1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
53 
Devon Cattle. 
In these days when the fashion among breeders 
of neat cattle, especially among those who are will¬ 
ing to lavish much money upon the objects of their 
fancy, tends either to exait the peculiarly butter- 
breeds like the Channel Island cattle, or great beef 
and milk-producing breeds, like the Shorthorns or 
Fresians, the Devon gets only an occasional good 
word from some old-time friend, or a passing notice 
in a patronizing way, from others. 
The fact is, the Devon is a breed of superlative 
excellencies, but is not large. This, we may 6ay, is 
its only fault, and to characterize as a fault a point 
upon which some of the chief merits of the breed 
depend, seems inconsistent. We speak of the 
“Little Devon,” rather as a pet term, as we use 
diminutives in other cases, than as one of depre¬ 
ciation. They are indeed small cattle as compared 
with 6ome others, but judged by quality and profit, 
rather than by mere size, they take the first rank. 
One who sees a herd of Devons for the first time is 
struck with their extraordinary beauty and uniform¬ 
ity, and sees at once that they differ from every 
other breed, or stock of cattle with which he is 
acquainted. They are of a brilliant, rich mahogany 
red, without white upon the body, but with white 
switches- to their tails, and frequently with white 
udders. Though heavy in carcass they are light- 
limbed and the older cows low-set. Their heads 
are small and clean-cut, elegantly placed and car¬ 
ried high, while they are adorned with long, light, 
tapering white horns, curving upward and out¬ 
ward. Their throats are clean; withers thin; necks 
free from dewlaps; chests very wide, and briskets 
projecting and hung low. In girth they are large 
for their hight; very thick through the heart, and 
unequalled in the crops, which point carries the 
fullness of the shoulders back to the ribs without 
perceptible depression. The backs are very level 
from the withers to the setting of the tails, which 
are long and delicately tapered. The loins are wide 
and muscular; the hips wide apart, the back long 
to the rump, while the thighs are long to the hocks, 
and in the twist well let down, yet in the lower 
parts they are thin, giving room between them for 
capacious udders. The soft flanks are usually very 
low, giving the barrels a cylindrical, level look 
upon the-under line. Devons are commonly heav¬ 
ily coated, and the hair is wavy, if not positively 
curly, in many cases. The skin is plastic and mel¬ 
low under the touch, even when the animal is in 
low condition, bnt when in good order it is typi¬ 
cally fine, not thin and papery, but elastic and 
yielding under the pressure of the finger tips, and 
offering a mobile, unctuous handful if grasped over 
the ribs. The skin color varies, but not a few 
show a rich cream color, inclining to orange under 
the fore-arm, and in the ears. Add to this descrip¬ 
tion that the legs are short, small-boned and clean, 
that the whole carriage and style are elastic and 
graceful, with a promptness and energy rarely seen 
in neat cattle, while the large, lively yet placid and 
fearless eye indicates at once intelligence, con¬ 
fidence and repose, and we have a picture of a 
high-bred, beautiful and useful race of cattle, such 
as has no equal anywhere. The oxen are much 
trained, very quick in their movements, fast walkers 
and untiring workers. The cows are deep milkers. 
The Devons for Beef. 
The quality of Devon beef is hardly surpassed 
even by that of the half-wild Mountain breeds of 
Wales and the Scottish Highlands. It is the best 
beef we ever see in our markets, if well fattened, 
being thick over the choice parts, and having the 
fat marbled and interlarded with the lean in the 
most approved way. In the native breed of the 
Devon hills we have one of those remarkable 
cases sometimes found of a race formed as it were 
by nature—really, under the influence of the cli¬ 
mate of the hills, the grasses and the waters, 
modified somewhat by both wild and civilized 
man, but remaining little changed by all recently 
operating causes within the historic period. This 
fact gives to the breed remarkable prepotency, 
little tendency to change, and when changed by 
the intermixture of other blood (as no doubt often 
occurred before the days of careful breeding), the 
power to throw off the introduced peculiarities, and 
revert to the primitive type, which has thus been 
preserved in its original excellence. Nevertheless 
its good qualities have no doubt been and will con¬ 
tinue to be strengthened and perhaps improved by 
high breeding as time goes on. The cattle of 
South Devon and Sussex, which are similar and of 
a lighter red, were early introduced into New Eng¬ 
land, but were subsequently largely crossed by the 
high-bred North Devons, which have largely im¬ 
parted their characteristics to them. When crossed 
with other breeds the peculiarities of the Devon 
are almost always dominant in the offspring. 
