1862 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
£33 
PISAN BILL AND OXEN OF THE VAL DP CHI AN A. 
Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
We are in tlie habit of regarding the existence 
of certain “ points ” as essential to the value of 
domestic . animals, according to the uses for 
which they are bred, whether for labor, food, 
milk, or wool, etc. The practised eye of a dairy-, 
man demands certain points in a daily cow, 
and that they are likely to be perpetuated in her 
calf. The breeders of working cattle seek the 
development of different points from those 
sought where beef or milk is the especial desid¬ 
eratum. In England, whence we derive our no¬ 
tions of neat cattle, the most systematic breed¬ 
ing has been pursued with reference to flesh- 
production, breeding out bad points, and per¬ 
fecting good ones, so far as possible. The Short¬ 
horn has been brought very near perfection as a 
beef animal. The heavy neck and dewlap has 
disappeared; the hind quarters, especially the 
loin and rump, have been proportionally in¬ 
creased ; and, in fact, the animal which we now 
consider so nearly perfect is very far from it, if 
we regard him as God made him—to take care 
of himself and his herd of cows, to fight their 
battles, and be the flock leader and master. 
We give above a striking picture of animals 
bred with great care, but not for beef. The bull, 
in the foreground, is of the somewhat noted 
Pisan breed of Tuscany,—large of stature, 
heavy and powerful fore quarters; hind quarters 
showing activity, but lacking beef qualities—evi¬ 
dently a bull to fight, and to work! Two such 
animals opposing one another would lay out a 
vast amount of strength, if pushing with locked 
horns. The whole force of the bull of such a 
build is concentrated in his forehead. This is 
most obvious when the attitude, position of head 
and play of muscles is observed in such an ani¬ 
mal in the act of pushing, fighting, or laying out 
strength in that way. Among that macaroni- 
eating people, though beef is valued as food, 
they are content with what nature furnishes, fat 
in one place, and lean in another—good strong 
beef; the tender-loin perhaps is all the more 
valued because there is little of it, and the neck¬ 
pieces are probably regarded as so much clear 
gain over the thin necks of British cattle, while j 
the larger the bones the more soup they will 
make. Work is what is wanted, and beauty of 
color—weight of bone, and grace of motion 
so far as it is not inconsistent with strength, are 
sought in addition. The result is the production 
of animals very much of the wild or unculti¬ 
vated type, as any one will see from the picture. 
The oxen of South America, Africa, and India, 
have a similar look. All these wild bovine 
races tend to great weight in the fore quarters. 
The oxen are of the large cream-colored 
breed of the Yal di Chiana, in Tuscany. They 
are bred with great care, and are of a uniform 
color throughout, and the breed possesses 
similar characteristics to those just referred, to, 
heavy fore quarters, deep brisket, full dewlap, 
light loin, etc. They are very powerful draught 
animals, fatten rapidly, and the beef is good. 
These animals are broken to draw by the 
head, as the pad across the forehead indicates, 
and this is indisputably the tine way for all 
neat cattle. The whole shape of the animals 
shows it; all the muscles of locomotion concen¬ 
trate their power as it were in a focus at the 
forehead. To make them draw by the neck is 
a refined sort of cruelty, to which the poor 
beasts in this country are thoroughly accus¬ 
tomed, and we have no doubt that nearly half 
the power of the ox is wasted, as a general rule. 
South-Down Sheep. 
The sheep is a triple source of profit to the 
farmer, as mutton, as a wool-producer, and as a 
manure maker, not to include its value in clear¬ 
ing land of certain weeds and bushes, which 
are very difficult otherwise to eradicate, which 
may be fairly reckoned among the profits of 
sheep-culture. The value of the manure made 
by sheep depends upon the quality of the food; 
there is no difference in breeds. There are, 
however, great differences between breeds in re¬ 
gard to the quality and abundance of the wool, 
[ their rapidity of growth, and both the excel¬ 
lence and the quantity of their flesh. We may, 
therefore, raise sheep chiefly for wool, chiefly 
for mutton, or for both combined, and it de¬ 
pends upon the markets, the part of the coun¬ 
try in which the flock is to be kept, the size of 
the flock, transportation, and many minor mat¬ 
ters, which course is most profitable. 
It is not our purpose now to discuss the rela¬ 
tive advantages of various breeds, but mention 
this to show the true position of the South- 
downs. It is eminently a mutton breed, while 
the wool product is a source of quite as much 
profit, at present prices, as that Of ordinary fine 
wool sheep. The South-downs are classified as 
middle-wool sheep, the fleece being neither 
coarse nor fine, long nor short, and it is exactly 
that kind for which there is the greatest present 
and prospective demand. Relatively the fine 
wools find a particularly poor market, and 
within the year they have sold and been used 
for the same purposes as wools of very much 
inferior grades. The weight of the fleece of a 
‘ good South-down is so much greater than that 
of Merinos or Saxons, that the difference of 
no more than 10 to 15 cents in the price per 
pound turns the balance of profit in favor of 
the lower-priced wool. It is, however, as mut¬ 
ton sheep, in which it has no superior for quality 
and profit combined, that this beautiful breed 
has its chief claim to consideration. 
The long and careful breeding of Jonas Webb, 
of Babraliam, England, was attended with such 
marked success, that it is on all hands acknowl- 
■ edged that he brought the mutton points of the 
breed very near perfection. Mr. Webb became 
an old man, his flock was in splendid condition, 
its reputation could not be higher; he had, be¬ 
sides, become so famous over the whole world, 
that it was necessary for him to entertain a great 
deal.of company, both friends and entire stran¬ 
gers, and there was no one to whom he could 
entrust the care of his flock while he, in partial 
or entire retirement from business, sought that 
repose which he felt he needed. He therefore 
