if* \^ ,-5^ "% ^^^ ''^^. Horses, Cattle, SHEEP AND SWINE. Origin, History, Improvement, Description, Characteristics, Merits, Objections, Adaptability South, Etc., OF each of the different breeds. Hints on Selection, Care and Management, INCLUDING — METHODS OF PRACTICAL BREEDERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. ^1 rA ' ILLUSTRATED 1 / BY GEO. W. CURTIS, M. S. A., Professor of Agriculture in the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, College Station, Brazos County, Texas. 1888. Copyright, 1888, By GEO. W. CURTIS. (All Rights Reserved.) PREFACE. From early boyhood I have been a lover of good stock, familiar with the every- day, practical work in handling and feeding; and when, as a student in one of our agricultural colleges, my attention was first drawn to the need for a suitable text-book on domestic animals, I began a more extended study, with the purpose in view which I have since striven to accomplish. In presenting this volume to the public, I desire especially to acknowledge the kindly encouragement received from my co-\vorkers in the line of agricultural instruc- tion. Many, like myself, have been giving lectures to their students on the subjects treated in these pages, and, from very lack of time, the lectures have been incom- plete and unsatisfactory. The urgent requests which have reached me, especially during the past year, have greatly encouraged mc to push forward the work. From another class — the general stockman and farmer — has come a still more urgent demand for information of this character. I have received many inquiries which these pages will answer, and, while the successful stockman is one who understands his work, I trust all will find much of interest and something of profit in their perusal. The statements of actual rnethods pursued by successful breeders in different parts of the country, will be found of very great value. There are many young farmers, and perhaps some older ones, who are in need of information of a practical kind regarding the " points " in handling stock, and for all such, the letters from prac- tical men given in the Chapters on Care and Management, are worthy most careful study. In all assertions as to average weights for the different breeds, it must be remem- bered that animals are frequently found which exceed the weights given, and others, just as frequently, which fall below them. It is very difficult to make statements of this kind which will not be subject, perhaps justly, to criticism from partisans of the several breeds; but it has been my aim to give what I believe to be the truth, regard- less of whose shoulders it may strike most heavily. The statements regarding ease of acclimation in the fever belt, are made after a very careful study of the subject for the past five years, and an extensive correspond- ence with breeders and importers of northern bred stock — especially cattle — in the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. It is believed that full credit has been given for every quotation; but I liesire to make especial mention of the Agricultural Press — from many papers I have quoted — from all, derived something of value which has aided me in my work. The follow- ing list, while it does not include all, represents most of the periodicals, devoted wholly or in part to live stock, to which I am in any way indebted: Turf^ Field and Farm, New York; Breeder's Gazette, Chicago; National Live-Stock yoitrnal. IV PREFACE. Chicago; American Agriculturist^ New York; Westerti Agriculturist, Quiiicy, 111.; Canadian Live Stock yournal, Hamilton, Ont., Canada; American Sheep Breeder, Chicago; Herds and Flecks, Chicago; Hoard'' s Dairyman, Fort Atkinson, Wis.; Spirit of the Times, New York; Country Gentleman, Albany, N. Y.; Rural New- Yorker, New York; Southern C?