1871.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
99 
bis reach, for the reason that lie cannot afford 
to take the risk of the reappearance of ances¬ 
tral defects, which are always liable to crop out. 
In some instances, as with swine, we believe 
that half-bred animals are often quite as profit¬ 
able to the feeder as pure breeds; but it will 
not do to attempt to raise half-bred pigs from a 
half-bred boar and a half-bred sow. The result 
would be too uncertain. The boar should be a 
pedigreed animal; by which we mean that we 
should have satisfactory evidence that, for as 
many generations back as it is usual to trace 
tliorough-breds of that race, there should be no 
admixture of other blood. In other words, in 
all breeding we should look back as far as pos¬ 
sible to see what qualities we are likely to per¬ 
petuate in our breeding. There are certain in¬ 
dications by which we may judge (after a fash¬ 
ion) of the tendency of a bull to beget good 
milking cows. But if we can know that his 
dam and both his granddams, and all four of 
his great-grauddams were first-class milking- 
cows, we may safely disregard the utter absence 
of milking indications in the bull himself. He 
is only a channel through which milking quali¬ 
ties are to be transmitted—a channel that will 
convey nothing that has not been poured into 
it from above. The same is true with every 
kind of domestic animal, from chickens to 
horses. We must look for transmissible excel¬ 
lence, not in the animal himself but in his an¬ 
cestry for several generations back; for al¬ 
though like often begets like, it always begets 
the likeness of some ancestor , one or more. 
- ---- --- —- 
The Specialties of Eastern Earning. 
The practice of the farmers in Hew York and 
New England shows pretty clearly that it does 
not pay to raise grain to sell. They raise corn, 
rye, wheat, oats, barley, and buckwheat; but it 
is nearly all consumed upon the farm, and in 
many sections a great deal is purchased for feed¬ 
ing. Corn grown upon the prairies in very 
large quantities is consumed in all our seaboard 
towns and far inland. We have not raised our 
own flour for a whole generation. It might pay 
possibly, but it does not. We cannot compete 
with the West in these things in our markets. 
We furnish but a small part of the beef and 
pork consumed in our large cities. Every year 
the city stretches out its iron arms to a greater 
distance, and brings cattle from regions where 
land is worth less than a dollar an acre, and 
where almost the only cost of raising cattle is the 
herding of them for branding the calves and for 
sale to the drover. It only pays us to make beef 
after we have raised and used the cattle for teams, 
or for milk and its products. We cannot com¬ 
pete with Texas and Kansas steers. We could 
not make pork at a profit if we did not need the 
manure. Fattening pigs in a cornfield will not 
pay in the East. Beyond the supply of the home 
market we shall have to give up these things, 
for the very satisfactory reason that other people 
can raise them cheaper and undersell us. But 
there are some farm products in which we can 
beat the West. The dairy interest can be in¬ 
definitely expanded with profit. Milk is wanted 
fresh every day’in all our cities and large towns 
at paying prices. Condensed milk, brought from 
more remote regions, has not depressed the price 
very much, and probably cannot. Fresh milk, 
distributed from the milk-cart every morning, 
costs the consumer in country villages an aver¬ 
age of 8 cents a quart the year round. This 
pays the producer. Butter has been about 40 
cents a pound by the season, and in winter 
about 50 cents in the same regions. Cheese has 
borne a corresponding price; and in many sec¬ 
tions, where they have cheese factories, pays 
quite as well as butter. There is no danger of 
an overproduction, for there is a growing de¬ 
mand for our cheese in Europe. A good calf 
for the butcher will bring from twelve to eigh¬ 
teen dollars; and this is about what we can buy 
yearlings for, after they have been raised at the 
West, and sent to Albany or Brighton markets. 
It will not pay for us to raise calves, unless they 
are of extra quality or thorough-bred. We must 
keep up our stock of deep milkers, and for this 
end we want herd-book bulls, and calves from 
the best cows. A few of these grade heifers 
should be raised every year. Lambs, of all the 
mutton breeds of sheep, pay well. We know 
of a small farmer who averages a hundred dol¬ 
lars a year from eight South-Down grades. 
They are easily kept, and there is no trouble 
about marketing the lambs. Pigs, too, pay well 
in the neighborhood of all large towns. There 
is a very large class of villagers who keep one' or 
two pigs and make their own pork; and the 
farmer’s extra pigs are always in demand, and 
often at extravagant prices. Poultry receives 
great attention in all this region, and might re¬ 
ceive much more, to the manifest advantage of 
. producer and consumer. The watering-places 
are every where, and the demand for spring 
chickens, ducks, and goslings, from July to Sep¬ 
tember, is very brisk at fancy prices. A small 
bird will often bring as much in July as a full- 
grown one in November. But poultry allowed 
to grow up, and sold in the lump at Thanks¬ 
giving and Christmas, is one of the best crops 
raised on the Eastern farm. With a good range, 
turkeys cost very little until October, when the 
regular feeding for the market begins. On many 
farms the whole care is bestowed by the house¬ 
wife; and her annual sales of eggs and flesh fre¬ 
quently foot up three hundred dollars. If we 
cannot sell grain and other vegetable products 
from the farm at a profit, we certainly can cer¬ 
tain kinds of animal products; and by care¬ 
fully studying the compost heap, increase the 
value, profit and fruitfulness of our farms. Our 
chief drawback is comparatively poor land; 
our advantage is near access to market, and an 
increasing demand for all choice products, 
animal and vegetable. 
