THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



367 



steers under three years old. which weighed 1,330 

 lbs. each." 



"A twin heifer, belonging to Mr. Arrowsmith, 

 gained thirty stones, (420 lbs.) in thirty weeks." 



Mr. Mason, (of Chilton,) in an experiment to as- 

 certain the weight of beef, gained by the food 

 given, (turnips,) found three steers, under three 

 years old, to have gained twenty stones (280 lbs.) 

 each, in twenty weeks. The steers averaged 980 

 lbs. each." 



"In 1816, Mr. Nesham's steer, three and a half 

 years old, obtained the premium offered by the 

 Durham Agricultural Society ; his weight was, the 

 four quarters, 1,347 lbs. the four quarters; tallow, 

 152 lbs.; hide, 112 lbs." 



"Major Rudd's steer, slaughtered when three 

 years and thirteen days old, weighed, the four 

 quarters, 1,344 lbs." 



The late Mr. Robertson, of Berwick-upon- 

 Tweed, furnished the following particulars of 

 Short-Horns, bred by him, and fed, with few ex- 

 ceptions, on vegetable food: 



1791. — "An ox, four years, ten months old, four 

 quarters, 2,030 lbs.; tallow, 343 lbs. A steer, 

 under four years old, four quarters, 1,484 lbs; 

 tallow, 273 lbs." 



1814. — "A steer, three years, nine months old, 

 four quarters, 1,414 lbs ; tallow, 210 lbs." 



1815. — "A steer, three years, eleven months old, 

 four quarters, 1,572 lbs. ; tallow, 364 lbs. A hei- 

 fer, three years, eight months old, four quarters, 

 1,246 lbs." 



1817. — " A steer, three years, two months old, 

 four quarters, 1,340 lbs.; tallow, 245 lbs." 



1822. — " An ox, four years and a half old, four 

 quarters, 1,890 lbs. ; tallow, 294 lbs. Own brother 

 to the foregoing, three years and a half old, four 

 quarters, 1,862 lbs ; tallow, 294 lbs, A steer three 

 years, eight months old, four quarters, 1,568 lbs. ; 

 tallow not weighed." 



" A steer, bred by Col. Cook, two years and 

 twenty-two days old, fed on potatoes and straw, 

 was slaughtered; his four quarters weighed 1,008 

 pounds." 



1823. — Mr. John Rennie fed a steer from eigh- 

 teen to twenty months old, the four quarters of 

 which weighed 945 lbs." 



" The same gentleman fed a steer, aged two years 

 and four months, whose four quarters weighed 

 1,231 lbs.; also, a steer aged three years and six 

 months, whose four quarters weighed 1,369 lbs.; 

 tallow, 241 lbs." 



" Should the foregoing statement be considered 

 extended, it will at least be admitted that its am- 

 ple detail establishes the credit of the Short- Horns 

 as an invaluable breed to the grazier." For the 

 above weights, see Youatt's Trestise on Cattle. 



That the Short-Horns of the present day get as 

 fat as any of the above are described to be, I re- 

 fer you to Garrard's and Stevenson's letters, ex- 

 tracts from which you will find in the September 

 number of the Planter, to the weights of Mr. Re- 

 nick's steers, given above, and to the following 

 weights of steers, which I saw in Kentucky : Mr. 

 Charles J. Innes showed three steers at the Bour- 

 bon and Lexington shows, fall of 1850, which 

 weighed 2,790, 2,740, and 2,710 lbs. each. They 

 would have averaged net, about 1,800 lbs. These 

 were five years old. He had in all thirty-nine 

 head, and the average live weight of the thirty- 

 nine, was 2,315 lbs., and the whole would have 

 averaged net about 1,500 lbs. Half of them five, 

 and half four years old. 



The same year Mr. James G. Kinnaird's steer, 

 five years old, weighed, live weight, 2,580 lbs.; net 

 weight, 1,735 lbs. — losing less than one-third. 

 Mr. Kinnaird, fall of 1849, sold the steer which took 

 the premium at the Bourbon show, to go to Cin- 

 cinnati. He was not weighed alive; he weighed 

 net, in Cincinnati, 1,900 lbs. He was four years 

 and six months old. At the Lexington show, 1850, 

 Mr. E. G. Bedford's steer, three years old, weighed 

 2,464 lbs. He would have weighed net about 

 1,643 lbs. Mr. T. Hughes' steer, two years old, 

 live weight, 2,074 lbs. He would have weighed 

 net about 1,383 lbs. 



I might enlarge upon this subject, and fill a 

 whole number of your paper, with weights of the 

 Short-Horns. But I think I have written enough 

 to prove tnat they are an ancient and superior 

 race of animals. In Kentucky, if they wish to im- 

 prove the qnick feeding of their stock, they inva- 

 riably resort to the Short-Horn bull. He always 

 stamps his form and color upon the produce, 

 which is proof of their long, high breeding. 



Your paper will, I suppose, be taken up for 

 sometime with the awards of premiums at the 

 State Show, and with the essays ; and you will not 

 need an article from me for sometime. I will try, 

 if you wish it, to write you an article on breeding 

 stock, sometime during the winter. 



Truly Yours, 



Alex. S. Mathews. 



Wythe County, November lO^A, 1854. 



For the Southern Planter. 



COL. JOSIAH WM. WARE AGAIN. 



Mr. Editor, — I fully designed mine, in your Sep- 

 tember number, to be the last, and will now only 

 correct some errors in your comments. I will not 

 raise the question as to how far an editor can, with 

 propriety, publish a letter marked "private," as in 

 this case it was of no importance, the purport of it 

 being in my communication. I claim the right to 

 object to any improper course in any paper to which 

 I am a subscriber, as do other subscribers — I will 

 not use the word "patrons," as it seems offensive 

 when used — it was as editors use that word to de- 

 note their subscribers. If wrong, I was led into 

 the error by editors ; nor could the word " patrons" 

 mean myself only, but all your subscribers who 

 owned the Cotswolds or Short-Horns. You could 

 hardly have understood it otherwise. I see no ob- 

 jection yet to a private letter on the business of your 

 paper. Very few communications, I expect, are 

 sent to an editor without a private note, and I ap- 

 prehend if you continue long editor of a public 

 journal you will have to get out of your thin skinned 

 notions, that you are to wrap yourself in the mantle 

 of royalty and "not be approached in a private 

 note." I know of nothing that elevates you so far 

 above other editors. If your paper is a private one 

 you have a right to throw impediments in the way 

 of a free discussion, even then not by ascribing 

 motives of interest. Now, sir, my whole motive 

 in expressing myself frankly to you was the inte- 

 rest I felt in the Southern Planter, its success as 

 an agricultural journal, there were so few in the 

 State, through which farmers could have an inter- 

 change of sentiment, and on this account only I 

 offered my advice. It was rejected, with motives 

 of selfishness insultingly ascribed. Now that ad- 

 vice was not to praise or advocate Cotswolds or 



