22 
Bull Washington 
loo common and popular opinion, that bulls are 
not good for stock, after they are three or four 
years old. Although I never saw him in high con¬ 
dition, still, he always discovered great stamina, 
much vigor, spirit, and strong constitution. He 
lived to a good old age, and died in 1839 when 18 
years old. 
On his arrival in this country Mr, Van Rens- 
sellaer changed his name and called him Cham¬ 
pion, after his breeder, as he had too great a 
respect for our worthy and adored countryman 
to possess an animal bearing so venerable a 
name ; therefore he always went by the name of 
“ Champion ” until 1830, when it was suggested 
to call him by his proper name, Washington, 
as recorded in the “ Herd Book. ” 
Several spirited individuals at that early peri¬ 
od, who had devoted some attention to the im¬ 
provement of stock, and amongst others, Mr. 
Featherstonhaugh, then of Duanesburgh, in an 
adjoining county, sent a cow to him. I cannot 
resist the desire to insert here an extract from 
Mr. Featherstonhaugh’s letter to Mr. Van Rens- 
sellaer, in 1825, on the subject of his calves. 
“Sir—having now had an opportunity of exam¬ 
ining some of the calves got by that magnificent 
bull Champion, (Washington,) imported by you 
in the summer of 1824, I sit down with much 
pleasure to communicate to you, as you have 
desired, my opinion of the relative value of the 
improved short horned stock, with the other 
breeds of cattle known to us here. 
So many individuals of that breed have 
within the last ten years been brought from 
.England into this and into some of the neighbor¬ 
ing States, and their descendants are now so wide¬ 
ly spread, that opportunities for observation and 
comparison are becoming very abundant in the 
vicinity of the coast; and even offer themselves, 
although partially as yet, in the interior. 
I have upon different occasions availed 
myself of the increased facilities for observations 
of this nature; and with the aid of my personal 
experience in this and other breeds of English 
as well as of our own native cattle, do not hesi¬ 
tate to say, that I have seen many individuals 
of the pure blood of the improved short horns, 
which have descended from imported stock and 
their progeny in no manner degenerated from 
the fine animals they sprung from; and their 
mixed progeny, got by short horned bulls upon 
the finest American cows, as far as they have 
fallen under my observation, and they have been 
taken proper care of, surpass any of the native 
or mixed breeds 1 have yet seen in the United 
States. I am aware that warm controversies 
have arisen on this subject amongst us, which was 
the case in England for a while. The owners 
of the stately short horns have been accused, in 
both countries of pressing their favorite stock 
into notice; and the Herefords and Devons, to 
say nothing of others, have taken the field against 
them. Public opinion, however, on the other 
side of the Atlantic, as far as I am acquainted 
with it, appears to be decidedly in favor of the 
short horns. Every year seems to bring them 
an accession of patrons, and to strengthen the 
opinion that it is a breed which renders the most 
money in the shortest period of time. 
When you apprised me of the arrival of your 
fine bull Champion, (Washington) last summer, 
I availed myself immediately of your kind offer, 
and sent one of my short horned cows to him. 
She brought a bull calf on the 5th of May last. 
He has been raised from the pail, from his 
mothers milk. We have raised six other bull 
calves of different breeds, who have sucked 
from their birth, being requested they should do 
so by those who gave orders for them; and at 
this moment he is worth nearly twice as much 
to the butcher as any of them. He resembles 
his sire in most of his points, and is the best 
calf we have ever , had. 
Another instance is worthy of record. A 
farmer, by the name of Hollis, who emigrated 
from England and settled in the county of Otsego, 
90 miles from Albany, drove his cow that dis¬ 
tance to go to Washington. Mr. Van Renssei- 
laer was so much pleased with his spirit, for 
the improvement of his stock, that he not only 
tendered him the use of his bull but actually 
boarded him while he was obliged to stay with 
his cow. 
I have said at the commencement of this arti¬ 
cle that there were two heifers imported with 
Washington, one of them is described in Mr. 
Champion’s letter refered to before, as follows, 
“ The dark red and white heifer, I have named 
Conquest. She was got by Conqueror, (a son 
of Warrior,) sold last year by me for 100 
guineas; her dam Coats’ Tulip is by Blythe 
Comet; grand dam by Driffield; great grand 
dam young Hart, by Haughton; great great 
grand dam by a bull of Mr. Cornforth of Ban- 
ferth, near Darlington. Conquest you will find 
a most elegant heifer, remarkable high formed 
shoulders, and promising to grow to a large 
size and descended from an excellent milking 
sort. ” 
This heifer slipped her calf on ship board 
and never after would breed ; was fattened and 
slaughteied, she was said to be much the finest 
animal of the two. 
The other was a roan heifer, named Pansey, 
«she was got by Blaize; (a son of Blythe 
Comet;) her dam Primrose by Marson’s Charles, 
(for the use of which bull for two years, the late 
Mr. Mellish and myself paid 450 guineas; grand 
dam by Blythe Comet; great grand dam by 
Prince; great great grand dam by Mr. George 
