428 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



caste by importation ; they can not stand the extreme climate of 

 winter and summer. 



In the winter of 1799, the cold in New England was excessive. 

 During the preceding summer, from the 28th July to the 1st Sep- 

 tember, the heat was intense, the mercury was from 86° to 93°; 

 vegetation failed, drought was excessive, many trees shed their 

 leaves in August, and many cattle perished in the cold winter 

 following for want of food. 



The town of Goshen, in Litchfield county, Connecticut, is on 

 the most elevated land in the State. This and the adjacent towns 

 is one of the best tracts for the dairying business. Cheese and 

 butter are made here in large quantities, the fame of which is 

 widely and justly celebrated. We are all familiar with the butter 

 and cheese brought from Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Herkimer, Dela- 

 ware, Sullivan, Orange, and other mountainous counties in the 

 State of New- York. This butter and cheese is equal to any in 

 the world, but no better than that made in New England. 



The cattle in New England are well housed, especially in the 

 winter. They are more docile than the original herds from 

 Europe, healthy, hardy, and many of them are of a very large 

 size, full of agility, and put on fat very fast when at the summer 

 pastures or fed in the stalls. Many of the cows are excellent 

 milkers; some of the best progeny of the Yorkshires, yielding in 

 many instances from twenty to thirty-four quarts a day. 

 The New England oxen are great travelers on the road. Wher- 

 ever the New England people have emigrated to, they took their 

 cattle with them. The cattle which make up the trains for Cali- 

 fornia are mostly descendants of the New England stock. Their 

 ability to travel and endure privations render them almost invalu- 

 able. The largest cattle in England weigh no more than 3,180 

 lbs. per carcass, while some of the largest carcasses of the New 

 England cattle have weighed from 3,500 to 3,600 lbs., after being 

 slaughtered. Indeed, there are no better cattle for milking, fat- 

 tening and work. The grazier, the feeder, and the butcher and 

 dairyman can find na better stock. The health of the New Eng- 

 land cattle is exceedingly good; their horns and bones are strong; 

 the horns set strong and well on the head. The true blooded 



