THE CULTIVATOR, 
849 
FORTUNATUS, alias HOLDERNESS—(Fig. 96.) 
A Short-Horn bull imported ty Gorham Parsons, Esq., of Massachusetts, in 1818. 
LIVE STOCK IN CONNECTICUT ( Continued .) 
East-Windsor, as we have mentioned, was noted at 
an early period for the excellence of its cattle The 
first time we were ever in Boston, we recollect having 
seen at the Columbian Museum, the stuffed skin of “ The 
Great Connecticut Ox.” This ox, as we are informed 
by Henry Watson, Esq., was bred by Mr. Elizur Wol¬ 
cott, of East Windsor, and sold about the year 1809. 
His weight, when slaughtered, was 2,133 pounds. Mr. 
Watson thinks this ox was descended from a bull in¬ 
troduced here by Mr. Samuel Wolcott, previous to 1790. 
Many other animals quite as remarkable as this ox, were 
bred in this town more than thirty years ago. 
In 1827, Mr. John Watson purchased of Col. Jaques, 
of Massachusetts, a short-horned bull called Holderness. 
Mr. W. had kept him one year previous to the purchase. 
This animal, under the name of Fortunatus, was import¬ 
ed by the late Gorham Parsons, Esq. of Massachusetts, in 
November, 1818. He was a bull of considerable celeb¬ 
rity in Massachusetts and Connecticut for several years. 
In 1819 he received from the Massachusetts Society for 
Promoting Agriculture, the premium of one hundred dol¬ 
lars as the best imported bull at the society’s show at 
Brighton that year. From a letter we received from 
Mr. Parsons several years ago, we learn that Holderness 
was bredatNorth Allerton, Yorkshire, (Eng.,) by George 
Faulkner, Esq., of whom he was purchased by Mr. P.’s 
agent, who was directed to obtain the best stock to be 
had. In a hand-bill issued in 1820, he is described as 
follows:—“His color is bright chestnut, skin yellow, 
horns uncommonly light and finely curved.” There is 
no doubt that he belonged to the best variety of what 
were called in that day, the « Teeswater” cattle. His 
progeny were generally hardy, thrifty, and excellent 
milkers, often carrying prizes at the Massachusetts state 
and county shows as well as the shows in Connecticut. 
The quality of his flesh was not probably as good as that 
of some animals, though his progeny from common cows 
were not generally complained of in this respect. 
The figure at the head of this article was copied from 
one taken of Holderness in 1828. With the exception of 
the neck, which is represented with somewhat less dew¬ 
lap than belonged to the animal, it is said by those who 
remember him, to give a very good outline of his lead¬ 
ing characteristics. 
The Short-Horns of the district of Holderness, York¬ 
shire, had long since the reputation of great milkers, and 
it was probably this circumstance that induced Mr. Par¬ 
sons to substitute for this bull the name of Holderness for 
that of Fortunatus. The result, however, was doubtless 
injurious to the reputation of the bull and his progeny. 
Among those acquainted with the history and character¬ 
istics of the old Holderness breed, the idea was at once 
received that the animal was of this race, which Law¬ 
rence describes as one <£ of the worst shaped and least 
profitable. * * * Slow feeders, never fat, and the 
flesh excessively coarse.” These characteristics would 
be by no means generally applicable to Mr. Parsons’ 
bull and his stock. 
Mr. Samuel Bartlett, (lately deceased,) of East-Wind¬ 
sor, bred and fatted a pair of oxen got by Holderness, 
which he sold on the foot, in Wilbraham, Mass., on the 
17th of November, 1833, they being then seven years 
and eight months old. Their live weight at this time, 
as certified by a sworn surveyor, was individually 3,740, 
and 3,709—total 7,449. Mr Bartlett informed us that 
the dressed weight of these cattle was rising 5,200 lbs. 
Mr. Bartlett showed us on his fine farm, (a pattern of 
good management,) several superior milch cows which 
have more or less of the blood of Holderness. We like¬ 
wise saw several of the same blood in the neighborhood, 
one of which, a half-blood Holderness, had the appear¬ 
ance of an extraordinary milker, and was said to have 
made fourteen pounds of butter per week, fed on grass 
only. A son of Mr. Bartlett has some full blood Dur- 
hams. We saw a cow and a pair of steers which look 
well. Mr. John Bissell showed us several good cows, 
a pair of very large, strong oxen, and some thrifty steers. 
Henry Watson, Esq., has quite a herd of full blood 
Durhams. He has been in possession of this stock 
almost from the introduction of the breed into the 
country. He first purchased some full bloods of Stephen 
Williams, Esq., of Northborough, Mass., (the owner of 
Young Denton,) which were afterwards crossed with 
Wye Comet, purchased by Mr. Watson of Col. Powell, 
of Philadelphia. Since then he purchased some cows of 
the late Hon. Stephen Van Rensselaex-, of this city. He 
has likewise several of the progeny and descendants of 
the fine Durham stock imported in 1830 by Enoch Silsby, 
Esq., of Massachusetts. He has used high bred bulls of 
various families. Several of his cows show fine points, 
and have the appearance of being capital milkers. His 
Young Agatha, a calf of Mr. Silsby’s imported Agatha, 
is a cow of great substance, good symmetry, and Mr. 
Watson assures us, is the best milker he ever owned. 
Taking her in all respects, she is a superior cow, even 
among the famed ones of the celebrated breed to which 
she belongs. 
At the farm of Orren Thompson, Esq., principal of the 
Thompsonville Manufacturing company, we saw the bull 
Sir Dick , and tw r o cows, imported by Mr. T. a year oi 
two since. The cows were very large, and were said 
to have been selected in England on account of their 
great milking qualities. They were, however, very thin 
in flesh when we saw them, being evidently too large 
for the thin soil and short pasture of that section. 
