©EG. 24 
mens of the bovine species, now so common 
in the country. 
- +-++ - ■ — 
TEMPER OF POLLED CATTLE. 
FRANK B. REDFIELD. 
In an article under the above caption in the 
Rural New-Yorker for December 3, those 
who have had experience with polled cattle 
are requested to furnish information on the 
subject to the Rural. 
My intimate experience with polled cattle 
covers but the past two years, my first impor¬ 
tation of Angus cattle having been made iu 
1879. First, on the subject of “ temper,” I will 
say that polled cattle are much more quiet, 
particularly in their treatment of each other, 
than horned cattle. I can show every day 
my water-trough full of polled heads, as 
many as can get up to it at one time to drink 
aud there is no fighting and crowding. They 
know they har ■ no horns. But grant in some 
caseB a disposition to do injury, and what does 
it amount to in comparison with the same 
temper in an animal with a [>air of ugly, 
sharp horns 1 It is enough to say—and I think 
without exception all who have tried polled 
cattle will say the same—that I will never 
have any more horned animals on my farm. 
I have had my share of experience in the last 
20 years with horned cattle in the way of in¬ 
jury, very serious injury, to man and beast, 
and I mean to have no more of it. 
I have had a few imported Angus cattle 
that had never been handled before shipment, 
and they have been aud are very timid and 
wild, making them hard to handle. But with 
all their wildness in their intercourse with their 
fellows they show the characteristic mildness 
of almost all h. rnless cattle. Those of much 
experience with cattle of any variety know 
that all fl.ninm.lw allowed to run unhamlled as 
calves and longer, will be very wild and iu 
many cases uutamabl.'. 1 have had horned 
cattle possessed of the very devil simply be¬ 
cause they were not handled while young, and 
I know the difference between them and 
polled cattle. Again, I say only experience is 
necessary to determine one to have none but 
polled cattle. Why, it is a well known fact 
that in the countries where polled cattle are 
best known the removal of the horns from an¬ 
imals Laving them has beeu much practiced 
audit has been found necessary to pass laws 
forbidding the cruelty—although the most suf- 
fering in the end may be ca used by not re¬ 
moving them. To me one fact is very signifi¬ 
cant, and that is the wonderful prepotency of 
polled bulls when bred upon homed cows. 
Whv should this be so if it were not a provis¬ 
ion for some all-wise purpose f 
On the subject of the superior feeding qual¬ 
ities, etc., of polled cattle, the article in the 
Rural of Nov. 5 leaves me little to say. On 
the subject of transportation it hardly seems 
necessary to say anything. The disadvantage 
of horns is patent to any cue. It is only ne¬ 
cessary to watch a few lots of cattle under¬ 
going transportation on rail and shipboard to 
appreciate this fact. I am sanguine enough 
to believe that the next 25 years will see the 
horns bred off from a large majority of the 
cattle of the country and that breeders gener¬ 
ally w ill wish for horns on their horses about 
as much as they would wish to have them on 
their cattle. 
Batavia, N. Y. 
-♦ • » 
NOTES BY A STOCKMAN. 
The extent of the great cattle interests of 
the We3t may be realized iu part perhaps by 
considering the operations of a few individ¬ 
uals. A private ranch in Colorado formerly 
owned by Jones Brothers was sold recently to 
a stock company for the sum of $ 625 , 000 . 
Another iu Texas owned by a Captain Ken¬ 
nedy was purchased by the same parties for 
$1,250,000. This Texas ranch covers 30*1,000 
acres of land and is stocked with 50,000 cattle 
and 3,000 horses and mules. These transactions 
are the largest cattle sales ever made; but by 
and by they may appear trifling when com¬ 
pared with future transactions; for the reason 
that the nusiness is rapidly concentrating in a 
few hands and iu wealthy joint stock com¬ 
panies, many of them composed of foreign 
capitalists. 
One can scarcely realize what a crowd of 
cattle 50,000 would make up. If they were 
placed in line head to tail they would reach 
100 miles; and if packed in a drove with com¬ 
fortable room to move they would occupy 100 
acres of ground. But there are many larger 
stocks of cattle owned by single individuals 
than this particular one. 
The editor of the Rural lias charged me 
to tell the truth in these notes, without regard 
to consequences, believing that no interest is 
served by deceit and misleading. As a matter 
of course truth telling will not fail to involve 
a good deal of criticism from persons who 
have strong opinions, prejudices, and hobbies; 
not to mention sjiecial interests to serve. I 
THE BUBAL MEW-Y0BKEB.' 
desire to do strict justice, and when adverse 
criticism proves to me that I am mistaken, I 
will most cheerfully acknowledge the corn. 