Fowls Winning' .the American Agricul¬ 
turist Prize Cups. 
The proprietors of the American Agricultur¬ 
ist, with a view to encourage the breeding of 
the most valuable kinds of fowls for general 
use, offered prizes to be awarded at the shows 
of the N. Y. State Poultry Society, in Decem¬ 
ber, 1869, and 1870. This year the prizes con¬ 
sisted of four silver cups, valued at $25 each, 
and were offered for Dark Brahmas, Buff Co¬ 
chins, Gray Dorkings, and Houdans, which were 
to be exhibited as one trio of old fowls, and six 
of their progeny, shown in trios or pairs. Dark 
Brahmas and Duff Cochins were specified,not to 
indicate any preference for the Dark over Light 
Brahmas, or for Buff over Partridge or White 
Cochins, but because these are now favorite 
breeds, and attracting the attention of fanciers 
quite as much as any of the Asiatic varieties. 
We have repeatedly discussed the merits of 
these fowls in the Agriculturist, and will only 
briefly remind our readers of the peculiar 
merits of each. The Dorkings, seen in the 
lower left-hand corner, are an English breed, of 
great antiquity and excellence. They have been 
carefully bred for good size, good form, and 
good quality of flesh; breeders carefully retain¬ 
ing a notable deformity, the fifth toe. Some 
strains produce excellent layers, and the best 
of sitters and mothers, while in oilier strains the 
hens are unreliable. These are, of course, 
among the high-bred, fancy birds. Common 
Dorkings are as reliable for their domestic rela¬ 
tions as one can desire. The breed is known 
in two sub-breeds, namely, Colored and White. 
Of the Whites there are different strains, and 
single and rose-combed varieties. We think 
the preference is being given so strongly to the 
rose-comb, that the single ones will in time dis¬ 
appear. Among the colored or Gray Dorkings, 
a number of varieties are marked by slight dif¬ 
ferences of feather; and of these, numerous 
strains, originating in the yards of different 
breeders of note, are recognized by fanciers. 
The only variety which has commonly a sep¬ 
arate class assigned to it at the shows is the 
Silver-Gray Dorking. The trio which won the 
prize, and are above represented, were exhibit¬ 
ed by R. Gibson, of New York Mills, N. Y. 
The Houdans are a French breed, and though 
a little less in size than the other famous French 
fowls, they are not less valuable, being decided¬ 
ly the hardiest and most prolific. They combine 
two valuable qualities—the production of flesh 
and eggs —each in a high degree of excellence. 
From the fact that they exhibit the fifth toe 
of the Dorkings with something of the topknot 
and speckled plumage of the Silver Polands, 
which are famous, persistent layers, and sure 
sitters, it would seem almost as if these breeds 
had been united in their production. This was, 
however, probably not the case. The Houdans 
have been thoroughly tried in this country, and 
prove excellent in every respect. A good cock 
will weigh 7 lbs., and a good hen 5*| 2 lbs. The 
quality of the flesh is fully equal to that of the 
Dorking, and the eggs large and white. The en¬ 
graving is from the winning groups which were 
exhibited by G. W. Bradley & Son, Hamden, Ct. 
Altogether, the exhibition of fowls, brought 
out by the offer of these cups, was a fine display 
of itself, there being close competition for each. 
The Buff Cochins, on the left above, are a 
very attractive breed, from their immense size, 
their beautiful and very uniform buff plumage, 
their profusion of feathers and fluff; and they are 
useful as winter layers, as good mothers and 
nurses, and for their quick growth. The eggs 
are of fair medium size; the flesh not of the 
best quality when old, but very good when 
eaten as young chickens, and especially good as 
broilers of six or eight weeks old, if they have 
grown witli sufficient rapidity. The winning 
group of nine, from which those engraved were 
selected, were exhibited by Isaac Van Winkle, 
Esq., of Greenville, N. J. 
The Dark, or “ Sdver-Gray,” Brahmas have 
useful characteristics, very closely resembling 
the Cochins. Their plumage bears a striking- 
resemblance to that of the Gray Dorking, in 
color, but has, however, a very different texture, 
and is fluffy and downy. The Brahmas, like 
the Cochins, have very short tails, and short, 
round wings, making it difficult for them to fly 
over a fence three feet high, while one of four 
feet in hight effectually restrains them. The 
flesh of the Brahmas is usually esteemed as su¬ 
perior to that of the Cochins, while theyaie 
fully equal to them as layers, and for early at¬ 
taining sufficient size to render them fit for 
market as broilers. The fine collection which 
won the prize, a pair of the old fowls being 
engraved, was sent over expressly to compete 
for this prize by J. C. Cooper, of Ireland. 
