352 
HISTORY OP SHORTHORN CATTLE. — NO. 1. 
greater than that of the fodder and straw which 
have been consumed." I trust nothing further is 
necessary to prove that a real and not an imaginary 
loss is sustained by fermentation, unless proper pre- 
cautions are used to prevent it. 
The liquid excrements of animals, supposed by 
some to be of little value, are in reality possessed 
of the most valuable fertilizing properties ; instead 
of considering them worthless, the farmer should 
regard them as highly concentrated manure, and 
spare no pains to prevent them from being 
wasted. However remiss farmers may be, on this 
point, in a land where a livelihood may be obtained 
by bad husbandry, the value of such manures is 
well appreciated in those districts where the art of 
the husbandman has reached nearest to perfection. 
1 will reserve the subject of the "Application of 
Manures" for my next letter, and then consider it 
in connexion with the much-agitated question 
whether manures ascend or descend. 
As regards the idea that the effect of manure can 
be in any way influenced by the moon, I have only 
to say it is quite too absurd to be entertained for a 
moment by any rational being. I should not have 
noticed it if I had not heard it advocated by indi- 
viduals who appear perfectly sane on other sub- 
jects, though well deserving ?to be called lunatics 
on this. J. McKinstry. 
Greenport, N. Y., October 1st, 1849. 
HISTORY OF SHORTHORN CATTLE.— No. 1. 
Preliminary Observations, Soil, Climate, fyc. — 
In the year 1848, I made an agricultural tour in 
England. My object was a general one, embracing 
all that pertains to agriculture. Finding, however, 
when there, that more time would be required to 
accomplish this than my limited stay afforded me, I 
confined my attention mainly to the agricultural 
machinery and implements, and the animals of 
England and Scotland. I was enabled to embrace, 
in this pursuit, the general nature of soils as con- 
nected with agricultural implements and machinery 
in point of adaptation ; and their character in them- 
selves as connected in climate, geology, and geo- 
graphy, with domestic animals generally, and with 
cattle specially. As incident to this last branch of 
my inquiries, I devoted much time to the history of 
the shorthorns. The editor of the Agriculturist has 
asked of me a series of short papers on the history 
of this race of cattle. In complying with this re- 
quest, I deem it proper to give a short description, 
geological, climatic, and geographical of the region 
where the shorthorns originated. 
This region is the valley of the river Tees, which 
embraces the south part of the county of Dm ham 
and much of the North Riding of Yorkshire. The 
river rises in the elevated tract of country formed 
by parts of Cumberland, Westmoreland, Durham, 
and Yorkshire. Issuing from the mountainous re- 
gion of its origin, the Tees flows eastward, dividing- 
Durham from the North Riding of Yorkshire, and 
enters the German Ocean by a broad mouth, be- 
tween the seaports of Redcar on the the south and 
Hartlepool on the north. The rock formation of 
the high country where the Tees lises is of moun- 
tain limestone. Elevated far above the vales below 
whose streams flow from it, this region has dif- 
fused over all the valleys and plains from it to the 
ocean, an abundance of lime. As we descend from 
the mountains, the next formation is coal ; then 
succeeds magnesian limestone and millstone grit ; 
next red sandstone j then lias, with clay j and 
finally alluvial along the streams and near the ocean. 
In the far west of this district, in the country 
about, and connected with, the heads of the Tees, 
the valleys and hill sides on the mountainous lime- 
stone give a grass land of great value, letting as 
high as $15, to $20 per acre, yearly, for ordinary 
farming, and with no near markets. The valleys 
are of a very rich soil, and here are fed cattle and 
sheep ; the hill sides and tops are less rich in soil, 
but have a very sweet herbage ; and here the dairies 
are found, and excellent cheese, rich and abundant, 
is produced. The mountain-limestone land -is 
wholly in pasture. Its inhabitants derive their 
bread from the region below, and furnish beasts-, 
sheep, cheese, butter, bacon, and lard in exchange. 
On the magnesian limestone and millstone grit 
and coal formations, there exist a mixed cultiva- 
tion of permanent grass lands, and a four-course 
system of farming, namely, turnips first year, bar- 
ley the second, grass seeds, (as clover, rye grass, 
&c.,) third, and wheat, fourth. On this formation, 
the grass lands prevail, and grazing and the pro- 
duction of cheese and butter largely occupy its in- 
habitants. 
On the red sandstone, the soil is a sandy and 
gravelly loam ; and its district is the best cultivated 
portion of all the valley of the Tees, and the most 
productive, and is rich and abundant in grass, grain, 
and vegetables. Large portions are in permanent 
pasture, and on its arable lands the four-cour.se 
system of turnips, barley, grass seeds, and wheat, 
is pursued. 
The clay district is next in the Tees's descent and 
embraces Cleveland, in Yorkshire, and the Ward of 
Stockton, in Durham. It lies on the blue lias and 
is overspread with diluvium ; is level, cold, stiff, 
and tenacious ; permits no downward filtering of 
water, while it presents abundant springs. This 
region is poor in the main, except along the streams, 
but with draining : becomes highly fertile and pro- 
ductive. This portion of the valley of the Tees 
once abounded in grass and was famous for its 
animals, both horses and cattle, and for its dairies. 
The high price of grain, in the beginning of this 
century, converted its rich pastures into arable 
land, and now the whole region presents mainly 
miserable farming and exhaustion. Its cropping is 
generally fallow, wheat, oats, or beans, and occa- 
sionally clover after wheat. 
Intimately connected with the valley of the Tees, 
is the northern portion of the West Riding of 
Yorkshire. In geological formation, it is the same 
as the upper part of the valley of the Tees. Alike 
in soil, it is so in rotation and production. It is 
very fertile, with a cultivation excellent and pro- 
ductive, and sustains a large population. 
Only on the red sandstones with a sandy and 
gravelly loam, are good crops of turnips raised, 
and here all crops succeed admirably. 
The interval lands, or bottoms, along the Tees 
and the other rivers, are very fertile, and grow per- 
fectly everything that the climate will mature,, while 
the annual overflow maintains continuous fertility. 
These bottoms are mainly in grass. 