But as I write nothing that I do not firmly be¬ 
lieve, and little but what I know, I promise 
my critics that nothing short of the clearest 
evidence and matters of fact can have suffi¬ 
cient weight to alter my judgment and views 
of things. 
For instance. X {page 812) takes me to task 
in regard to polled cattle, and denies my 
statement that these cattle will fight as 
savagely as other cattle aud that the absence 
of horns does not change their disposition, 
however much it may prevent them from 
wounding each other. He also objects to 
my statement that the frequently offered 
claim that more of these cattle can be 
put in a car than of homed beasts is un¬ 
founded; and yet in both these cases he fails 
completely to refute my assertions which 
are based on actual knowledge. I too, like X, 
rnadu the acquaintance of these cattle many 
years ago. They were then not all naturally 
polled, but some of them bad boms which 
were sawn or knocked off w hen a drovo was 
put on the road for the English market. A 
third of a century ago 1 knew these cattle, 
and during a residence in England of five 
years often saw thorn in their native homes, 
and droves of thorn on the road to the London 
market. Part of the time I spent on u Norfolk 
farm where “ black cattle,” as the}' were 
called, were fed for a while on turnips aud 
straw to gain flesh which they had lost in 
then 1 400-mile journey on foot before going to 
market. 1 have seen repeated lights among 
these cattle and the drovers have had as 
much difficulty in xuanaging them as other 
cattle. X admits all I claim or stated when 
he says “ occasionally a naturally truculent 
beast could be found and sometimes an animal 
would show fight ” etc. etc.; and no more than 
this con justly be said agaiixst horned eattle, 
which, as a rule, are not naturally vicious. 
But in regard to crowding these in a car. 
Youatt, 47 years ago, never dreamt of a rail- 
road car when he wrote of these cattle, and his 
evidence must lie ruled out as irrelevant. 
Again, dishorned cattle are not polled cattle, 
and a poor beast w hich has had his horns sawn 
or knocked off, naturally would feel much more 
gentle and docile, with his sore head, than a 
naturally polled one. This evidence also 
should be ruled out as irrelevant. Then Prof. 
.'Sheldon when he says “ American.-, are tumixig 
their eyes wistfully in the direction of polled 
cattle,” mistakes most awfully, for there is no 
such wistful desire ou the part of the Ameri¬ 
cans for these cattle, especially tor dairy pur¬ 
poses. A few newspaper writers and a lew 
unporters and breeders are trying to get up a 
boom, and a few quiet business men are ex¬ 
perimenting with them, aud that is alL I 
don’t care much for opinions, for these can be 
had by the cord or by the thousand; as every¬ 
one, however little he may know, has his 
opinion; but opinions never changed a man’s 
belief. Facts ore what I am alter and not 
opinions. 
And X gives me a fact which just suits me, 
when he says “ the width of the body and 
not that of the horns has gauged the room 
for each animaL” Precisely. That is just 
what I stated, at least in substance; that 
horned cattle were so closelv packed that if 
polled cattle w ere packed any closer they 
would be suffocated. How can space be 
gained, when even now, the width of the 
body gauges the room for each animal l 
Would the drovers use a press to pack these 
annuals because without horns they could be 
squeezed a little closer. 1 grant the advantage 
and comfort gained by the absence of horns 
to the poor beasts. But that is not what is 
claimed. The claim is that more can be 
[jacked in a car, and while I admit that it 
might be done, 1 aver that it would be at the 
risk of suffocation. And X bears me out 
completely in my statement. 
There are many points of value about the 
polled cattle; but they don’t excel ail other 
kinds. They can find a place here, which 
they can tiff with great profit. This has been 
pointed out in the Rural already and 1 need 
notsa} anything ou the subject further. Let 
us avoid, however, getting into a craze about 
these cattle and putting up the notions of 
.Scotch breeders who may think we are looking 
wist full}’ for their stock and as they think we 
are overflowing with wealth, tney muy on 
that false ground, mark up their prices 200 
per cent, just as the Jersey men have done 
with their cattle. Whenever a boom is got 
up we have to pay the piper, and the other 
fellows do the dancing, which is what 1 ob¬ 
ject to. 
Another sale of Jersey eattle has come off 
and the prices paid are agaiu unprecedented. 
