1879. J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
93 
Rumpless Fowls. 
Among the fowls which are noted for their pecu¬ 
liarity, if not grotesqueness, of form and figure, the 
rumpless varieties are conspicuous. It is said that 
these originated from the Polish breeds, and that 
some of them formerly bore top-knots and partially 
developed beards. When first brought forward 
prominently they went by the name of “ Glend- 
roeks,” but this soon gave way to the term “rump¬ 
less,” which is now applied to all of them indiscrim¬ 
inately. By a process of improvement their original 
character has been much changed; the top-knot 
and beard, which were 
quite imperfect, and the 
partial leg - feathering 
and objectionable vul¬ 
ture hocks were bred 
out, making them as at¬ 
tractive as is possible 
for so deformed a bird 
to be. Their anatomy 
is deficient in the usual 
prolongation of the 
vertebral column to 
form the “rump ” upon 
which the tail feathers 
of most other fowls are 
planted; so that in place 
of the usual ornamental 
tail, that part of the 
body is covered by a 
few back or saddle 
feathers. In color they 
were formerly black, or 
white, or a mixture of 
these; the so-called 
“improved” pure-bred 
fowl is now white and 
has an upright carriage. 
Some excellent flocks 
that we have seen are 
mottled black and 
white, somewhat re¬ 
sembling the “Domin¬ 
ique ” in color, and are 
neat and attractive in 
appearance, being com¬ 
pact in form, energetic 
in spirit, and having a 
fine carriage. These 
fowls usually occupy 
an inferior position, be¬ 
ing somewhat tender in 
constitution, and thus 
liable to contract such 
diseases as roup and tu¬ 
berculosis during cold, 
stormy weather; but 
the above - mentioned 
flocks are as hardy as 
any other breeds, are 
good layers, and fair 
table fowls. One Orange County farmer that 
we know of—and who beeps nothing on his 
farm that does not pay—has bred them for many 
years and finds them a source of considerable pro¬ 
fit ; his poultry always brings an extra price in the 
market, and has become quite noted among certain 
consumers who know his trade-mark, which con¬ 
sists in the absence of the “ bishop’s nose.” He 
says they are “ first-class layers, the best of mothers, 
and of the hardiest constitution. He always keeps 
all the pullets for layers. They are the finest fowls 
when dressed for market he has ever sold, and can 
never get too many of them.” The sexes are not 
easily distinguishable when young, though pos¬ 
sessing marked distinctions when full-grown, which 
are well represented in the engraving. While 
rumpless fowls in general have not a very good 
reputation, the experience of some, indicates that 
this breed has capabilities worthy of the attention 
of the ambitious and careful poultry breeder. 
and other insects, are far less troublesome than on 
the wheat fields where only ordinary cultivation is 
practised. It frequently occurs, too, that superior 
cultivation permits of earlier sowing in the fall; 
the extra growth more than offsetting the damage 
done by the insects, to avoid which most farmers 
now are obliged to resort to late planting. Several 
examples are cited where drilled and cultivated 
fields, grown beside ordinary broadcast sown and 
lightly manured fields, with results wholly in favor 
of the former, the Hessian fly greatly damaging if 
not totally destroying the latter, while the culti¬ 
vated fields escaped almost unharmed. These facts 
A TRIO OF RUMFLESS FOWLS OF THE IMPROVED VARIETT. 
are brought out in the reports published last month, 
which all wheat growers may study with profit. 
Hoeing Wheat to Fight Insects. —In the 
rapidly increasing practice of extra manuring and 
cultivation of wheat, as by drilling and hoeing, it 
is found in very many cases that the Hessian fly 
Polled or Hornless Cattle. 
The Different Breeds Described. 
The higher position that polled cattle are taking 
in Europe, and frequent mention of them in the 
American Agriculturist, have led to several calls for 
a more particular description of the various families 
or breeds of the class. The terms, “ polled,” “ dod- 
ded,” “humbled,” “mooley,” “hornless,” and “ 110 - 
horn,” are all applied to these cattle. In this country, 
where they are usually called “mooley cows,” speci¬ 
mens are frequently found in many sections, and 
sometimes they are the prevailing breed of a locality. 
It is commonly supposed here, that these hornless 
cattle are descendants of the domesticated buffalo 
of the West, the females of which almost invariably 
are hornless, the bulls having these weapons of 
defence and doing the fighting. Some of our polled 
cattle may have had such an origin, but it is known 
that many are the descendants of occasional im¬ 
portations, which have become scattered about the 
country. In Great Britain, where their history for 
more than a hundred years is familiar, it is an au¬ 
thenticated fact, that at first the Aberdeens, for ex¬ 
ample, were a class of cattle with and without horns, 
but evidently with a tendency to the latter condi¬ 
tion. Sometimes animals are found with horns 
hanging beside the head, quite loose in the skin, 
there evidently being no development of bone from 
the skull within to make them firm. There are 
apparently three distinct breeds of polled cattle in 
Great Britain : “the “Angus ” or “Aberdeen,” the 
“Galloways,” and the “Suffolk” or “Norfolk.” 
The “Angus” breed, according to Low’s “Cattle 
of the British Islands,” 
originated over a cen¬ 
tury ago in the north of 
Scotland, when the agri¬ 
culture of that region 
began a course cf rapid 
development. They are 
now thickly scattered 
throughout the grazing 
regions of Great Britain. 
By careful breeding 
they have vapidly im¬ 
proved of late years, 
and, with the “Gallo¬ 
ways,” are now a favor¬ 
ite beef cattle of the 
great English markets, 
for the economy of 
their carcasses and the 
quality of their meat. 
The county of Aberdeen 
breeds more cattle es¬ 
pecially for beef than 
any other county in 
the kingdom, Galloway 
probably ranking next. 
At the recent Paris 
Exhibition, the “ Aber¬ 
deens ” carried off the 
highest honors over all 
other breeds of beef 
cattle. In form they are 
compact, well propor¬ 
tioned, straight backed, 
larger limbed than the 
“Galloways,” which 
they somewhat resem¬ 
ble in general charac¬ 
teristics ; hair soft and 
fine ; skin soft; color 
varied, but mostly black 
with white marks; some 
arc brindled, but solid 
black is preferred. They 
have a gentle disposi¬ 
tion, mature early, and 
attain great weights. 
The breed is not adapted 
to the dairy; it produces 
beef rather than milk. 
The “Galloways” originated in the county bear¬ 
ing that name, and are particularly adapted to 
hilly districts, having hardy constitutions, and be¬ 
ing good feeders. Black is their predominating 
color, and is regarded as an indication of hardiness 
and purity of blood. In form, the “Galloway ” is 
a compact animal, well proportioned, fine-boned, 
clean, round, broad ; legs short; neck rather coarse; 
back level from head to tail; long in the quarter; 
deep in the chest; hair long and soft, though coars¬ 
er than that of the “ Aberdeen,” or of the “ Suf- 
folks ; ” skin rather hard and firm. A century ago 
the “ Galloways ” frequently had small horns, but 
are now entirely without them, except an occasion¬ 
al one hanging loose in the skin. The “ Galloway 
rib ” is well known in the London markets as especi¬ 
ally delicate. These cattle are hardy, docile, and 
indifferent milkers, but are superior beef animals. 
The “Norfolk” or “Suffolk” breed, which we 
described in the American Agriculturist for June 
and September, 1878, is descended from the “ Gal¬ 
loways,” but now differs from that breed consider¬ 
ably. In color it is a reddish brown or deep red. 
The neck and shoulders, which are heavy in the 
“ Galloways ” are light and thin in the “ Suffolks;” 