/ltivator, Atlanta, Ga. ; American Farmer, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Farm and Home, Springfield, Mass.; Breeder'' s yournal, Beecher, III.; Texas Farm and Ranch, Dallas; Texas Live- Stock yottrnal. Fort Worth; and the Texas Stockman and Farfner, of San Antonio. To many breeders I am indebted for information respecting various matters of interest, and to each I would express my appreciation of the aid thus kindly given. Among others to whom I am indebted in a personal way, I can not fail to mention my father, Lyman J. Curtis; to the early training on the farm, under his — at times severely strict — direction, I owe much of whatever I have since been able to accom- plish; the later instruction of my valued friend. Professor S. A. Knapp, is remembered with pleasure and profit. Of more immediate importance, has been the faithful assist- ance of my wife; without her aid, relieving me from all details of correspondence and clerical work, it would have been impossible to i^ublish this volume for at least another year. To my co-worker, Professor F. A. Gulley, I am indebted for valuable sugges- tions; to Professor Louis L. Mclnnis, Chairman of our Faculty, for various courtesies; and to my assistant, Mr. J. F. Duggar, and Foreman of Farm, Mr. J. H. Alsworth, I return thanks for relief from routine \vork which would otherwise have required iny personal attention. THE AUTHOR. State Agrl. and Mechl. College, College Station, Tex. August, 1888. CONTENTS. PART FIRST, THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF HORSES CHAl'TIZR I. !■ Percherons ... 8 ch.vptkr ii. French Draft 12 chapter iii. Belgians 15 chapter iv. Clydesdales 17 CHAPTER V. English Shires 33 CHAPTER VI. Suffolk Punch 35 chapter vii. Cleveland Bays 37 c1i.\pter viii. French Coach 30 C IIAPTEK I.\. PAGI Thoroughbreds 33 CHAPTER X. American Trotters 42 CHAPTER XI. Orloff Trotters 64 CHAPTER XII. 64 CHAPTER XIII. Welsh Ponies 66 chapter xiv. Exmoor Ponies CHAPTER XV. Mexican Ponies CHAPTER XVI. Indian Ponies. chapter xvii. Hints on Selection, Care and Management 73 PART SECOND. THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OP CATTLE CHAPTER XVIII. Holstein-Friesians Jersey's. . . . Guernseys Ayrshires. CHAPTER XIX. CHAPTER XX. CHAPTER XXI. CHAPTER XXII. Dutch-Belted CHAPTER XXIII. American Holderness CHAPTER XXIV. Brown Swiss ch.\pter xx\'. Brittanies chapter xx\t. Kerries 110 102 105 108 CHAPTER XXVII. rAGK Shorthorns 113 chapter xxviii. Red Polled 120 chapter xxix. Devons 134 CHAPTER XXX. Longhorns . CHAPTER XXXI. Normandies CHAPTER XXXII. North-Wales-Black 128 130 133 chapter xxxiii. Pembrokes 136 chapter xxxiv. Herefords 137 cii.\pter xxxv. Galloways 144 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXVI. Aberdeen-Angus PAGE . 148 Sussex CHAPTER XXXVII. 153 CHAPTER XXXIX. page Brahmins (Zebu) 157 CHAPTER XL. West-Highlands 160 chapter xli. Texans 164 CHAPTER XLII. Hints on Selection, Care and Management 166 chapter xxxviii. Simmenthal 154 PART THIRD. THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF SHEEP. CHAPTER XLIII. page Merinos 176 Atwoods 182 Paulars 183 Dickinsons 186 Black Tops 188 Delaines 191 CHAPTER XLIV. HORNED-DORSETS CHAPTER XLV-. CHAPTER XLVI SOUTHDOWNS , 193 195 197 CHAPTER XLVII. page Shrop.shires 200 chapter xlvhi. Hampshires 203 CHAPTER XLIX. Oxfordshires cotswolds Leicesters LiNCOLNS . . CHAPTER L. CII.^PTER LI CHAPTER LII. CHAPTER LIII. Hints on Selection, Care and Manage.ment 206 208 212 215 219 PART FOURTH THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF SWINE. CHAPTER Ll\-. PAIE CIL\PTER LXI Berkshires 226 Davis-Victorias chapter lv. Poland-Chinas 229 chapter lvi. Duroc-Jerseys 232 chapter lvh. Chester-Whites 235 cii.vpter lviii. Todd's Improved Chester-Whites 237 chaptkr li.x. Gothlands 239 chapter lx. page 240 chapter lxh. Chkshires 243 chapter lxiii. Small Yorkshires 244 chapter lxiv. Essex 247 chapter lxv. Neapolitans 249 chapter lxvi. English, or Black Suffolks 249 chapter lxvii. Curtis- Victorias 239 American, or White Suffolks 250 251 chapter lxvhi. Hints on Selection, Care and Management PAI^T FII^SX. HORSES. DRAFT BREEDS. Peroherons Chapter I French Dbaft Belgians Clydesdales Knglish Shires Suffolk Punch II 12 III 15 IV 17 V 22 VI 25 HEAVY CARRIAGE BREEDS. Cleveland Bays Chapter VII 27 French Coach " VIII 30 RUNNING BREEDS. Thoroughbreds Chapter IX 33 TROTTING BREEDS. American Trotters Chapter X 42 Orloff Trotters " XI 64 SMALL OR PONY BREEDS. Shetland Ponies Chapter XII 64 Welsh Ponies " XIII 66 ExMOOR Ponies " XIV 67 Mexican Ponies (Mustangs) " XV 67 Indian Ponies " XVI 69 HINTS ON SELECTION, CARE AND MANAGEMENT. Chapter XVII 73 PERCHERONS. CHAPTER I. PERCHERONS. The Percheron is an old French breed, long noted for rapid and effective draft work, and always supposed to owe much of its excellence to Eastern blood. When steps were taken to compile the