A bull, Farmers’ Glory, was bought by the 
“Sugar King” for $3,500, and a cow for 
$2,100; another bringing $1,400. There is no 
objection whatever to this kind of business, 
any more than to a rich man paying his thous¬ 
ands for a diamond or a picture. But it is 
not agriculture; only playing at it. 
I notice that a writer in that diletante 
agricultural publication called the Journal of 
the American Agricultural Association, is of 
the opinion that Mr. Havemeyer is showing 
us how to farm in the most approved style 
and most meritorious manner. It would be a 
most instructive comment on that extraordin¬ 
ary article, if Mr. Havemeyer would give an 
account current of his farm operations, show¬ 
ing precisely the cost of a pound of butter 
made from the cows in his dairy. Mr. H. is a 
sensible man and, doubtless, would cheerfully 
admit that he farms for amusement, and not 
to show “how fields are won” for the in¬ 
struction of fanners who have to make a liv¬ 
ing by their farms and never could afford to 
pay more than $100 for the best cow that ever 
breathed or milked solid cream or lumps of 
butter. 
VICTORIA PIGS. 
COL. F. D. CURTIS. 
The Victorias may be classed among the 
American families or breeds of swine. They 
originated at Kirby Homestead, Charlton, 
Saratoga County, New York. A quarter of 
a century ago the writer, who is the son of a 
large farmer, conceived the idea of establish 
ing a breed of swine which should meet the 
requirements of Eastern farmers for early 
fattening and at the same time be better 
adapted to the extremes of heat and cold 
than any of the white English breeds. He 
had the notion then as now that American 
breeders should strike out for themselves, and 
produce stock which would be adapted to their 
climate and markets, and not be dependent 
upon the skill of Great Britain. 
With this feeling of home pride and inde¬ 
pendence lie began the improvement of the pigs 
inherited from his father, which combined the 
blood of the Irish Grazier an I pigs known as 
Byfield of which his father bad obtained a 
cross. The latter were probably of English 
origin and with the Irish Graziers have long 
since been bred out iu this country as distinc¬ 
tive breeds. With this foundation crosses 
were made with the host w r hite boars with 
erect ears, to be found in the country. About 
20 years ago the improved stock were named 
Victoria in honor of the Queen of England. 
Subsequent crosses followed of Yorkshire 
and Suffolk and of a boar obtained in West¬ 
chester County, N. Y., of a Mr, Miller, said 
to bo of imported stock, a remarkably well 
coated animal. In these various crosses several 
families were established which have been 
crossed upon each other for a number of years, 
resulting in the establishment of a uniformity 
of characteristics w hich now entitles these hogs 
to be classed as thoroughbred. Like all other 
white hogs, they have a few bluish or black 
spots in the skin, the hair upon them being 
white. These spots often increase in number 
as the pigs become aged. Several boars were 
kept in the herd on the farm at Kirby 
Homestead, and their progeny carefully 
selected for breeders as they came the nearest 
to the standard of the proprietor. One boar, 
the Crown Prince, on account of his superior 
excellence was kept until nearly nine years of 
age when he was castrated and slaughtered and 
attracted general commendation on account 
of The softness of his skin and bis good appear¬ 
ance as a porker. 
A son of Crown Prince is now in use and is 
considered to lie very near, if not quite per¬ 
fection. Both of these boars have obtained 
first prizes at the fairs of the New York State 
Agricultural Society. 
Readers of the Rural undoubtedly have 
noticed the remarks of “Stockman” in a 
recent number, which may be appropriately 
quoted as from a disinterested authority. He 
says: “ The Victoria breed of swine is an 
improved Suffolk and an improved York¬ 
shire; at the same time it has the fine¬ 
ness of the Suffolk without its tenderness 
and its excessive tendency to fat, and the 
size and fleshiness of the Yorkshire without 
its coarseness. Its skin is thin aud fine; the 
hair is fine and abundaut; it has length of body 
with depth of side aud shoulder and au excel¬ 
lent ham * * * * At the recent fat cattle 
show some Victorias from Indiana were ex¬ 
hibited, which are reported to have averaged 
300 pounds of weight for pigs from six to ten 
months old.” 
These pigs have been distributed quite ex¬ 
tensively over the United States, and at the 
National Swine Breeders’ Convention held at 
Indianapolis in 1872, the following standard 
of characteristics was adopted: The color is 
pure white with a good coat of fine soft hair. 
The head thin, fine, closely set on the should¬ 
ers; face slightly dishing. The snout short; 
the ears erect, small and very fight or thin. 
