1805.] 
A M E Tl r G A N AG- RIO U LT U RI ST. 
9 
The East Indian Buffalo. 
An agricultural show was held last winter at 
Calcutta, at which prizes were awarded to ani¬ 
mals of the native breeds, and among others to 
the domestic buffalo. We give herewith a picture 
of a prize buffalo cow, and 
as no animals of this kind 
have ever been imported to 
America, so far as we are in¬ 
formed, certainly not for 
economical purposes, it is 
well to consider their quali¬ 
ties. The buffalo {Bos buba- 
Itis) is a native of India, and 
is now found wild in great 
numbers, inhabiting the low 
grounds and swamps near 
the river banks, on the bor¬ 
ders of the great forests, 
choosing the coarse, rank 
vegetation of such localities 
in preference to other food. 
The wild animals are of im¬ 
mense size, sometimes meas¬ 
uring 101 feet from muzzle 
to rump, and standing G feet 
to 6i feet high. They are 
shaped much like oxen, but 
are coarse and ungainly, 
large-boned, heavy, thick 
limbed, very po-n'erful and 
vindictive, and do not hesi¬ 
tate to attack a tiger or even 
an elephant, which according 
to reports they sometimes do with success. The 
horns are perhaps the most remarkable feature. 
These grow horizontally from the frontal bone, 
curving a little backward, and upward, and for¬ 
ward toward the tips. The bases of the horns 
are flattened and corrugated, and the distance 
from tip to tip sometimes measures ten feet. 
This animal loves to wallow 
m the mud, like the swine 
iiid rhinoceros, and in its 
wild state is never found far 
from water. In a state of 
domestication, buffaloes of 
both sexes are valued for the 
yoke and for their hides, and 
the cows for yielding very 
good milk. The beef is of 
poor quality. It is said that 
the wild ones are always fat, 
and the domestic always lean 
and skinny. This can only 
be the result of poor care, for 
there is scarcely another ani¬ 
mal which has changed so 
.Ittle after thousands of years 
of domestication. The buf¬ 
falo is found in Italy, Greece, 
and Turkey, and is valued 
for great strength in the 
yoke and ability to live on 
very coarse fare. Tlie Cape 
buffalo of South Africa is 
another species; the Ameri¬ 
can Bison which we com¬ 
monly call Buffalo, is really 
no buffalo at all. The 
great swamps which abound 
among the lowlands of Louisiana, Florida, 
and other parts of the Southern States, would 
doubtless afford congenial and excellent pas¬ 
turage for these animals, and it has repeatedly 
occurred tons that they might prove a valu¬ 
able kind of stock for those extensive districts, 
which are now inhabited chiefly by alligators, 
turtles, a few' deer, bears, opossums and copper¬ 
heads. This is the only one of the bovine genus 
(except its brother the Cape buffalo) which 
thrives in low and marshy ground. Cattle left 
to their own choice will seek their pasturage 
and make their lairs, not for from water, but in 
dry meadows, in valleys or on the liiil-sides. 
Heat Cattle of Southern Asia. 
At the Calcutta cattle show, the same at 
which the buffalo cow, mentioned above, to .k 
a prize, some long-horned oxen were exhibit¬ 
ed from the Province of Oude. We have had 
several importations of India cattle into this 
country, attempts having been made to test 
their adaptation to the Southern Slates—some, 
if not all of which experiments liave certainly 
been frustrated by the rebellion. These, so 
far as we know, and we have seen several ol 
the animals, were of tlie short-horned breed, so 
much esteemed in tlie East as saddle and car¬ 
riage beasts. The one here represeuie'd was en¬ 
graved from a photograph, hence it douhilcsg 
represents the animal e.oarsct 
and heavier limhed lhan it 
is naturally. As a race, ih' \ 
are not coarse legged, hut 
very flat-sided—narrow ik*- 
tween the hip bones and nai-- 
row breasted—long legged, 
active and strong. Tiie ears 
are pendant, and they are 
characterized by a Imiiij) of 
fat upon the shoulders, of 
varying size in different ani¬ 
mals. They cross readily 
with other cattle, and when 
fat, the beef is said to he 
very good. The y>revai!ing 
color is mouse, inclining to 
dun and gray; they are some¬ 
times called blue. Some 
India catttle are very diminu¬ 
tive—smaller even than those 
of Breton, if we are correct¬ 
ly informed—and among 
tlsent are some ])olled breeds. 
These are the varieties which 
prevail throughout So\iihern 
Asia, Arabia, and more or 
less in Eastern xlfrica. We 
learn from a gentleman in¬ 
terested in promoting the prosperity of the Re¬ 
public of Liberia, that an experiment is to be 
made to test the value of these cattle on the 
west coast of Africa, where horses w'ill not live. 
If they do well, the result will be of great value, 
and go far toward civilizing the whole coast. 
As to their having any especial value for the 
United States, we doubt. 
With good care in breeding 
and feeding our common 
breeds do very %vell, even 
in Louisiana and in Florida. 
Oare of Sheep in inter. 
—Fattening sheep should 
not be allowed much range, 
in fact the more closely thej' 
are confined the better, so 
long as their good appetites 
give indications of continued 
health. Sheep confined in 
close, dark quarters, 4 to 8 
in a pen, having nothing to 
do but eat and sleep, lay on 
fat much more rapidly and 
economically than if allowed 
even the range of a small 
yard. Breeding ewes ought 
to be in the sunshine more 
or less daily, and have a 
walk of considerable extent. 
The leaves and twigs of our 
common evergreen trees, es¬ 
pecially of the hemlock, are 
palatable to sheep, and they 
may very profitably be fed 
frequently. The resinous 
and astringent substances 
contained in this kind of food appear to ex¬ 
ercise an excellent effect, promoting the health 
of the flock, besides affording a relishable vari¬ 
ety of diet, and tolerable substitute for roota 
All sheep ouglit to have occasional change of 
diet if possible, especially the breeding ewea 
1 
BUFFAXO cow FROM EAGOON, INDIA. 
LONG-nOENED DULLOCK OF OUDE, INDIA. 