Percheron Stud Book of France, careful enquiry revealed a much greater predominance of Arabian blood than had been previously claimed. It was then found that — as Mr. Sanders, in his treatise on Horse Breeding, puts it — " What the Darley Arabian was to the English Thoroughbred, and the gray Arabian Smetanxa to the Orloff, the gray Arabian Gallipoli has been to the Percheron horse of France." DuHays (American Translation of the Percheron Horse), after expressing his belief in its descent from Arabian blood, says: "We cannot, however, find in history, the written positive proof that the Percheron is an Arab, but we believe it easy by fair historical deduction, to prove what he is in fact." The same author, speaking of the iinprovement of the breed, states that: "The Percherons must have been especially modified by contact with the breed of Brittany, where their striking characteristics are now met with in a large number of individuals." In Volume I, of the American Percheron Stud Book, we find this statement: " Aside from the history and traditions of the country, the Percheron horse himself furnishes unmistakable evidence in his form, disposition, color and general characteristics, that he is closely allied to the Arab." Again, from the same source, we quote: "As the immense draft horses of the North (Flemish) were closelv allied to, if not identical with, the large breed that prevailed in Normandy and La Perche, prior to' the modification produced by the introduction of the blood of the Arabian and the Bar b, heretofore alluded to, it was very natural, that, when the Percheron breeders found it desirable to increase the size of their'horses their eyes should be turned toward this kindred race, from which other countries had already drawn so heavily for the same purpose. Accordingly we find that mares in large numbers were taken from these northern departments, and from Belgium, under the various names of Belgians Boulonnais Mares of Picardy, etc., and were bred to the stallions of La Perche. Stallions from the same country were also extensively introduced, under various names and of slightly differing types. But notwith- standing the multiplicity of names arising from the different departments in which they had been bred, and the slight variation in form that existed, they were, after all, nothing more nor less than the Flanders Draft Horse-the same blood that had already exercised so potent an influence upon the horse stock of Great Britain." To sum up then, briefly, there is ample proof of the use of the celebrated Arabian stallions (both gray) Godolphin and Gallipoli, in the formation of the Percheron breed; and there is little doubt that— like the heavy British breeds— it owes its superior size to crosses with the large horse of Flanders. Importations to the United States of what are now claimed to have been Perch- I'ERCIIEItONS. 10 PERCHERONS. erons, were made as earlv as 1851, but they were called simply French Horses. In 1866 Mr. W. S. Ficklin, of Charlottesville, Va., imported several Percheron horses under their proper name; and in 1868 William T. Walters, of Baltimore, returning from France, after a sojourn of several years, brought w.ith him a considerable number of these horses; he also caused to be translated and published that interesting little work the "Percheron Horse," by Du Hays, from which we have quoted. And now a word in regard to the Perchero-Norman controversy. In 1854, one of the stallions imported in 1851, under the name of French Horses, was sold to Messrs. Dillon & Co., of Normal, 111. This liorse was exhibited with many colts of his get at countv and state fairs, imder the name " Norman," and soon obtained a high degree of favor amcst Miil(.-<1 llic (Icnianils of :in\ |K-iuli;ir l(ic':ilit\ , wnuld iKiluralh tc-iiil ti> break somcwliat the liiu- of (Il-scc-hI. AcLDidiiiL; to ^'()uatt, \\ Iki \\ lotc in ISHl, thf Province of Xorniaiulv was the une iimsl noted at tliat lime for its horses, the French (jovernment hn\ in;^- annnalK from tile Xorman stock for nse in tlie otlier 15ro\inces. Prof. Low, in Ills j^reat work on the Domestic Animals of (jreat Britain, pnh- lishcd 1842, noted the same facts, and attrilnUcd it to the helter t,nass and food con- ditions found in this province. .