54S 
tural Department cannot do the same with its 
liberal appropriation instead of frittering it 
away in distributing old kinds of seeds which 
every seedsman can furnish. I am not reflect¬ 
ing upon the Commissioner. It is the system 
itself which needs reforming altogether. "When 
the Department is wholly divorced from pol¬ 
itics a good man may be able to make an 
honorable record in it; now he simply sacrifices 
himself by the mesalliance. 
The science of breeding is but little under¬ 
stood by farmers and especially ns regards 
cross-breeding and grades. A cross-bred 
animal is one produced from the union of two 
pure-bred parents of different breeds; a grade 
is one from a pure bred parent of any breed 
and a common native auimal, commonly, but 
not always truly, called a scrub; mongrel 
would be a better uame, which means mixed. 
Many farmers think a grade to be an improved 
animal and that a grade male used in breeding 
will raise the character of the progeny, but 
this is a mistake which may be made plain by 
the following diagram, which shows the 
downward character of the progeny from 
the successive parents as bred down: 
Pure male 1 
Native female )’ half bred ) 
native \ quarter bred 
native 
eighth bred i 
native f sixteenth 1 
native \ 32d. bred. 
1 
In this breeding the progeny returns to the 
mongrel character on the third cross, for.it is 
a constant experience that in breeding the 
most persistent type prevails, and as the mon¬ 
grel is stronger in blood than the half bred, 
the progeny tends to the mongrel type again 
very rapidly. Now let us take the breeding 
up. 
Pure-bred ) 
Pure bred ) 31-32 bred \ 
Full blood. 
Pure bred ) 15 16 bred 
% bred f 
Purebred 
Pure bred [ K bred 
Native. ) 
Pure-bred 
% bred 
The sixth cross is a full blood and is indis¬ 
tinguishable from a pure-bred unmixed for 
100 years aud is entitled to entry in the Short¬ 
horn herd book. The “top cross" is the male 
in both cases. But while the full blood has 
all the apparent excellencies of the pure-bred 
animal, it is not so valuable for bleeding 
purposes and here comfs in the value of a 
pedigree, especially as regards males. Only 
pure bred males of pure descent should be used 
as breeders because then the breeding is 
always upwards; while grades or even full- 
blood males with native females breed down¬ 
wards again. This is a point that should be 
clearly understood by farmers who are not 
generally so well instructed as breeders. 
Tub Polled ADgus ‘ 1 boom ” heretofore 
noticed has reached the proportions of a craze, 
at least it may be judged so from the many 
items of news regarding this class of stock, 
which now appear in the newspapers headed, 
“The Polled Cattle Craze." The Scotch 
breeders are getting the fun and the American 
speculators are paying the piper and doing the 
dancing. By and by the farce will be played 
out, as many have been before, and then 
polled beef will be coming in market, just as 
Short-horn beef now is after that breed had 
its boom ten years ago. 
It is amusing to a steady reader of the 
Rurab to find other agricultural papers in¬ 
nocently remarking, “ It will be a few years 
yet before the polled cross will begin to show 
itself, etc.," evidently unaware that cross-bred 
polled Angus cattle have already appeared in 
the cattle markets uud that a lot of them were 
handsomely illustrated in the Rurab a year 
ago. The late Geo. Grant, Esq , of Kansas— 
the founder of the town of Victoria—and his 
associate and successor Mr. Clark, introduced 
the polled Angus into Kansas 10 years ago 
and the cross-bred steers have alreadj gained 
a high reputation in the Chicago and New 
York market?. 
HEAD OF CHAfctTLEY BULL. 
[See page 548.] 
