456 
WISCONSIN STATE AORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
medium in size, uniformly red in color, comely in appearance, and 
of decided excellence: the ox for labor, as his agile form indicates; 
the cow for milk, when cultivated for that object, and the uniform 
excellence of their flesh when properly fed and matured. Nor can 
there be any doubt of the original distinctive blood of the Devon, 
Their advocates in England claim them to be as ancient in blood 
and descent as the Roman rule in that Island, many hundred years- 
ago; but by what evidence, other than their peculiar style of form 
and character, is not known. That animals allied to them in blood 
were brought to America from England so long ago as in the sev¬ 
enteenth century, is altogether probable, as many of the native New 
England cattle, for many generations back, have borne strong re¬ 
semblances to the Devon in some of their characteristics. 
The first authentic knowledge we have of thoroughbred Devon& 
O O 
being imported into our country w’as in the year 1817, by Messrs. 
Caton and Patterson of Baltimore, Md , and in the next year by 
the late distinguished statesman, Rufus King, of Long Island, N. 
Y. By those gentlemen they were bred and cultivated, and herds- 
from them considerably disseminated in different sections of the 
c/ 
country. Later importations of them have been made into Mary¬ 
land, Massachusetts, New York, and some other states. There are 
now several fine herds of them existing in different sections of the 
country, but we regret to say, not in the numbers which their good 
qualities should command, but of excellence quite equal to the origi- 
inal importations. It is hoped that they will still further increase,, 
until they become numerous among the standard breeds of our 
country. 
Herefords. — Next in order of improved cattle, this breed may 
be named. The first distinct account we have of thoroughbred ones 
of the kind were an importation by the great Kentucky statesman?^ 
Henry Clay, in the year 1816. An ardent admirer of fine stock, he 
saw them in England in 1815, and purchased two pairs of bulls and 
cows, which afterward came out and were placed on his farm at 
Ashland, near Lexington. Whether any, or what number of thor¬ 
oughbred produce came from them, we are not informed, as no rec¬ 
ord was kept, and they are not now known in Kentucky. The bull& 
were bred to some of the native cows in their vicinity, but the 
Short-horns, which were imported there soon afterward, super¬ 
seded them in propagation, and we hear nothing further of their 
produce. 
