﻿586 
  EEPOKT 
  UNITEb 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY 
  

  

  however, 
  to 
  result 
  from 
  the 
  crossing 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  with 
  the 
  cow, 
  and 
  a 
  

   probable 
  improvemeut 
  in 
  milking 
  qualities. 
  

  

  The 
  domestication 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  has 
  heretofore 
  been 
  undertaken 
  only 
  

   in 
  regions 
  where 
  farm-labor 
  was 
  done 
  chiefly 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  horses 
  or 
  

   mules. 
  Galissoniere, 
  as 
  already 
  noticed 
  (see 
  antea, 
  p. 
  198), 
  writing 
  a 
  

   century 
  and 
  a 
  quarter 
  ago, 
  believed 
  the 
  buffalo 
  would 
  " 
  be 
  adapted 
  to 
  

   ploughing," 
  and 
  that 
  " 
  they 
  would 
  possess 
  the 
  same 
  advantage 
  that 
  horses 
  

   have 
  over 
  domestic 
  oxen, 
  that 
  is, 
  superior 
  swiftness," 
  but 
  the 
  question 
  

   has 
  as 
  yet 
  received 
  little 
  attention. 
  Being 
  more 
  active 
  than 
  the 
  domes- 
  

   tic 
  ox, 
  it 
  seems 
  highly 
  i^robable 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  make 
  a 
  superior 
  farm 
  

   animal, 
  especially 
  since, 
  as 
  Professor 
  Shaler 
  suggests 
  to 
  me, 
  they 
  would 
  

   be 
  far 
  better 
  able 
  to 
  endure 
  the 
  intense 
  heat 
  of 
  summer 
  than 
  ordinary 
  

   cattle, 
  besides 
  being 
  swifter 
  and 
  stronger. 
  

  

  From 
  what 
  is 
  already 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  behavior 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  under 
  

   domestication, 
  it 
  seems 
  altogether 
  tractable 
  and 
  docile. 
  A 
  letter 
  written 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  P. 
  B. 
  Thompson, 
  sr., 
  to 
  Professor 
  Shaler, 
  respecting 
  the 
  domes- 
  

   tication 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  in 
  Kentucky, 
  bears 
  further 
  on 
  this 
  point. 
  Mr. 
  

   Thompson 
  says 
  (under 
  date 
  of 
  "Harrodsburgh,Ky.5 
  October 
  30, 
  1875"): 
  

   ''In 
  reply 
  to 
  your 
  inquiry 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  formerly 
  owned 
  by 
  

   Col. 
  George 
  C. 
  Thompson, 
  of 
  Shawnee 
  Springs, 
  Mercer 
  County, 
  permit 
  

   me 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  my 
  remembrance 
  of 
  them 
  runs 
  back 
  at 
  least 
  fifty 
  years. 
  

   My 
  first 
  recollection 
  is 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  bull 
  and 
  three 
  cows. 
  They 
  were 
  

   kept 
  in 
  a 
  park 
  of 
  about 
  sixty 
  acres 
  of 
  blue-grass. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  park 
  

   were 
  about 
  fifty 
  deer, 
  and 
  from 
  seven 
  to 
  twelve 
  elk. 
  The 
  animals 
  in 
  

   the 
  park 
  were 
  fed 
  but 
  little, 
  and 
  given 
  the 
  same 
  food 
  as 
  other 
  cattle. 
  

   The 
  elk 
  and 
  deer 
  were 
  but 
  slightly 
  domesticated, 
  but 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  be- 
  

   came 
  as 
  gentle 
  as 
  any 
  other 
  cattle 
  that 
  were 
  not 
  constantly 
  handled. 
  I 
  

   have 
  been 
  often 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  have 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  they 
  

   could 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  as 
  beasts 
  of 
  labor, 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  females 
  would 
  hava 
  

   submitted 
  to 
  milking. 
  There 
  were 
  but 
  few 
  young, 
  they 
  being 
  poor 
  

   breeders, 
  which 
  was 
  probably 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  neglect. 
  They 
  were 
  very 
  

   long-lived 
  ; 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  thirty 
  years 
  old, 
  the 
  others 
  

   over 
  twent3% 
  The 
  bull 
  died 
  many 
  years 
  ago; 
  the 
  last 
  cow 
  about 
  a 
  year 
  

   since. 
  

  

  "During 
  the 
  whole 
  time 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  they 
  ever 
  broke 
  a 
  fence, 
  or 
  

   went 
  beyond 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  park 
  unless 
  driven. 
  Other 
  cattle 
  were 
  

   put 
  in 
  the 
  park, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  used 
  at 
  times 
  for 
  a 
  calf 
  lot. 
  They 
  were 
  not 
  

   V' 
  icious 
  to 
  either 
  cattle, 
  horses, 
  hogs, 
  or 
  sheep. 
  The 
  two 
  last 
  left 
  were 
  

   cows, 
  who 
  survived 
  the 
  bull 
  at 
  least 
  fifteen 
  years. 
  They 
  were 
  calved 
  in 
  

   the 
  park, 
  and, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  before, 
  were 
  docile 
  and 
  harmless." 
  

  

  No 
  attempt 
  appears 
  as 
  yet 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  perpetuate 
  an 
  un- 
  

   mixed 
  domestic 
  race 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo. 
  Probably 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  generations 
  

   they 
  would 
  lose 
  much 
  of 
  their 
  natural 
  untractableness, 
  and 
  when 
  cas- 
  

   trated 
  would 
  doubtless 
  form 
  superior 
  working 
  cattle, 
  from 
  their 
  greater 
  

   size 
  and 
  strength 
  and 
  great 
  natural 
  agility. 
  While 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  in 
  

   1871 
  I 
  made 
  extensive 
  inquiries 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  being 
  

   domesticated 
  and 
  trained 
  to 
  work, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  general 
  opinion 
  seemed 
  

   to 
  be 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  thing 
  was 
  wholly 
  feasible, 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  learn 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  

   been 
  properly 
  attempted. 
  I 
  heard 
  of 
  instances 
  where 
  buffaloes 
  had 
  

   been 
  broken 
  to 
  the 
  yoke, 
  and, 
  though 
  strong 
  and 
  serviceable, 
  they 
  were 
  

   at 
  times 
  rather 
  unmanageable. 
  When 
  on 
  a 
  journey 
  they 
  are 
  liable, 
  it 
  

   is 
  said, 
  when 
  thirsty, 
  " 
  to 
  break 
  for 
  water," 
  rushing 
  precipitately 
  down 
  

   the 
  steep 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  nearest 
  stream 
  to 
  slake 
  their 
  thirst, 
  dragging 
  

   after 
  them 
  the 
  wagon 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  attached, 
  with, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   rather 
  unpleasant 
  results. 
  

  

  The 
  fate 
  of 
  extermination 
  so 
  surely 
  awaits, 
  sooner 
  or 
  later, 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   in 
  its 
  wild 
  state 
  that 
  its 
  domestication 
  becomes 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  great 
  inter- 
  

  

  