The origin of our best known breeds of 
domestic cattle is .lost in a maze of doubt, 
supposition and contradiction. This is es¬ 
pecially true of one of the youngest but now 
the most important and interesting of them all, 
the Short horns. It may be true or untrue, 
but it is said aud believed by some, that this 
breed has descended in part from the wild 
herds of white cattle which still exist in the 
private parks of two or three prominent Eng¬ 
lish nobleman. This may be an imaginary 
claim made by some reckless biologist, to ac¬ 
count for the white color which at times crops 
out in this breed, or which is so completely 
mingled with the bright red and makes the 
roan which is the most usual color. Or it may 
be based upon facts much muddled up by 
tradition and gossip and hearsay of old past 
and gone breeders and stockmen. Be this as 
it may, there is something in the comparative 
characteristics of these wild white cattle and 
the less modern Short-horns which suggests 
the possibility,if not the probability, of it. In 
a recently published history of these wild 
cattle by the Rev. John Storer, an English 
clergyman, some statements which are evi¬ 
dence, although not proofs, are given in sup¬ 
port of this probability. Mr. Storer mentions 
the Ohillingham and the Chartley wild herds 
and a domesticated white polled herd which 
possessed ma^y of the points of the best of the 
early Shorbhorns. He gives a picture of the 
head of a Chartley bull, which is here re-en¬ 
graved, and which in its form and expression 
offers a striking resemblance in some respects 
except the length of horn, to a typical head of 
a Short-horn. It is a known fact that some 
of the bulls which were used in the first efforts 
to improve the Short horn race were brought 
from the vicinity of this Chartley herd. But 
whether the blood of the Chartley herd was 
ever introduced in the breeding of Short¬ 
horns or not, the interesting fact remains, 
that a herd of wild cattle which has been in¬ 
terbred for several centuries without the 
slightest admixture of blood, still exists in so 
excellent a form and of so high a character, 
that its possible alliauee with the Short-horn 
is held to be in the way of improvement. Cer¬ 
tainly the vigorous head here represented 
does not appear to have suffered by the close 
breeding. 
--- 
LARGE IMPORTATIONS OF CHOICE 
HOLSTEINS. 
Messrs. Smith & Powell, of Syracuse, New 
York, write us that last April Mr. W. Jud- 
son Smith of their firm sailed for North Hol¬ 
land for th8 purpose of selecting a choice lot 
of Holstein cattle. Since theu, with the assist¬ 
ance of one of the best breeders in that 
country, he has visited nearly all the noted 
herds of Holland, selecting only the choicest 
specimens of the breed. He has bought 
almost 800 head, which he describes as the 
finest lot he ever saw. On the 5th ult. he 
shipped 50 yearling heifers. On tbe 18th he 
shipped 80 yearlings and 60 calves. The re¬ 
mainder of the importation, consisting of 
eight or ten choice cows, a few bulls and the 
balauce yearling heifers and calves were 
shipped early this month, making in all 300 
head or over. Mr. Smith bought all his cattle 
in the noted breeding districts of North Hol¬ 
land—the garden of all the Netherlands— 
where these cattle are bred with the greatest 
care nd where they attain the highest de¬ 
gree of perfection. These districts are to the 
Netherlands in breeding fine cattle what Ken¬ 
tucky and New York are to this country in 
raising blooded horses. In other districts cattle 
can be bought much cheaper, but tbe differ¬ 
ence in quality will more than counterbalance 
the difference in cost. Among those bought 
are the following noted animals: the cow 
“ Bootje,” winner of the first prize as the best 
cow of any breed, at the great fair recently 
held at Wageningen, Province of Gilderland, 
open to all the Netherlands. Over thirty 
cows competed. Mr. Smith saw her milked 
several months after calving, while fed on 
grass alone when she gave 71X pounds in 
a day. She hail when fresh given much more. 
He brings with her her heifer calf. He 
has also bought “ Wemeltien ” (323 N. S. B.) 
which has a record as a five year old of 86% 
lbs. of milk in a day. She was sired by Jacob 
20th winner of first prize (100 Guilders) at 
Amsterdam. Dam Jansje (88 N. S. B.) win¬ 
ner of first prize at London, first at Am¬ 
sterdam (100 Guilders) by the N. S. B, Asso¬ 
ciation, and first at tbe same (80 Guilders) by 
the Agricultural Association, also silver medal 
and prizes at Rotterdam. 
He bought tbe bull calf DeRuyter, 3d by 
DeRuyter, a very noted bull. He also has the 
three year-old heifer “de Yoat" with a record 
of 65 lbs. in a day as a three year old, and win¬ 
ner of first prize at Leyden. She came from 
the same herd and is related to our Nether- 
land Family. With her he brought her heifer 
calf. He also has “Martje 2d,” three years 
old. Sire “Jacob 2d” which was the 
sire of our bull “Neptune” and also sire 
of “Aaggie 21" with a two-year-old record 
of 16,564 pounds eight ounces in eleven 
months, and still milking over 40 lbs. per 
day. “ Martje 2d" dam “ Martje" was 
sister of “Aaggie” who has a record of 
18,004 pounds 15 ounces in a year. “Martje 
2d" has a record of 47X lbs. in a day on 
grass alone. With the above he has secured 
a sister to one cow, Janneck, who has a butter 
record of 19 pounds 15 ounces in one week, 
and several other animals well sprinkled with 
the blood of Aaggie, Janneck and Nether land 
Queen. Mr. Smith writes us that he considers 
this importation the choicest he has ever 
made. , 
On Tuesday last we paid a visit to the 
Steamer Mereca lying in harbor here, and 
having on board 80 cows and heifers, two 
bulls and 60 calves of this importation. Only 
a single calf nad died during the voyage and 
the animals were splendid specimens of the 
breed and in much finer condition than cattle 
usually are after a transatlantic voyage. 
