70 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
American Cattl e—No. II. 
[Continued from page 45.] 
WHERE IS THE PROPER HOME OF SHORT HORNS 1 
Where rich land, and abundant forage abounds, 
and not elsewhere. Physically, the Short Horn, 
compared with the lighter breeds, is a sluggish 
animal. Consequently its food should be reached 
with little labor, and where it can readily graze 
its full, then lie down to ruminate, and digest it. 
As to climate, they succeed in every part of the 
United States north of the Cotton-growing re¬ 
gions, and in them, less perhaps from the absence 
of proper grasses, than their enervating heat. 
They flourish in the cold latitude of Montreal, and 
Northern Maine, with abundant food, and warm 
shelter and they will probably thrive anywhere 
that nutritious grasses, grains, and roots are pro¬ 
duced, and comfortable shelters furnished. The 
rich lands throughout the States in the Valley of 
the Mississippi are, almost without exception, 
peculiarly adapted to them ; while in many other 
States, but comparatively small sections are fitted 
for their profitable adoption as farm stock. Yet 
in their grades, or crosses upon the lighter breeds, 
for the dairy, and other purposes, they may serve 
an admirable purpose on thinner soils. As our 
weak lands grow richer, forage becomes plentier, 
and our agriculture is improved, the Short Horns 
can be adopted with advantage. 
WILL THE SHORT HORNS CONSTITUTE OUR DAIRIES 1 
Most certainly, if they ever become plenty 
enough and cheap enough for that purpose. But 
that their blood may be infused into our native 
stock, and to such extent that all the essential ex¬ 
cellence of the Short Horn, with her imposing ap¬ 
pearance. and high milking quality, can be attain¬ 
ed, is beyond a question. Such will be, as in 
many places they now are, among our best dairy 
cows. The only effort required to effect such re¬ 
sult is, to choose a well-bred Short Horn Bull from 
a good milking dam, and cross him on to well se¬ 
lected, good milking cows of the common breed. 
Then reserve the best heifer calves of their pro¬ 
duce, and following the same cross upon them in 
succession, and to their produce after them—al¬ 
ways using a thorough bred bull—and the object, 
from the first cross, or half-blood, up to as near an 
approximation to the pure blood as possible, is at¬ 
tained. For all practical purposes, a herd of dairy 
cows, so bred, can be made as available as when 
the pure blood is resorted to alone, which, at the 
prices ihe pure blood will command for a long 
time to come, can not be profitably adopted. 
THE QUALITY OF OUR AMERICAN SHORT HORNS 
is probably quite equal, in the average, to those of 
England. A large majority of our importations 
have been selected with care and good judgment 
from the most celebrated English herds, at the 
time. The first Short Horns of any note were 
brought into Kentucky in 1317. These were fol¬ 
lowed by several animals brought into Massa¬ 
chusetts, in 1818-19, and into New-York, Penn¬ 
sylvania and Maryland, and Massachusetts again, 
during several successive years. In 1834, a very 
. considerable herd were imported into Ohio, suc¬ 
ceeded in each year, up to 1840, by numerous ar¬ 
rives into New-York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and 
Kentucky. In 1849, with an occasional one dur¬ 
ing a few previous years, importations recom¬ 
menced, and during several years, up to the pres 
ent, numerous, and large importations by asso¬ 
ciated companies, and individuals, have been made 
of selections from the best, and most celebrated 
herds in England, Scotland and Ireland, whose 
lineage traced back to the remotest records and 
‘'-aditions of Short Horn ancestry. Many animals 
have been purchased and brought out without re¬ 
gard to cost, so that they combined the highest 
blood and the best quality ; and they were bought 
against the most eager competition of rank and 
wealth in England, by the spirited and liberal 
breeders of the United States. They are now 
here, on this side of the Atlantic, in the hands of 
those who duly appreciate their value, and will 
breed them onward to the full measure of their ex¬ 
cellence and fame. We have now many estab¬ 
lished herds, with pedigrees recorded in the 
American Herd Book, three volumes of which 
have been published, containing the pedigrees of 
near seven thousand American Short Horns, and 
equal in completeness, and information to the 
Herd Books of England. 
