AMERICAN INSTITtTTE. 427 



The Galloway cattle are now a hornless race, but formerly were 

 a middle-horned animal. They have lost their horns by debility 

 or deterioration. New pastures — the buds and flowers of the 

 grasses, slirubs and trees — yield the phosphate of lime and am- 

 monia abundantly, which are necessary to form the bones and 

 horns of cattle, and to give them a large, healthy and strong car- 

 cass. Old pastures and feeding grounds soon become exhausted 

 of ammonia and phosphate of lime; hence the horns of cattle 

 pastured on such soils become small and feeble ; the horns fall 

 off or do not show themselves ; the animal loses its health and 

 hardiness, and does not make a large, strong and healthy race. 

 This is the case with the Galloways and polled cattle in England. 

 These cattle can never equal the Long- horned races for beef, milk, 

 or work, and are not much grown or cultivated in New England. 



The Long-horns of Cumberland, Wiltshire, Lancashire, were 

 originally brought into New England, and from these strains the 

 Long-horn cattle show themselves. These cattle being crossed on 

 the north of England cattle, generally produce the '■'■middle-horns''' 

 which prevail in north New England. 



In passing through New England, a person can not but observe 

 fine specimens of every type of cattle known in the west of Eu- 

 rope, and occasionally he will see oxen with horns of enormous 

 length. 



The domestic ox, as well as the original wild ox, are naturally 

 a mountain animal — they se'ek highlands ; they like the clear cool 

 air and pure spring water. When turned into a pasture to graze 

 they go to the top of the hills, and at night select a little valley 

 sheltered from the winds to herd themselves. The best butter, 

 milk and cheese, and the sweetest beef came from the mountain 

 ranges. There are no cattle that a man can own to so good ad- 

 vantage as the New England mountain cattle. A feeder can make 

 more beef out of them according to his outlay, than from the best 

 foreign stocks. W^hen we import cattle we throw away our money, 

 except when w^e import bulls into the country to cross on our na- 

 tive cow. The cattle from the old world have not constitutions 

 adapted to our climate. Our native cattle have been acclimated 

 for two hundred and twenty years. The cattle of Europe lose 



