46 
HEREFORD CATTLE. 
journey. We erected temporary board sheds to 
protect them from the winds, which are remarka¬ 
bly severe from Saginaw bay; no forest interve¬ 
ning, they come in full force upon us. The win¬ 
ter being so unusually severe, the provender 
throughout the state failed in March, while the 
snow was two feet deep. Ours failed with the 
rest, and we were forced to chop down basswood, 
elm, and soft maple trees for them to browse on, 
every now and then giving them a bite of hay, to 
form their cud. This state of affairs lasted until 
the last of April, when spring once more showed 
her smiling phiz. Yet they were in good order, 
while cattle of the scrub breed were dying all 
through the country. And this fall they are quite 
fat, and our calves are beauties. 
I find them greatly superior on account of the 
extra brisket-piece and larger rounds on the quar¬ 
ters, for the packing business, which is destined 
to be the business of our prairie country. The 
farmers have become convinced of the superiority 
of the Durhams for the beef business, and their 
better adaptation to the rich growth of the prairies, 
and we trust that in due time they may take the 
place of the inferior cattle of the country. 
Our Leicester sheep do well; the ewes yielding 
6 to 7 lbs. of good wool, the wethers 8 to 9 lbs. 
We hope, by judicious breeding, to improve still 
farther our cattle and sheep. We have some good 
Berkshires in the neighborhood, originally from 
Mr. Bement’s farm. D. B. Birney. 
Lower Saginaw , Mich., December , 1843. 
HEREFORD CATTLE. 
Dairy Qualities. — I send you the result of my 
dairy, but it will not be any criterion to judge of 
Herefords, although the actual weight is taken 
from the book of Mrs. Sheldrick, who has kept a 
correct account of every pound. You were aware 
of the situation I was in when you visited me last 
season, that I had no dairy to keep my milk in 
until the 1st of March, therefore I could not make 
any butter during the month of February from six 
cows, three of which calved in January. Not¬ 
withstanding this, I send a true statement, al¬ 
though small. 
There were nine three-year-olds, two four, and 
one seven, the month of March. I sold Cherry, a 
three-year-old heifer, on the 2d of April; from that 
time until the 1st of October, I milked eleven, at 
which time I sold my milk to the milkman at 
cents per quart. 
From March 1st to October 1st, butter l,456|lbs. 
35 cream cheeses, 3 lbs. each, equal to 105 “ 
113 quarts of cream sold, equal to 113 “ 
1,674| lbs. 
My first cow, Lucy, four years old, calved No¬ 
vember 28th, and made last week, 8 lbs. 2 oz. of 
butter; this is the only cow I am milking, there¬ 
fore I have every reason to believe the Herefords 
will do more next season. I am open to inspec¬ 
tion at any time, and I will not make any scruple 
to any respectable judge. I shall be perfectly sat¬ 
isfied if I can make from 6 to 8 lbs. each for nine 
months, nor shall I want to change the Herefords 
for any other breed for milking. 
I quote from the Mark Lane Express the follow¬ 
ing remarks from the speech of Fisher Hobbs, 
Esq., October 23, page 11 :— 
“He could not, however, conclude without ma¬ 
king a few observations as a successful candidate. 
It had frequently been his good fortune to appear 
before them in that character, but he never felt so 
much pleasure from the circumstance as on the 
present occasion; for it must be admitted on all 
hands, that, except in a few instances, the compe¬ 
tition was very good indeed, and in some cases 
very severe struggles. He was the more happy 
as a great victory had that day been gained for a 
breed of cattle for which he was a strong advocate. 
He did not think, as judges were generally preju¬ 
diced in favor of Short-Horns, that Herefords could 
have been so successful as they had that day been. 
When he first became a farmer he was determined 
to have a good breed of cattle. He first tried 
Short-Horns, because he thought they were the 
best! and at a sale in Suffolk he purchased sever¬ 
al, better than which could not be obtained. He 
also purchased some Herefords and kept them to¬ 
gether for twelve months, and the result was 
most decidedly in favor of the latter. He was 
therefore compelled, contrary to his own wishes „ 
to give up the Short-Horns and take to Herefords* 
and he had from that time continued to do so, be¬ 
ing satisfied that with his soil and climate they 
paid the best. [Hear, hear.] He trusted the 
farmers whom he was addressing would do as he 
had done, and judge for themselves what descrip¬ 
tion of stock was best suited to their farms; and 
when they were satisfied that they had a breed 
which would prove most profitable to them, he 
would advise them to keep them, and if they came 
here to exhibit them, and were occasionally un¬ 
successful, he would urge them to go home with 
a determination of meeting with more success on 
another occasion. [Cheers.]” 
Mr. Hobbs gained the first premium as the best 
cow in milk of any breed with a Hereford. What 
will Youatt and his followers say to this ? let us 
hear from them. Again I refer you to a sale of 
Herefords, page 12, October 30, the property of 
Mr. John Hewer. 
“ An in calf, cow Lady, by Chance, was knock¬ 
ed down for 100 guineas, ($500.) Two-year-old 
Victoria, 87 guineas, ($435.) Yearling heifer, 40 
guineas, (or $200.) An aged bull, Dangerous, (the 
sire of some of my heifers,) 100 guineas. Lofty’s 
bull calf, 51 guineas, and several others at similar 
prices.” 
What does this say for Herefords ? Does it not 
prove that some writers know nothing about them , 
and will it not teach some of them to search for 
facts before they abuse the Herefords ? I refer 
you tG a sale of an excellent herd of Short-Horns, 
the property of Mr. Rogerson of Algarkirk, page 
12, October 23. You can make your own state¬ 
ment. (a) It is by such comparisons that we ar¬ 
rive at truth. I do not think that breeders in this 
country are willing to pay a remunerating price 
for a good animal; the butchers have far more 
spirit, and my object in future shall be to serve 
