﻿ALLEN. 
  J 
  DOMESTICATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  BUFFALO. 
  585 
  

  

  lighter 
  behind. 
  He 
  walks 
  more 
  actively 
  than 
  the 
  latter, 
  and 
  I 
  think 
  has 
  

   more 
  strength 
  than 
  a 
  common 
  ox 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  weight. 
  I 
  have 
  broken 
  

   them 
  to 
  the 
  yoke, 
  and 
  found 
  them 
  capable 
  of 
  making 
  excellent 
  oxen; 
  

   and 
  for 
  drawing 
  wagons, 
  carts, 
  or 
  other 
  heavily 
  laden 
  vehicles 
  on 
  long 
  

   journeys, 
  they 
  would, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  greatly 
  preferable 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  ox. 
  

   I 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  had 
  no 
  opportunity 
  of 
  testing 
  the 
  longevity 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  

   as 
  all 
  mine 
  that 
  have 
  died 
  did 
  so 
  from 
  accident, 
  or 
  were 
  killed 
  because 
  

   they 
  became 
  aged. 
  I 
  have 
  some 
  cows 
  that 
  are 
  nearly 
  twenty 
  years 
  old, 
  

   that 
  are 
  healthy 
  and 
  vigorous, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  has 
  now 
  a 
  sucking 
  calf. 
  

  

  "The 
  young 
  buifalo 
  calf 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  sandy 
  red 
  or 
  rufous 
  color, 
  and 
  com- 
  

   mences 
  changing 
  dark 
  brown 
  at 
  about 
  six 
  months 
  old, 
  which 
  last 
  color 
  

   it 
  always 
  retains. 
  The 
  mixed 
  breeds 
  are 
  of 
  various 
  colors; 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  

   them 
  striped 
  with 
  black, 
  on 
  a 
  gray 
  ground, 
  like 
  the 
  zebra, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  

   brindled 
  red, 
  some 
  pure 
  red 
  with 
  white 
  faces, 
  and 
  others 
  red 
  without 
  

   any 
  markings 
  of 
  white. 
  The 
  mixed 
  bloods 
  have 
  not 
  only 
  produced 
  in 
  

   my 
  stock 
  from 
  the 
  tame 
  and 
  the 
  buffalo 
  bull, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  half- 
  

   bloods 
  reproducing, 
  viz, 
  those 
  that 
  were 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  commou 
  

   cow 
  and 
  wild 
  buffalo 
  bull. 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that, 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  settlement 
  

   of 
  the 
  conntry, 
  cows 
  that 
  were 
  considered 
  best 
  for 
  milking 
  were 
  from 
  

   the 
  half-blood, 
  dowu 
  to 
  the 
  quarter, 
  and 
  even 
  eighth, 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   blood. 
  But 
  my 
  experiments 
  have 
  not 
  satisfied 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  half-buffalo 
  

   bull 
  will 
  produce 
  again. 
  That 
  the 
  half-breed 
  heifer 
  will 
  be 
  productive 
  

   from 
  either 
  race, 
  as 
  1 
  have 
  before 
  stated, 
  I 
  have 
  tested 
  beyond 
  the 
  possi- 
  

   bility 
  of 
  a 
  doubt. 
  

  

  "The 
  domesticated 
  buffnlo 
  retains 
  the 
  same 
  haughty 
  bearing 
  that 
  dis- 
  

   tinguishes 
  him 
  in 
  his 
  natural 
  state. 
  He 
  will, 
  however, 
  feed 
  or 
  fatten 
  on 
  

   "whetever 
  suits 
  the 
  tarae 
  cow, 
  and 
  requires 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  amount 
  of 
  

   food. 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  milked 
  either 
  the 
  full-blood 
  or 
  mixed 
  breed, 
  but 
  

   have 
  no 
  doubt 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  made 
  good 
  milkers, 
  although 
  their 
  bags 
  

   or 
  udders 
  are 
  less 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  cow 
  ; 
  yet, 
  from 
  the 
  strength 
  

   of 
  the 
  calf, 
  the 
  dam 
  must 
  yield 
  as 
  much 
  or 
  even 
  more 
  milk 
  than 
  the 
  

   commou 
  cow."* 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  the 
  following 
  facts 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  attested 
  : 
  (1) 
  