The shoulders bulging and deep; logs short 
and fine. The back broad, straight and level, 
and the body long; the hams round and swell¬ 
ing and high at the base of the tail with 
plaits or folds between the thighs The tail 
fine and free from wrinkles or rolls. Feathers 
or rosettes on the back are common. The skin 
is thin, soft and elastic. The flesh fine-grained 
and firm with small bone and thick side pork. 
WHAT I CORN NOT GOOD FOR PIGS. 
I SEEb} r a late Rural that our friend Col. 
F. D. Curtis objects very much to feeding coni 
to swine. Corn is the natural food of the hog; 
there is nothing the animal prefers to it and it 
will eat no kind of food when it refuses corn. 
In my experience for 40 years I have never 
had a pig or hog affected with fever or inflam¬ 
mation from feeding corn. I have had sick 
pigs, but their ailment was due to filthi¬ 
ness in feeding or to a lack of charcoal, sul¬ 
phur or salt to keep t he stomach and digestion 
in a healthy state. I have yet to learn of 
good healthful meat being made from any 
animal unless it was in condition to thrive 
rapidly. I know of a fitter of nine pigs in 
Hyde Park last. Summer that had no other 
feed but clear corn meal and cold water; they 
were washed every day with hydrant water 
and kept perfectly clean. They weighed at 
eight months old 250 pounds apiece and 
brought 10 cents per pound dressed for mar¬ 
ket. Whoever wants lean, slab sided pork 
can have it by getting some kinds of swine 
that never will fatten; but their meat is never 
wholesome as food for man, whereas a good, 
thriving pig that eats corn or any other food 
and thrives at the fate of one pound a day or 
even a little less, makes healthful meat for 
those that like pork as I do. I was raised on 
pork and Johnny-cakes and boiled dinners. 
Tioga Co., N. Y. A. Colvin. 
■» ■» » 
A Heavy Young Pig. 
I notice in reports of the Chicago Fat Stock 
Show' that a pig 198 days old, weighing 293 
pounds, is thought very heavy. I shut up four 
Poland-China pigs to feed when they were 13*1 
days old; the best one weighed 153 pounds. 
Twenty-three days afterward I weighed it 
again and it had gamed 70 pounds, weighing 
then 228 pounds. At 180 days it weighed 299 
pounds. I killed it November 15, being then 
195 days old, and it dressed 270 pounds; live 
weight, 335 pounds. Tims it dressed a trifle 
over 80 per cent, of live weight. The feed 
before shutting it up was skim-milk swill. 
After shutting it up it was fed corn and oat 
screenings ground together, mixed up with 
sour swill one mess beforehand. The four 
were fed together, and the others were nearly 
as good as this. It gained some of the.time 
over three pounds per day; average gain, \% 
pound per day. r. j. r. 
Springwuter, N. Y. 
Pain) ijitshanilnj. 
IS THE CREAMERY ALL GAIN. 
Dairymen have been used to claim that one 
great advantage of the creamery system was 
that it relieved the women from the care of 
the dairy and from the labor of attending 
to the cream aud making the butter. This 
claim is undoubtedly well founded, but it may 
be questioned if this relief is all gain or if it 
is not accompanied by a serious loss to the 
dairymen and farmers without any adequate 
advantage. Now we completely abjure the 
theory or belief that freedom from such labor 
or care as may be well and easily undertaken 
by women, is an unmixed benefit. There is a 
good deal of nonsense and foolish gush about 
this business, and sensible, practical women 
have no desire to abandon all employment of 
s-uch fight kinds as will not overtax their 
strength or interfere with household and 
family affaire, and their opportunities for 
study and intellectual pursuits and other 
recreations. The dairy is especially well 
suited to the feminine disposition and 
capability. A man may manage the cream 
and make butter as well as a woman 
can—sometimes; but he rarely possesses those 
instincts of neatness, order, regularity, deft¬ 
ness, cleanliness in details, and those other 
little niceties which go to make up the best 
quality of butter, and which are the especial 
characteristics of the feminine tuiud and 
hand. And it is a question if the women who 
are still burdened with the drudgery of but¬ 
ter making; the slopping over pans, pails, and 
utensils, have not more abundant work laid 
upon them in this way through the want of 
neatness common to the men. 
We have observed much of this and especi¬ 
ally how a man will not hesitate to plump 
down the milk pail in his off-hand manner 
quite neglectful of the fact that it may rest 
