16 
THE CULTIVATOR 
FOREIGN NOTICES. 
West Highland Cattle. 
"We have the pleasure of heading our Foreign No- 
lices this month, with a portrait of a superior speci¬ 
men of the West Highland breed of cattle, taken from 
the London Farmer’s Magazine for December. The 
subject is a West Highland Bull, owned by Mr. Grant 
of Ruthven, Banffshire, Scotland, to which was award¬ 
ed the first prize of 15 sovereigns as the best bull of the 
breed exhibited at the great meeting of the Highland 
Agricultural Society at Aberdeen in October last. Of 
this breed, Prof. Low, in his Illustrations, says :—“ The 
finest and largest of the native cattle of the Highlands 
are bred in Argyleshire and the neighboring Islands. 
This character they owe to the greater development of 
their forms, to the superior herbage of the Western 
coasts, but in a great degree likewise to the superior 
care bestowed in breeding. After the middle of last 
century, Archibald, Duke of Argyle, a worthy and 
patriotic individual, bestowed considerable attention in 
improving the cattle of the district surrounding his own 
seat of Inverary ; and more recently, numerous gentle¬ 
men of the Western Highlands have devoted the most 
sedulous attention to the improvement of this breed. 
On these accounts, the variety of the Western High¬ 
lands is usually referred to as the model of the breed. 
It is well known to all breeders, that a certain class of 
external characters indicates a disposition to arrive at 
an early maturity of bone and muscle, and to become 
easily fat. The most essential of these characters are, 
a large cylindrical bouy, dependent upon the greater 
curvature of the ribs, a body large with relation to the 
limbs, or, in other words, limbs short with relation to 
the body, a broad expanded chest, a skin soft to the 
touch and expansile, a relative smallness of the bones, 
and an absence of coarseness in the extremeties. In 
certain breeds of the lower countries, these characters 
may be developed to a high degree • but in a country 
of mountains and heaths, with a cold, humid, ungenial 
climate, there must be combined with these a set of 
characters indicative of that hardiness of constitution, 
without which the animals would be unsuited to the 
condition in which they are placed. That extreme del¬ 
icacy of form Avhich can be easily communicated by 
breeding must be avoided. The hair, while it is silky, 
unctuous, and free from harshness, should be abundant 
and curling ; the neck should be strong and muscular ; 
the forehead rather broad ; and the nose, from the eyes 
to the muzzle, short; a dewlap should exist as a char¬ 
acter of the breed; the eyes should be prominent and 
clear ; the horns should be of good length, without ap¬ 
proaching to the coarseness of the long-horns of the 
loAver country, spreading and tipped with black. Now, 
in the genuine AA r est Highlanders, Ave shall find 
such a combination of these characters, as to sIioav them 
to be Avell fitted to the country in which they are rear¬ 
ed. Their limbs are short, though muscular, their 
chests Avide and deep, their ribs Avell arched, and their 
backs as straight as in any other breed. The neck in¬ 
deed, and deAvlap, seem somewhat coarse in the bull, 
but these are characters indicative of their mountain 
state ; and almost all their other points are what breed¬ 
ers would term good. They are of various colors. A 
disposition exists in the breeders of the Highlands to 
cultivate the black color, as conceiving it to be more 
indicative of hardiness ; and hence the greater number 
of the cattle of the Highlands are black. The coavs of 
this breed, like those of many alpine districts, are defi¬ 
cient in the power of yielding milk. The milk they 
give is rich in cream, but it is in small quantity ; and 
they very quickly tend to run dry.” 
Smithfield Market. —The supplies for this market 
for November, consisted of 15,920 beasts ; 120,940 
sheep ; 790 calves, and 4>840 hogs. 
Herefords vs. Short Homs. 
We find in the London Farmer’s Magazine for De¬ 
cember, a challenge from John Price, Esq. of Poole 
House, Upton-upon-Severn, “ to all breeders of cattle 
in England,” in Avhich he says, “ I am Avilling to shorv 
at any time before the end of the month next ensuing, 
for any sum not exceeding 100/., nor less than 25/., a 
bull, and tAventy regular breeding in-calf cows, [Here¬ 
fords,] all bred by myself, against any bull and a simi¬ 
lar number of coavs, of any sort that have been bred 
by, and are now in the possession of any breeder of cat¬ 
tle in the United Kingdom.” 
