1878 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICQIjTURIST. 
13 
Head of a Shorthorn Cow. 
We give herewith an engraving of a fine portrait 
of a head of a model Shorthorn cow. This is 
■“ Duchess Gwyune, 2d,” one of the choice mem¬ 
bers of the finely-select¬ 
ed and highly-bred herd 
of Earl Bective, of 
Underley Park, Eng¬ 
land. This cow is 8 
years old, and has borne 
calves. Her dam was 
sold in 1806 for $315 ; 
in 1868, she was re-sold 
for precisely thrice this 
sum. In 1874, the dam 
was again sold for the 
sum of $3,227.50. Two 
years later, her cow- 
calf was sold for $2,650. 
The cow, whose head 
we here reproduce 
from the “Agricultural 
Gazette” (London), is 
a finely-formed animal, 
and an excellent feeder 
and milker. Her reputa¬ 
tion as a breeder is such 
that three of her calves 
realized at the last 
"Underley sale, $6,250. 
The cow is, therefore, 
a very valuable piece of 
property to her owner. 
The head is a model, 
and shows the animal 
to be of the tempera¬ 
ment that we look for in a good feeder and milker. 
There is about it the true character which belongs 
to her Duchess lineage, and the air of high breed¬ 
ing which is so attractive in the show or the sale 
ring. One can readily excuse a wealthy purchaser, 
who is attracted by these qualities, for bidding 
what we may truly call extravagant prices for such 
animals. In reality, the prices given are extrava¬ 
gant when considered under ordinary circum¬ 
stances, but when considered as value given for 
scarce and desirable articles of luxury, compara¬ 
ble with fine and rare 
works of art, the extrav¬ 
agance no longer ex¬ 
ists. These animals are, 
in reality, works of art, 
because they are pro¬ 
duced by the most skill¬ 
ful and artistic breed¬ 
ers for the purpose of 
luxurious enjoyment, 
rather than for ordinary 
uses as producers of 
milk and butter, or 
beef. In such a case, 
the rules regulating 
ordinary intrinsic values 
do not hold good, and 
we should be careful 
to distinguish between 
the circumstances sur¬ 
rounding these fashion¬ 
able families of Short¬ 
horns, and those relat¬ 
ing to ordinary service¬ 
able animals, when we 
feel disposed to criti¬ 
cise the actions of pui - - 
chasers of the former. 
In relation to this sub¬ 
ject, it is, perhaps, per¬ 
tinent to refer to the 
present depressed con¬ 
dition of the Short¬ 
horn market. It would be a matter for regret 
were this valuable interest to be unduly depressed. 
To some extent, the present unsatisfactory condi¬ 
tion is due to an unavoidable reaction from the ex¬ 
cessive speculative activity of a few years ago. 
Speculation always injures whatever it may touch, 
in this way, but it is certain that out of the present 
condition there will grow a healthy legitimate busi¬ 
ness, in which there will be money for all con¬ 
cerned ; for the breeders of high-bred families of 
unusual value, and sought by wealthy purchasers ; 
for the breeder of the plainer and more useful ani¬ 
HEAD OF SHORTHORN COW “DUCHESS GWYNNE, 2l>.” 
mals, for farmers and graziers’ use; and for the 
farmers and graziers who buy breeding animals on 
their merits, rather than for those of their ances¬ 
tors of several generations back. A farmer or gra¬ 
zier can well afford to give for a yearling for breed¬ 
ing purposes the sum which it would bring for beef 
when mature, or for milk and butter when a cow ; 
and this price would pay the breeder very hand¬ 
somely. The so called fashionable animals will al¬ 
ways bring high, and, when judged by an ordinary 
standard, extravagant prices ; but so long as spec¬ 
ulation does not run wild in consequence, there can 
be no objection to the enjoyment, by men of wealth 
and fine taste, of the satisfaction which comes from 
the possession of animals which are attractive for 
their beauty, and costly from their scarcity and ex¬ 
pensive breeding. The business of breeding Short¬ 
horns, when thus divided into two distinct branch¬ 
es, and kept thus separated, is one that lias a cer¬ 
tain future before it, and will undoubtedly increase 
in extent and importance. There is no reason why 
confidence should be withdrawn from it, because 
in the process of the necessary separation above in¬ 
dicated, it is under a 
temporary cloud. The 
production of meat is 
destined, without any 
doubt, to be immensely 
extended, as the great 
western plains become 
covered with herds, and 
as the farms east of 
those become feeding 
places for finishing off 
the grass-raised cattle 
into mature fat beef, or 
into breeding farms for 
supplying pure - bred 
bulls to the graziers; 
and as all these together 
become purveyors to 
the needy people of 
Europe, as well as to our 
own rapidly-increasing 
population. The pre¬ 
sent nucleus from which 
the greater part of our 
future beef, and much 
of our milk, butter, 
and cheese, must come, 
exists in our pure Short¬ 
horn herds, and to 
these we must look for 
the greater part of the 
means we shall use for 
the future development of stock-growing. With 
such a future iu prospect, the Shorthorn interest can 
not long remain depressed. Intending buyers could 
have no more favorable opportunity than the present. 
A Remarkable Jersey Cow. 
Authentic records of the performances of good 
cows are valuable. They not only show what may 
be aimed at by breeders, and farmers, who should 
keep only the best ani¬ 
mals, and breed from 
these with the greatest 
care, but such records 
show very clearly the 
vast difference there is 
between good cows and 
the common ones gen¬ 
erally kept, and how 
much more profitable 
the best cows are than 
others. There have been 
recorded from time to 
time, in the American 
Agriculturist, the pro¬ 
ducts of a number of 
more than usually good 
cows, and we have seen 
these records gathered 
carefully by agricultur¬ 
al writers as evidence of 
the value to farmers of 
such excellent animals. 
These records, there¬ 
fore, have a certain 
value, and as from time 
to time we are authen¬ 
tically informed of the 
performances of extra 
good cows, we gladly 
publish them as in¬ 
formation of both pres¬ 
ent and future interest. 
We have been favored by Mr. Harvey Newton, 
of Southville, Mass., with a record of his Jer¬ 
sey cow “ Abbie,” from April 17th, 1876, to March, 
1877, during which time she yielded 10,070 lbs. of 
milk, as follows : April 17th to 30th, 417 lbs.; May, 
1,365lbs. ; June, 1,406 lbs. ; July, 1,247lbs.; Aug., 
