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hands of a few, it is one which can only be kept up by practical skill on 
the part of those who enjoy it, and the want of that shill in others. 
There is no insuperable barrier to competition in the business—no secrets 
but what may be learned by all, and the success of one only proves that 
the same shill and means would insure to others like results. 
It has already been remarked that the domestic ox is not a native of 
America. Most readers are probably aware of the fact, that the first 
settlers of the United States came chiefly from Great Britain, and that 
their cattle, as well as most of their other domestic animals, were derived 
from that country. The Spanish, who settled South America and the 
region round the Gulf of Mexico, brought their stock from Spain, and 
in some of the Southern and South-western States, the descendants of 
that stock may have been introduced. The Dutch settlers of New York 
brought cattle from Holland, and the French of Canada brought them 
from France. Of course the term native as applied to our cattle is alto¬ 
gether a misnomer. It cannot be used with any definiteness, and no rules 
for its application can be given. Hence, in speaking of the cattle of the 
country which belong to no known breed, the word common will be used 
instead of native. 
The term breed pre-supposes the possession of a certain class of char¬ 
acters by a family of animals, by which they are distinguished from all 
others. The common cattle of the country have not sufficient uniformity 
in this respect to justify their being considered a breed. They have no 
general standard of color, shape, size or quality ; but on the contrary, 
vary greatly in all these points. Their origin was evidently quite diverse. 
This matter appears not to have been regarded, generally, in its true 
light. An impression prevails that the first cattle imported by the New 
England settlers were from Devonshire. The writer has seen nothing to 
justify the belief. It appears that the first importation was made by the 
Plymouth Colony ; their agent, Edward Winslow, having brought by 
the ship Charity, in March, 1624, one bull and three heifers.* Shortly 
after, others arrived in the Ann and in the Jacob. By the kindness of 
Wm. S. Russell, Esq., clerk of the courts for the county of Plymouth, 
the writer had the opportunity, a few months since, of examining the an* 
* These remarks apply to JTcw England. The Jamestown (Va.) settlement imported 
cattle and other domestic animal* in 1609, 