From a letter to Mr. Price, in reply to this challenge, 
by Thomas Bates, Esq. of Kirkleavington, Ave make 
the folloAving extract. Mr. Bates says :—“ I write to 
say, that on principle I cannot be induced to gamble, 
but if your object be the investigation of the merits of 
different breeds of cattle, &c., I am ready to meet such 
investigation, and show you mj r herd of Short Horns, 
and to any others who you may bring with you for that 
purpose, and shall then accompany you and them, to 
view your herd of Herefords. Such investigations may 
prove of the greatest benefit, not only to those who 
make them, but their report, candidly Avritten down, 
and inserted in any public documents, may harm the 
most beneficial effect for the public benefit. I visited 
Hereford above fifty years ago, and Avas then and con¬ 
tinue still an admirer of the best variety of cattle [He¬ 
refords]. But I consider norv, and have for above forty 
years been convinced, that the very best Shoi't Horns — 
which are only a few —are capable of improving all oth¬ 
er breeds of cattle in the United Kingdom, as well as 
the ordinary Short Horns which are far from a good 
breed, and inferior to the Herefords, Devons, and others. 
I have at present two red twin year old bulls, out of the 
dam of Duke of Northumberland, Avhich on inspecting, 
you may not think unworthy to be put to your herd of 
Herefords for one season, to give you an opportunity 
of testing the merits of this cross-breed. In my opin¬ 
ion, they would prove an invaluable cross with the 
best Herefords—increase the growth of the Herefords, 
and at an earlier age be fit for the butcher,with a less con¬ 
sumption of food, and quality of beef unimpaired ; and 
also give that breed an increased milking quality—both 
in quantity of milk and richness—yielding more butter.” 
Mr. Price replies to Mr. Bates that the bad state of 
his health prevented his accepting his invitation to visit 
him, and adds : “ I have myself tried many crosses in 
breeding both cattle and sheep, and have witnessed the 
result of such trials made by others, all of which have 
signally failed where the object has been to obtain more 
size and weight by using large male animals with fe¬ 
males of smaller dimensions. I stated that I had form¬ 
erly seen what were then considered to be the best sort 
of Short Horns in existence, and latterly, among others, 
those of Lord Spencer, with whom I had the pleasure 
to spend a feAV days at AViseton, three years ago, yet 
that I had never seen any thing to shake my belief that 
Hereford cattle would pay more money for the food 
they consumed, than any other breed Avith which I Avas 
acquainted. My desire has long been, and still is, to 
endeavor by all practicable means to ascertain which is 
the best description of cattle for both breeder and feed¬ 
er, that is, which sort will pay the most money for the 
food they consume. I have repeatedly made public my 
willingness to find cattle to test this point Avith other 
sorts in the way I think best, viz., by keeping together 
and feeding in the Avay usually adopted by graziers, 
some animals of each breed, with this proviso, that the 
quantity of food consumed by each sort should be as 
nearly as possible ascertained.” 
In reply to this, Mr. Bates says, that “Whenever 
Mr. Price’s health admits of it, if he will state why, on 
the true 'principles of breeding, it is wrong to breed from 
a large inale and a small female, I am ready to meet 
him, and prove the contrary by incontovertible facts.” 
Ti e Highland Society’s Cattle Show. 
The great meeting of this Society for 1840, was held 
at Aberdeen on the 7th, 8th and 9th days of October 
the detailed proceedings of which occupy nearly the 
whole of the Aberdeen Journal of the ensuing week. 
It was better attended and went off with greater spirit 
than any previous meeting of the Society. The ex¬ 
hibition of live stock exceeded any which has be¬ 
fore taken place in Scotland. Premiums to a large 
amount, varying from $5 to $120, were awarded for 
the best cattle, horses, sheep, swine, seeds, imple¬ 
ments, &c. Above 10,000 persons visited the show 
yards, the receipt for tickets amounting to nearly $2,500; 
and about 1600 persons were present at the great din¬ 
ner in the pavilion, beside which there was a tempe- 
peranee dinner at which about 1200 w r ere present. At 
the dinners several short practical essays were read by 
persons who had been appionted for that purpose, and a 
great number of speeches made, which were received 
with great applause, and the grand display was termi¬ 
nated by a ball, that was attended by about 400 gen¬ 
tlemen and ladies. — 
Sale of Short Horns. —A sale of Short Horrs, 
belonging to the Messrs. Dodds, of Hart-AFarren, took 
place the last of October, at which 14 cows were sold 
at an average price of 59 guineas—5 two year old heif¬ 
ers at an average of 471 guineas—5 yearlings at 32| gui¬ 
neas average each—4 bulls at 44 guineas average each 
—11 calves, at 36£ guineas average each ; being an ave¬ 
rage on the whole lot of 48/. 11s. each. Am ong the 
purchasers were Messrs. Whitaker, Paley, Jaques, and 
other celebrated breeders. 
