1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
143 
so as to marble it. The beef is of a better quality and 
they take on fat much easier. They are as forward at 
three years old, as the stock of 1817 were at four, or 
as the Patton stock were at six. But the later impor¬ 
tations have had greatly the advantage of the stock of 
1817, in having the improvement made b}’the latter to 
start with. Some of the finest animals I have ever 
seen fattened, were a mixture of the two breeds. I 
think there were some of the importation of 1817 that 
did not have that hardness of flesh, but they soon be¬ 
came so mixed in their descendants that it was a gene¬ 
ral characteristic. 
11 5th. If you were now to choose a stock for gene¬ 
ral grazing purposes, in your state, what breed or 
breeds would you select from Vl 
I should have no hesitation in preferring the improv¬ 
ed Short Horns, to every other kind of stock that I 
have ever seen, for grazing in this region of country. 
u 6th.. Give as full a description as you can of the 
qualities of each breed, as they have been developed 
with you, embracing remarks on the comparative size, 
form,.activity, hardiness, and tendency to disease of the 
different breeds.” 
The original breed of cattle in Kentucky, strongly 
resembled the old unimproved Devonshire cattle. They 
were small, thin and difficult to fatten—cows weighing 
when fat, from three to four hundred pounds. These 
cows were good milkers, giving a moderate quantity 
of rich milk. I do not know that they were subject to 
any other disease but the hollow horn—a disease 
brought on by poor keep in the winter, so that the 
pith of the horn is frozen. It was cured by boring a 
hole in the horn. 
The introduction of the Patton stock in 1785 and 
subsequently, made a considerable improvement in these 
cattle. Cows of the Patton cross, would weigh when fat 
from 600 to 700. There was such a general disposi¬ 
tion to increase the size, that the coarse-jointed large¬ 
boned animals, were selected and saved as breeders, 
generally, from 1785 to 1817, and the consequence was 
at the latter period, the Patton stock, (as all these cat¬ 
tle were called,) were very coarse. The size of some 
of these cattle was enormous ; but they did not weigh, 
nett, near equal to their size. The graziers at that 
period did not like to attempt to fatten cattle until they 
were four years old. 
The importation of 1817, improved the coarse cattle 
very much, increasing their disposition to fatten. They 
came earlier to maturity, were gentler, better disposed, 
and had much less offal. Whatever reputation the 
Short Horns acquired in Kentucky, prior to 1830, was 
owing to this importation of Short Horns, and they had 
great reputation. 
The improved Short Horns introduced within the last 
twenty years, have been a great improvement upon 
those imported in 1817, and those of Mr. James Pren¬ 
tice, of Lexington, in 1818. At the last cattle show 
that we had in Winchester, I showed a three year old 
steer, a mixture of the stock of 1817 and the impro¬ 
ved Short Horns since introduced; and the judges put 
his weight at 750 lbs. Shortly after the fair, I sold 
this steer to Mr. Brinegar, who took him to New Or¬ 
leans, and when butchered, h© weighed, nett meat, 
1242 lbs. I mention this circumstance to show how 
much more weight is contained in the same bulk; for 
if this steer had been of the Patton stock, his bulk 
would have given about the weight the judges laid him 
at. A few months before, I had sold to a butcher in 
Lexington, a steer two years and eight months old, 
that weighed 1025 lbs. I sold a heifer six years old to 
B. Roberts, that weighed when driven to Cincinnati 
1487 pounds. Last year I sold to Mr. Horn, a five 
year old heifer that weighed 1116 pounds. Both of 
these were mixtures of the stock of 1817 and later im¬ 
portations, and the last was uncommonly small for her 
weight. I regret that this last was not. weighed be¬ 
fore she was slaughtered, that I might know the differ¬ 
ence between her gross and nett weight. However, I 
can give you the gross and nett weight of a four year old 
steer sold to the same gentleman. His gross weight was 
2000, and his nett weight 1280 lbs. All these nett 
weights are exclusive of hide and inside tallow, taken 
out with entrails. 
As it regards the diseases of all the above, they are 
very few, if bred from healthy stock. The most for¬ 
midable disease of the improved Short Horns with me, 
has been the milk fever. I lost two of my imported 
cows, and one that I purchased at Col. Powel’s sale, 
with it. It chiefly attacks cows that are fat, and have 
their calves in very warm weather—the attack being 
in a few days after calving. I never knew any but fine 
milkers to have it, and not until after they have had se¬ 
veral calves. The udder becomes very large, hard and 
hot. They soon appear to lose the use of their hind 
legs so that they cannot stand. I have cured some by 
large bleeding and purging freely with Epsom salts. 
But prevention is still better, which may be generally 
accomplished by preventing the cows from having calves 
in warm weather. Healthy parents, generally produce 
healthy offspring in this region. You are aware that 
cattle in most of the adjoining states, are diseased, par¬ 
ticularly in the liver. These cattle produce a sickly 
progeny, which seldom look as well as stock from moi’e 
healthy parents. And I have noticed calves from them 
to be very subject to bowel complaints. 
u 7th. What breed of cattle is best for driving long 
distances ?” 
This question is more difficult for me to answer than 
any of the others, as I have very little experience in 
driving cattle; but I am told by persons who have been 
engaged in this business, that the Improved Short 
Horns, when fattened young, do not stand long journeys 
well. I should suppose from their make that the Here- 
fords would be the best travellers. The Improved Short 
Horns make excellent oxen, as they never get overbur- 
thened with flesh while they have plenty of hard work 
to do. The breed is more gentle and docile than any 
others that we have had. Yours respectfully, Sam’l. 
D. Martin. Near Colbyville, Ky., Dec. 4, 1848. 
Jmprcmes) Implements 
System, Order, and Economy. 
Next in importance to the Plow, Harrow and Culti¬ 
vator, the Seed Sower may claim rank. Until within 
a few years, our grain and grass seeds have been sown 
broadcast by hand; hence we have rarely seen a field 
of wheat, but the irregularity of such sowing is visible 
soon after it vegetates. There are many incidents 
which cause this irregularity, such as the state of the 
wind, requiring either a high or a low cast; the equal 
and corresponding motion of the hand and foot; the 
length of step, &c.; from such like causes we often see 
fields of grain striped and streaked, or in waves, to a 
greater or less extent; here too thick, there too thin. 
The consequence of such carelessness is, the crop is 
not uniform in its growth and maturity, and less in pro¬ 
duct than if the seed had been well and equally distri¬ 
buted. To make this more evident, a careful calcula¬ 
ting farmer ascertained by trial, that one foot square 
received of equally distributed grain, about 48 grains: 
Now ears of wheat may be said to average 65 grains, 
I have counted as high as 91—and as low as 24—but 
the above named person allowed in his estimate, that 
each grain produced only one ear, and every ear only 
44 grains—the produce therefore, ought to be forty - 