Thus many of the grade steers, while they are of a 
great size, appear, “handle,” and cut up like Dev¬ 
ons and hence the “ Connecticut red cattle ” are 
great favorites in our markets and always com¬ 
mand, other things being equal, the highest prices. 
To show the perfection to which the Devon steer 
may be brought, we re-produce frem the English 
“ Agricultural Gazette ” a portrait of the one 
which brought the first prize as Champion of the 
Devon Classes in the show of the Smithfield Club, 
at Islington, England, early in December last. 
Bee Notes for February. 
During this month, there is but little pressing 
work for the bee-keeper. Bees that are packed 
either in chaff or in chaff hives need no other ah 
tention or care than simply to see that the entrance 
to the hive does not become sealed with snow ,o^ 
ice. It is sometimes well, also, to drag out thg, 
dead bees by use of a wire or slender twig. 
If the bees in the cellar keep quiet, they shouldl 
be left entirely alone. If they seem noisy and rest¬ 
less, the temperature of the cellar should be looked; 
after to see that it is not above the safety limit u 
from 35“ to 40° F. Often, by bringing the temper^ 
ature to the proper point, all uneasiness is chocked.; 
If still disturbed, then on the first day that ,ia 
warm enough for the bees to fly, they should be 
carried out from the cellar and placed ok thqjj)- 
summer stands, and permitted to indulge in a 
cleansing flight. At night return them to thecgljar. 
Wintering in Relation to Dampness. -f 
An examination of the condition of the atmos¬ 
phere as to the point of saturation, from accurate 
records taken three times daily, for the past' 
twenty years, shows that there is not ‘ the 
least evidence in favor of the idea that exces¬ 
sive moisture was in any single case the cause of 
the great losses of bees. It also appears that 
in all the seasons of bad wintering, severe colu 
was experienced. It is further shown that wheh 
the cold occurred early in the winter, the mortality; 
commenced at an early period. If late, the bee^ 
did not appear diseased until near the end of winter,. 
The past summer, one of our colonies was" 
weighed each day to show the gain or loss in hon¬ 
ey. The colony did not swarm, and made about. 
125 pounds of honey during the season. The 
greatest gain in a single day was eight pounds^ dur¬ 
ing the bass-wood season. During the autumn 
bloom, five pounds daily were stored for several' 
successive days. Observation shows a very close; 
agreement between the rise in temperature and the 
increase of honey. 
Marketable Honey. 
Of late years, the tendency among bee-keepers: 
has been to neglect comb-honey, and work almost 
exclusively for extracted. The latter is mopeirap-rs 
idly secured, and it requires less skill to succeed;hn 
obtaining a good return in extracted honey,; Th<s 
experience of practical men, however, may well in -4 
duce bee-keepers to consider the advisability of 
working for comb-honey. This always, if proper* 
ly secured, finds ready sale at the highest prices.?:; :; 
One man in Illinois, with 174 colonies byjrthff. 
spring count, and 206 in the fall, secured over 
16,000 pounds of honey, which sold for $3,000. 
At present, the market demands honey in sec¬ 
tions. Even the 60 -calIed prize section, which is 
51 by 61 inches, is found too large, and our widfe- 
awake apiarists have used generally the one-pounl 
section, which is 41 inches square. This season, 
the experience in the Boston and Chicago market# 
shows that even a smaller—a half-pound section- - 
is to take the lead. *Lt will be advisable for b^el 
keepers to arrange to secure this year’s lioneyp 
in part at least, in sections of this smaller size: 
Tin or wooden separators, which have been used 
between the sections to secure straight combs, that 
could be shipped easily, are expensive. Some of 
our best apiarists find their use unnecessary. The 
secret of this seems to rest with the depth of 
the section. The usual depth has been tWo‘ 
inches. By making the sections from l s / e to 
inch deep, so that the comb shall not be so thick, 
the even combs are secured without separators, 
especially if use is made of comb foundation. 
In arranging to change the form of sections, if 
any thus decide, let it be remembered that the-" 
square form is not essential. Even the prize sec* 
tion is not square. Many contend that a reotangu-- 
lur section, longer up and down, is worked ini 
better by the bees, and more quickly capped ovef> : 
and filled to the edge, than is one that is square: 
It is worth while to think of this as we plan for the 
next harvest. It is hardly necessary to say that 
sections cannot be too neat and clean. ; ,n 
