150 
IMPROVED BREEDS OF CATTLE. 
and as a perfect settler in the matter, concludes 
that it would be infringing upon the laws of the 
Creator. Will the gentlemen in his No. 5 
please to tell us why one class of hens has to 
lay 100 eggs per annum, while another only 
lays 60, to produce the maximum average num¬ 
ber ? Suppose one should keep only the class 
of fowls that produce 100 eggs per annum, 
would it interfere with the arrangements of the 
Creator, in this class ? Now the object I had in 
view, in taking my pen, was not that of a re¬ 
viewer, but to say that my experience is more 
favorable as to numbers than Mr. Miner’s. I 
kept 16 hens and four cocks, last year, only 
four of which showed any desire to sit, through 
the entire season. Of the twelve that laid regu¬ 
larly, the average number of eggs was about as 
follows, some of them of course better than oth¬ 
ers :— 
February, 
12 
March, 
22 
April, 
23 
May, * 
24 
June, 
20 
101 
Thus the average number of eggs in five 
months, was 101; some of the hens, however, 
extended to from five to eight eggs in July. 
After moulting, several of them laid from 10 to 
20 eggs each, before winter. I never attempt 
to force them in cold weather, but give them a 
good warm yard, partly under cover to bask in, 
and a warm light building for a roost. I feed 
with a good variety of green food, such as ap¬ 
ples, turnips, cabbages, and the like, with meat 
and waste bread from the kitchen; with an oc¬ 
casional hot pudding for their special benefit, 
with corn and oats, and fresh water always at 
hand. They range over six or eight acres, if 
they choose, in good weather. I have several 
times had pullets begin to lay as early as No¬ 
vember, and lay about every other day through 
the winter, with the exception of the very cold¬ 
est weather. 
Now for the breed—simply the Poland and 
the common dunghill, that have been kept to¬ 
gether for six or eight years, with an occasional 
introduction of a fine new cock from either va¬ 
riety ; so that they are very thoroughly crossed. 
The pullets will weigh from four to six pounds, 
alive; not large of course, as the black Polands 
are light. I have hens three years old that have 
never shown any disposition to sit. Will Mr. 
Miner tell what variety he “ cultivates ?” 
West Meriden, Conn., March, 1851. R. Linsley. 
IMPROVED BREEDS OF CATTLE. 
You say we have frequent discussions on 
this subject, and nowhere in greater abundance 
than in New England; and you might have 
confined your remarks to my own state, Massa¬ 
chusetts (see page 44, this volume). And why 
should we not contend for the excellent quali¬ 
ties of the Oaks cow and the Nourse cow, as well 
as that of many others ? Perhaps some light 
on this subject may do you a little good. I 
once asked some of my neighbors to join in 
making up a club to take your paper, and to a 
man, they simultaneously replied, “What can a 
man in the city of New York know about farm¬ 
ing, and especially about farming in New Eng¬ 
land ? Besides, they have so much to say about 
shorthorns; we have seen some of this breed of 
cattle on their way to the Brighton Market, and 
they were as big as elephants, and. so fat that 
they could scarcely stand up in the cars; yes, 
and some of them were as white as the milk 
they gave. Bah! Who would eat such beef? 
We would as soon eat a roasted coon.” I, how¬ 
ever, continued my subscription to your paper, 
and have done so from the commencement of it. 
What I am about to tell you now, I ought to 
have told you a long time ago, and thus you 
would have saved all the ink you have shed 
from time to time in scolding New England for 
not improving our breeds of cattle. The way 
we used to do sixty years ago, (for that was the 
time I first began to act for myself.) out of half 
a dozen cows, for this was about an average 
number kept by forehanded farmers, there 
would be one, perhaps, superior; that is, would 
give, soon after calving, in good pasture, 12 or 
15 quarts of milk a day. The heifer calves of 
this cow would be kept to give one to Dolly, 
another to Molly, a third to Huldah, a fourth to 
Sally, and so on, to each of the girls, one at their 
marriage; for no young man was afraid to 
marry in those days on account of not being 
able to support a family. These were bred on 
again, and their progeny handed down to the 
next generation; and were held on to by the 
good wife with as much pertinacity as Naboth 
held on upon his vineyard, for they never would 
consent to sell them. When twelve years old, 
I led one of these favorite two-year-old heifers 
33 miles to the residence of a newly-married 
sister, taking two days to conduct her through, 
and one day to return. What .say you to this ? 
In this way, it would be very strange if some 
what we call good milkers should not be found. 
But the science of breeding, then, as now, was 
not cared for nor understood; the best calves 