Great AVonder. —The Aberdeen Journal of Oct. 14, 
1840, says, “ there is to be seen in that city, at “Cruik- 
shank’s Stables, 8 Schoolhill, a Lusus Naturae, half-deer 
and half-cow. Its eyes are large, full, and bright, ex¬ 
actly like those of a deer ; so are its legs, tail, and 
head. This singular animal was calved at Marcassie, 
in the parish of Rafford. Its dam was a cow of the 
common breed of the country, its sire a deer.” 
Performance of an Arab Horse. —Capt. Horne of 
the Indian Army at Madras, says a Bengal paper, had 
a horse of great powder, called Jumping Jemmy, w 7 hich 
for a wager of 5,000 rupees ($2,000,) he rode in July 
last, 400 miles in fire days. The wager was won with 
ease, both man and horse at the close, being perfectly 
fresh and in good spirits. Bets ran high against the 
performance, for though few doubted the powers of the 
horse, as these were knoAvn to be extraordinary, yet 
few believed that Capt. Horne could accomplish his 
part of the undertaking. 
Great Oats. —AVe copy the following from the Glas 
gow Herald: “ We were yesterday shown what was 
literally a sheaf of potato oats, the produce of two pick¬ 
les, (or seeds.) To the one is attached 31 vigorous 
stalks, to the other, 25 ; the first bearing 4,000 pickles, 
or giving a return of four thousand fold, and the second 
bearing 3,200 pickles. The soil is a neAvly taken in 
moss, has been slightly manured, and this is the virgin 
crop. It is expected that it will return not much less 
than 200 bushels per acre, or more than three times the 
bulk of an average crop.” 
USEFUL RECEIPTS. 
Remedy called Cure All. — 1 pint of strong spirits 
of wine, 2 drachms of Alkanet root, let this stand 2 
days ; then add 1 drachm of camphor, and strain through 
muslin; then add 2 drachms of opium, 8 drachms of ori¬ 
ganum, and 2 drachms of spirits of turpentine. It is 
good for cuts, green wounds, cholic, pains in the sto¬ 
mach, &c. for pain in the ear, drop it on avooI and apply 
it; for internal complaints take 20 or 30 drops on sugar. 
Colic in Horses. —Take 1 oz.of tincture of rhubarb, 
h oz. of laudanum ; 1 oz. spirits of nitre, and half a 
pint of warm beer. Mix well in a bottle, and turn 
down the animal. F. Bourne. 
Blind Staggers in Sheep. —Half a pint of hogs 
lard melted and poured down a sheep will cure the blind 
staggers in ten minutes. A Subscriber. 
Remedy for Kidney Worm. —I cured swine of the 
disease called “ kidney worm,” by making an incision 
with an knife, on each side of the back bone, and apply, 
ing spirits of turpentine to the wounds and along the 
small of the back. It may also be cured by giving red 
pepper in their food ; taken in season, it readily yields 
to treatment. M. Beach. 
Cure for Hoof- Ail. —Conversing with a farmer of 
this vicinity, Mr. Clark, I learned from him that this dis¬ 
ease can be cured by throwing the animal, and drawing 
a rough rope forcibly between the hoofs until the foot is 
thoroughly cleansed, when an application of spirits of 
turpentine should be made, and the cure is complete. I 
give the remedy as I heard it, having never seen it tried. 
S. C. Lawrence. 
It is expected that in transmitting to us such reme¬ 
dies as are considered valuable to the public, none will 
be offered which the writers do not know from person¬ 
al experience or observation, to possess the properties 
ascribed to them. We have the testimony of many farm¬ 
ers that this department of our paper has already been 
of very great service, and it is our wish to insert noth¬ 
ing the value of which is in the least doubtful. 
Prolific Sow. —Mr. G. Bancroft of Reading, Mass., 
has a sow which in about 13 months produced him fif¬ 
ty-three pigs at three litters ; or eighteen pigs in Sept. 
1839, seventeen in April, 1840, and eighteen in 1840. 