We might interest our readers by noticing in¬ 
dividual herds, and animals or by giving the names 
of some of our prominent Short Horn breeders ; 
but intending in these papers to speak only of the 
different breeds of cattle themselves, we leave 
them out for the present. 
THE HEREFORDS. 
Occasional specimens of this variety have been 
brought into the United States since early in the 
present century. Two or three were imported 
into Kentucky by Ihe great Statesman Henry 
Clay of Ashland, in the year 1817, or 1818; a 
bull or two came into Massachusetts a few years 
later. These left no results in the way of tho¬ 
rough bred stock—Mr. Clay’s being absorbed in¬ 
to Short Horn, and native grades, long ago gone 
out of existence, and those of Massachusetts, af¬ 
ter producing some excellent crosses, running out, 
and finally lost in their infusion with the “ com¬ 
mon” stock. In 1839-40, a considerable herd were 
brought out from England by W. H. Sotliam, 
which became the joint property of himself, and 
Erastus Corning Esq.,- of Albany, N. Y., and 
were for several years kept and bred on the farm 
of Mr. Corning, near that city. Within a few 
years past, further imporations have been made 
by Erastus Corning Jr., of Albany, George 
Clark, of Otsego Co., in this State, and an 
English fanner near Elyria, Ohio, and a few, we 
understand, into Canada. Other small importa¬ 
tions may have been made by other parties, but 
the above are the only ones that now occur to us. 
Yet, as their numbers by multiplication have be¬ 
come considerable—chiefly, however, in the State 
of New \ ork, where they are decided favorites, 
with their breeders—they may now be considered 
an established breed of cattle in the United States. 
Of the origin, and history of the Herefords, we 
have been able to glean but little. Youatt, the 
principal English cattle historian, gives but a mea¬ 
gre and one-sided account of them. According to 
him, or so far as record and tradition has been 
ascertained, they are claimed to be an aboriginal 
race, mostly confined to the county which gives 
them their name, and the adjacent districts. 
DESCRIPTION. 
In size, they rank next to the Short Horn, ave¬ 
raging somewhat smaller, and of a lighter figure, 
and more active in movement. Of their color, 
Youatt says : “Some of them are brown, and even 
yellow, and a few are brindled (roan ;) but they 
are principally distinguished by their white faces, 
throats, and bellies. In a few, the white extends 
to their shoulders. The old Herefords were 
brown, or red brown, with not a spot of white 
about them. It is only within the last fifty or 
sixty years (this was written in 1833,) that it has 
been the fashion to breed for white faces. What 
ever may be thought of the change of color, the 
present breed is certainly far superior to the ok 
one.” 
-To this we will add, that those which have been 
imported into this country, have, with a few ex¬ 
ceptions of mottled fronts, been white in the face, 
with red bodies, or with the white extending along 
the backs, and bellies, to the extremities; some¬ 
times, a striped roan, and in one instance we 
have seen a pure white, except red ears. 
Their horns are large, long, and widely branch¬ 
ing, gracefully turned upward, and outward, giving 
them a high head, a bold front, and an imposing 
appearance. 
In its body, a well bred Hereford is good, yet 
hardly so fine in the bone as the Short Horn. The 
head is of medium size, and the eye lively ; the 
neck in fair proportion, with a tendency to dew¬ 
lap ; the body long, level, and well spread, with 
capacious hips, an excellent loin, and a deep flank. 
The shoulder is more slanting than the Short Horn, 
less open, yet widens below, so as to disclose a. 
prominent brisket; well spread ribs, giving a 
round barrel, and an excellent carcass. The 
Hereford stands rather higher on the legs than 
the Short Horn, but not out of good proportion. 
The leg bones are strong-, and not coarse. The 
skin is mellow ; the hair soft, and wavy, and the 
animal usually a good “ handler.” Indeed, a 
good Hereford is rarely surpassed in its handling 
quality bv one of any other breed. On the whole, 
a fine animal. 
THEIR PROPER PLACE. 
Anywhere, with enough to eat, as a grazing 
steer, or a breeding cow. As a beef producing 
breed, few, if any cattle, possess more growth, 
* For the two illustrations of Herefords, we are indebted to 
Youatt & Martin’s work on Cattle, edit ul by A. Stevrus. aad 
published by A. O. Mooio, New-York 