   That 
  the 
  buffalo 
  is 
  readily 
  susceptible 
  of 
  domestication 
  ; 
  (2) 
  that 
  it 
  in- 
  

   terbreeds 
  freely 
  with 
  the 
  domestic 
  cow; 
  (3) 
  that 
  the 
  half-breeds 
  are 
  

   fertile 
  ; 
  and 
  (4) 
  that 
  they 
  readily 
  amalgamate 
  with 
  the 
  domestic 
  cattle. 
  

   The 
  advantages 
  that 
  arise 
  from 
  the 
  mixed 
  race 
  are 
  less 
  clearly 
  apparent, 
  

   as 
  their 
  adaptability 
  to 
  labor 
  seems 
  as 
  yet 
  to 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  properly 
  

   tested, 
  although 
  the 
  experiments 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Wickliffe 
  offer 
  encouragement 
  

   in 
  this 
  direction. 
  A 
  larger 
  race 
  than 
  either 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  stocks 
  seems, 
  

  

  *Andubon 
  and 
  Bachinau's 
  Quadrupeds 
  of 
  North 
  America, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  pp. 
  52-54. 
  Mr. 
  

   Wicklitfb's 
  accoaut 
  of 
  his 
  observations 
  aud 
  esperiraents 
  has 
  been 
  repeatedly 
  quoted 
  

   by 
  different 
  writers 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  domestication 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  (see 
  Baird, 
  

   Patent-Office 
  Eeport, 
  Agriculture, 
  Part 
  II, 
  1851-52, 
  pp. 
  126-1-28 
  ; 
  Hiud, 
  Canadian 
  Ex- 
  

   ploring 
  Expedition, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  113), 
  and 
  embraces 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  importance 
  as 
  yet 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  subjecc. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  connection 
  may 
  be 
  noticed 
  the 
  astonishing 
  dogmatism 
  with* 
  which 
  School- 
  

   craft, 
  four 
  years 
  after 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Wickliffe's 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  experiments 
  in 
  

   domesticating 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  and 
  three 
  years 
  after 
  its 
  republication 
  by 
  Professor 
  Baird, 
  

   asserts 
  that 
  while 
  '' 
  the 
  calf 
  of 
  the 
  bison 
  has 
  often 
  Ijeen 
  captured 
  on 
  the 
  frontiers, 
  and 
  

   brought 
  up 
  with 
  domestic 
  cattle," 
  aud 
  been 
  " 
  measurably 
  tamed," 
  that 
  'Ht 
  produces 
  no 
  

   cross," 
  and 
  " 
  is 
  utterly 
  barren 
  in 
  this 
  state." 
  He 
  alludes 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  statement 
  of 
  Gomara 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  susceptible 
  of 
  domestication, 
  his 
  statement 
  being 
  revived, 
  Schoolcraft 
  adds, 
  

   and 
  " 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  galvanized 
  by 
  a 
  justly 
  eminent 
  writer 
  [Humboldt], 
  after 
  the 
  uniform 
  

   observation 
  of 
  the 
  French 
  and 
  English 
  colonists 
  of 
  A^iimxicix, 
  disaffirming 
  [!],for 
  more 
  

   than 
  two 
  centuries, 
  the 
  practicability 
  of 
  its 
  domestication"; 
  aud 
  further 
  states 
  that 
  

   "flV? 
  visitors 
  and 
  travellers 
  who 
  have 
  spoken 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  coincide 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  that; 
  

   the 
  bison 
  is 
  incapable 
  of 
  domestication, 
  aud 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  without 
  imminent 
  peril 
  to 
  

   themselves 
  that 
  the 
  tierce 
  and 
  untamable 
  herds 
  of 
  it 
  are 
  hunted." 
  — 
  Histori/, 
  Condition, 
  

   and 
  Prospects 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Tribes 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  Part 
  V 
  (185G), 
  p. 
  49. 
  

  

  