<l\)i Poultry 
POULTRY KEEPING-No. 3. 
BEST BREEDS FOR THE FARMER. 
There is no more perplexing question the 
novice has to confront in poultry raising than 
this: “What breeds shall I keep?" It is all 
the more annoying when experienced poultry- 
men. in whom one has the greatest confidence, 
fail to agree in the matter, some recommend¬ 
ing one breed, some another, each one natur¬ 
ally claiming his favorites superior to all 
others. Probably everyone who contemplates 
keeping poultry for profit has a fancy for 
some particular breed or breeds, and, as a 
rule, he will succeed best with those breeds, 
since hewill take a greater interest in earing 
for them than for those he does not fancy and 
buys simply because some one else has had 
success with them. Success in poultry keep¬ 
ing depends quite as much on good care as on 
breeds. Of course, a person must consider the 
object for which he keeps fowls, whether for 
flesh, eggs, or both, and not be so prejudiced 
iu his views as to work against his own in¬ 
terests. However, he may safely start on the 
basis that no one breed is perfect; no one 
breed can fulfill the highest requirements 
both for egg and meat production. 
There is among some farmers a seeming 
prejudice against pure bred stock of any 
kind, but if cattle as a class are any better 
than they were a half century ago (and they 
are) the improvement is due to the patience, 
care and outlay of those who have made the 
breeding of thoroughbred stock a study and 
a practice, and they have brought this stock 
up to a very high degree of perfection. If a 
herd of “scrub” cattle are not as profitable as 
a herd of Jerseys or Short-horns, why should 
men cling to the old notion that a lot of com¬ 
mon dunghill, mongrel fowls are just as good 
as pure bred Brahmas, Leghorns or Plymouth 
Rocks? Will not the same mode of reasoning 
apply to both cases? 
However, I would not press tbe matter of 
“pure breeds” for the farmer’s use too far, yet 
he is, or should be, equally interested with the 
fancier in having pure blood to cross with. 
If a cross between pure-breds will come 
to maturity sooner than either of the parents 
the cross may be best for hri purpose, or if it 
will produce fowls that will make broilers 
sooner than either pure-bred parent, the 
same may 1* true. At any rate, a man 
labors under a wrong impression if he thinks 
that a flock of hungry-lookiug, scrawny, 
half-feathered mongrels will bring him as 
good returns in eggs and meat as pure-bred or 
crossed fowls, and it will cost quite as much 
to keep them. 
As to what may be styled “the best breed 
for the farmer’s use,” it depends altogether on 
what object he wishes to attain with his fowls. 
If his aim is to get eggs for market, he wants 
the hen that Jays tbe most eggs in the year; 
that does not care to sit nine months out of 
twelve, and does not eat more than she is 
worth. To answer this purpose there are 
probably none better than the Houdans and 
Leghorns. In order to show the comparative 
qualities of different breeds for egg produc¬ 
tion the following table, which is probably as 
accurate as any on this point, is submitted. 
Number 
Number 
Breed. 
eggs to * he 
eggs per 
pound. 
annum. 
leghorns.. . . 
. 9 
160 
Houdans. . 
150 
Plymouth Rocks. 
. 8 
150 
Hambtirgs. 
150 
Black Spanish. 
. 7 
140 
Bight Brahmas. 
. 7 
180 
Ba Fieelie. 
. 7 
180 
Partridge Cochins. 
. 7 
180 
Rlaokand White Cochins.... 
125 
Polish. 
125 
Park Brahmas. 
120 
Bantams. 
. 16 
90 
For flesh and chickens the Light Brahma 
may safely be put down as best. It has a 
stately carriage, pure white and black plu¬ 
mage ; is of large size, and altogether it is an 
attractive bird. It is a good layer in Winter, 
and pullets hatched in March will begin to 
lay in November. It is also a very popular 
fowl in the market, the color of the legs and 
flesh being pleasing to the eye, while as broil¬ 
ers the young fowls are not surpassed in 
juiciness and flavor. The hens are good, 
mothers, being docile and easily handled, and 
and the chicks will withstand cold, wet 
weather extremely well. 
