority, whal 

 course is it proper lo pursue in getting certain ond cor- 

 rect information, so that in impioving our stock we 

 shall not be disappointed but what we hove the best 

 animals for the country ond latitude in which we live ? 

 I am aware that it is impossible to have a breed of 

 cows which will keep fat and give great quantities of 

 milk. 



I would upon the whole, from the conflicting opin- 

 ions and views of those who are interested in rearing 

 and selling their stock, that farmers who are wishing 

 to improve their stock, (and I doubt not but what all 

 nre,) that a course of inquiry he insiiluted from those 

 lienllcmen who have Bulls and stock lo sell — setting 

 forth by their own statements, nnd corrobcrated by the 

 certificates of their neighbors, what has been the 

 course pursued in feeding their improved stock, in 

 comparison with their other stock, and the result ac- 

 cordingly, for instance, if a cow gives 2."> quarts of 

 milk per day on the same feed of another cow which 

 gives only 20 quarts, then slate the different results 

 of butter made from the milk of each which may easi- 

 ly be done by the Lactometer which is a tube of glass 

 gradualed, which readily shows the percentum — as I 

 presunre all are aware that it is not the best c(.w in all 

 cases which gives the most milk, as experiments go 

 to show that in some cases the milk varies in 

 goodness some 50 per cent, accor ling to quality In 

 short, we wont to arrive at ihe fact which breed of 

 caille will produce ihe niosl net pvnf.i from ihe same 

 feed--requirilig each breed to stand the seyerityof the 

 climate alike. Jn conclusion I would ask of Mr. 

 Shefiijr which he considers liie best breed of cattle, the 

 DurhLin or the Devon 7 as I see in the report of a visit 

 of Rawton Horinon jr., of Wheniland, in ihe August 

 number of the New Genesee Farmer that he has both 

 kinds of Bulls on he farm.— -Also stole wh ch of these 

 iwo breeds he considers best for the mojoriiy of fnrm- 

 ers in Genesee county. Slate fully which will stand 

 our cold winters bc5t, fed as is ihe case of the exten- 

 sive wheat grov\"er in this county. — Also which arc the 

 most profi able to raise for the eastern market, consid- 

 ering the keeping, iVc. By answering these ques- 

 lions he wili confer a favpi on 



Yours Trulv. 

 Genesee Co., No'-. 14. A. SUBSCRIBER. 



Ou the Ini port rtKce anilUlility of thcDis-'icrjii 

 itatiou i>f Kiio\vltd!;e Aiiioiig Farmeis. 



Mtissus. Elitors. — i owe an apology to you, if noi 

 lo your renders, for the delay in further considej'ing 

 the subject proposed in my first article, which pci'- 

 hnpa was hardly worth the space it occupied in your 

 :!■ p'r, and siiU less the attention of your numerous 

 eade-?, though honored by an insertion. 



1 urn aware that, in treating upon subjects about 

 which there has been much said and written, there is 



great danger of falling into old ond beaten trackfl ^j, 

 where nothing new can he introduced to attract thd 0. 

 atieniion of ihe reader. If in the further remarls| 0, 

 which i shall submit on the subject already inlroduCj! j,| 

 ed, I may be so fortunate as to present some consider,* jd) 

 aliens ihat will not have a "hackneyed" appearanc^ j,il 

 I shall consider that neither my lime, nor your spacSJ j^ 

 will he unprofitably occupied. , ^i: 



I propose to speak mainly of the impiirlance of ilia te, 

 dissemination of knowledge among formers, as it^ jiid 

 greatest if not the only means of establishing a pr« g-i 

 per system of human economy in society, ond as tbj ia« 

 surest method of procuring the greatest amount ofaO' |li{ 

 cial hnppincss. There would be but little to compen jjjj 

 sale for the toil and exercise of the mind ond body i, if:. 

 procuring something beyond a competency of food an? jli 

 roiraenl, if the demands of nature did nol also requirt iit 

 every man to provide for certain social duties and ai )si 

 vantages. The elejiienta which compose the best re |ieii 

 gulated and beat organised society, experience teoche gi 

 us, may by comprehended under the head of virtiji Ik 

 and wisdom. This idea may be at variance wiih lb- dti 

 prevailipg notions of ihe day, still it ia ncknowledg^ ^k 

 by the candid and reflecting portions of communit| i(i[ 

 over whom custom as yet, has not had sufKcicnt iuflui ,l«, 

 ence to make them mieiake the true test of charaete| mi 

 It is popular, and may be said to be a prevailing d^ j;, 

 lusion, to judge of the shadow insteadof the suhstaii^ ;|i,i 

 of what in fact constitutes a character for worthy oii ,(1 

 socialion. The modern notion of refinement, huesf ,1,; 

 up an oibitrary rule, by which external nppcoront 

 and outward show, accompanied by certain set lorni|. 

 of ceremony and eliquelie, are mode requisite qualili, 

 cations for such as wish lo mingle in what is colUlj 

 polished aociety. Thus it frequently happens, lhi|, 

 the most worthy, ore overlooked and neglccied, froi |j 

 the fact, that the fashion of their dress, and iheir woi 

 of thatgrace wichcon.=ititntes an exquisite bow ; — thf i, 

 arecalled " aivlcward fellotcs" because they hove ns 

 learned to play the hypocrite in those obsurd notio;^ ^, 

 sviih which community bos already been too mut^u 

 fooled. The dignity which always graces a m 

 refined talents, a blight intellect and a well stori^ |^ 

 inind, all, tending especially to qualify for social di( ip 

 ties, are now looked upon ty the devotees of fashion m 

 as secondary cqnsidcraiions, and by too many wH 

 pretend to take the lead in giving a direction to pil- 

 lic opinion, as of little consequence. And it is to- 

 r.'grctied, ihat wealth, power and education o'e ma" 

 the evil instrumenls to produce the advancement 

 such a state of things, when, on the contrary th 

 might be the means, and God who gives. grants thejii,! 

 no other purpose, than as elements ministering in t 

 eeiablishmentof sound principles, which insure tr 

 freedom of action, ond the enjoyment of both bo 

 and soul. 



The occnpation of o farmer is looked upon, by 1 

 class alluded to, as disqualifying him for the hi 

 rank they have assumed f>r themselves, while the d 

 ernment and common sense of the ui'in who tills I 

 soil, foibids that he shonid desire such asaociatione, 

 envy their station, in preference to the peoee 0' !«l 

 tranc.uility of his own. Properly considered, tbert- 

 uo situation in life, in which a man may be placM 

 affording him greater advaiitagce, than thai of a farli 

 er. This pi'oposi lion needs only to be reflected upoii/ 

 ordertobpcomeatonceoonvincedlhatilistrup. Wh* i4 

 in all the other occupations in which men areengngj Js 

 con there bo found so much lime for reflection, ti 

 where the mind is left free to form sound view 

 without being contaminated by the evil aseociatio< 

 of eueh as are not perniiilod to enjoy the b'essingai 

 so favorable a retirement. It is a common en 

 among farmers, that the business in which they arei 

 gaged, shn'.s them out from the enjoyment of adv»> 