But for the general purpose fowls for eggs, 
flesh, chicks, for market and for home use, 
there are no better fowls than the Domi¬ 
niques and the Plymouth Rocks. They 
are both handsome fowls and ornaments to 
any poultry-yard. By the table above given 
it will be seen that the Plymouth Rocks rank 
with the Houdans and Leghorns as layers, 
AUG 10 
hence might be classified in the front rank for 
eggs alone, but when prolificness is com¬ 
bined with numerous other good char¬ 
acteristics it makes the Plymouth Rocks ex¬ 
ceptionally good fowls for the farmer. They 
are as little affected by change as any other 
breed and produce as much flesh with the 
same amount of food; they mature fast; are 
thrifty and vigorous; bear confinement well; 
are quiet in disposition; have beautiful 
plumage of blueish gray, penciled with 
darker blue, and are iu every respect worthy 
to be styled the farmer’s fowl. With them 
and the Dominiques no farmer need ever 
make a failure of poultry keeping if he give 
the proper care and attention to his fowls, 
both in Summer and Winter. 
To sum up, then, if eggs alone are wanted 
choose the white Leghorns, if white fowls are 
desired, or the black Spanish, if black ones 
are preferred. For eggs and flesh the Light 
Brahmas are first, then come the Plymouth 
Rocks. If the young folks want a few pets in the 
poultry-yard, the White crested Sultan or one 
of the varieties of Bantams may be pro¬ 
cured. J. w. D. 
SOUTHERN FIELD OR COW PEAS. 
W. B. JONES. 
In the future of a dense, poor, working 
population in the country, demanding cheap 
food, and where an over cropped, denuded soil 
is looked to for the support of the population 
as well as for subsistence for the ani rnals that 
work it, this neglected, valuable plant, the 
“Southern Cow Pea,” must be an important 
dependence, together with rice and other 
cheap products other than wheat and Indian 
corn. 
The teeming millions of Japan and China 
seemed to have appreciated, ages since, the 
value of this “legume” in its manifold varie¬ 
ties, both as a support to the soil and their 
own multitudes that have intensified and de¬ 
veloped an agriculture that astonishes the 
more favored, enlightened and advanced 
teachings of our own country. 
The pea plant (more properly a bean) 
thrives largely in this recuperative, self-sus¬ 
taining tillage that feeds the soil and feeds in 
part the labor employed. Whilst rice enters 
more into human consumption, and is the 
cheapest grain for the poor, these people con 
sume largely in their agriculture the many 
varieties of this bean plant, a wholesome, 
nutritious, muscle-making food. 
This familv of plants has of late years been 
called “the Clover of the South,” and while 
better adapted to tbe warm suns and longer 
Summer seasons of the Southern States, 
there are wonderfully quick maturing early 
varieties that can be grown where there are 
60 to 70 days of warm sun. 
The varieties of color, shape and size of the 
field pea here are “legion. 1 The names given 
to the different varieties are merely local and 
conventional, so that no one can find the same 
pea designated by the same name in all 
localities. However these varieties of color 
are produced, whether by soil or hybridizing, 
the new sorts continually springing into no¬ 
tice evince a disposition of the plants to as¬ 
sume a multitude of shapes, colors and sizes. 
As an illustration of this peculiarity, a 
brother of the writer undertook to collect for 
exhibition at one of our State fairs as many 
varieties as he could find. He got together 54 
different looking peas. These may have been 
divided into classes of Running Peas, Bunch 
Peas, Crowders, Early and Late Peas—all ex¬ 
cellent in their relation to stock food and for 
the table. 
Among the multitude of colors of this plant 
are the white varieties (large and small) that 
can be employed ia most savory, wholesome 
dishes, fit for any appetite. Green or ma¬ 
tured they can enter more largely than they 
do as cheap food for the laboring poor. 
The crop grown here generally is much 
wasted. It is considered a catch crop, with 
Indian corn, and is fed in such a way often 
as to prove a serious injury to all stock. Cat¬ 
tle and hogs, in tbe Fall and Winter mouths, 
turned upon these fields of peas are often 
made (by over-feeding) diseased for the fol¬ 
lowing Spring, and have been lost suddenly 
in the pea fields in numbers before the care¬ 
less owner has appreciated the cause. Some 
varieties are quite hard aud indigestible, par 
ticularly late-maturing kinds. Stock gorged 
with these, aud having free access to 
water, soon succumb to the fatal results of 
such feeding. 
As a milk-producing food, there is no feed 
that wiil give sweeter or as well tasted milk 
and butter. When properly fed in meal, or 
boiled with other substances to make bulk, 
and with good forage a milch cow will in¬ 
crease and hold her full capacity longer than 
upon some other foods. Equal parts of pea 
meal, bran and corn-meal, oats or rice flour, 