\11 the hca\ \ horrn of Lanarkshire, otlicrvvise termed Clydesdale; and from the additional fact, that the liarl of Doufjlas was an ancestor of that famons breeder of Clydesdales, the Duke of Hamilton, we may reasonably suppose that these "ten large horses" were an important factor in laying the foundation of the original Lanarkshire breed. And now in relation to the use of the Black Horse of Flanders, we have the following from the ietros])ecli\e \"i)lume of the Ch'desdalc Stud Book: "Some time between 1715 and 1730, John Paterson, of Lochlyoch, on the estate and in the Parish of Carmichael, grandson of one John Paterson who died at Lochlyoch in 1682, went to Eng- land and brought from thence a Flemish stallion, which is said to have so greatly improved the breed in the Upper Ward, as to have made them noted all over Scotland." From the same authority we quote : "The Lochlyoch mares were generally browns and blacks with white faces and a little white on their legs; they had gray hairs in their tails, occasionally gray hairs over their bodies, and invariably a white spot on their belly, this latter being recognized as a mark of distinct purity of blood." There can be little doubt of the presence of Flemish blood in the present Clydes- dale race. But we are strongly inclined to give credit, not so much to the heavy, clumsy Black Horse, as to the infusion of some lighter but stronger blood, which has given to the breed its well-known courage and action, in marked contrast to the slug- gish movements of the old Cart or Lincoln horse of England. The colors of the Lochlyoch mares — the last of which died out some thirty-five years ago — considered in connection with the predominant bay color of modern Clydesdales, would point toward the old Cleveland horse as a probable factor in impro\emcnt, and this view is strengthened by many characteristics common to both breeds. The name of the breed, Clydesdale, would indicate its restriction to that particular locality, but these horses were very generally bred in other portions of Scotland, and obtained their name solely from the fact that, in Clydesdale, they \vere earlier brought to a high degree of merit and pushed into more prominent notice. Importation to America, both Canada and the United States, has been active and long continued. Through the kindness of Mr. C. F. Mills, Springfield, 111., the present Secretary of the Association, we are enabled to give the following list com- prising all of the early importations of Clydes: "In 1842, Gray Clyde 78, was imported by Archibald Ward, of Markham, Ontario. 1845, Sovereign 181, was imported by R.Johnson, Scarboro, Ont. 1847, Marquis of Clyde 101, was imported by Thomas Summerville, Whitby, Ontario. 1850, Cumberland lOG was imported by David Roundtree, Jr., Weston, Ontario. 1854, Bay Wallace 5, was imported by William Cochrane, Claremont, Ontario. 1855, Clydesdale Jock 33, was imported by John R. Torrence, of Markham, Ontario, and Jock of the Side 760, by Simon Conner, of Markham, Ontario. 1856, Merry Farmer 20, was imported by Mrs. A. Ward, of Markham, Ont., and Byron 197, by James Dalziel, of Chesterfield, Ont. 1857, Rob Roy 90, by Thomas Irving, Montreal, Quebec; and Black Douglas 27, by William Miller, Pickering, Ontario. Prior to 1860 a number of very choice Clydesdale stallions were im- ported into Ohio by Fulling'on & Co., none of which have been recorded." Since 1860 their introiliiction has been very rapid, inid the number bred in America has more than kept pace with imported stock. The Clydesdale Society of America was organized in 1877, and the first \ olume 20 CLYDESDALES. CLYDESDALES. 21 of the American Clydesdale Stud Book, was issued in 1882; imported animals, to he eligihle, must be recorded in the Clydesdale Stud Book of Great Britain and Ireland; and American bred stallions or marcs must trace to recorded sires or dams, or iiave four or ti\c recorded top crosses. DESCHII'TtON' AXn CII AK ACIKK ISTICS l)l' MODHKN CIA DICSI) A I.K : Color, either bay, bri)\\ii or black, with usuall\ a white strip in the face — "blaze" — and more or less white on the feet and lur-i.s>, of WinoiKi, 111., S(.Licl;ir\ . The first volume of the Enfjlish .Stud HcioU for .'^hiic or Cait IIoi>.c>, was pulilisheil in 1880; since which time some seven \ (lUimes have appeared a fact which in itself illustrates the remarkable demand upim iCuijlish breeders to supply registered Shire stock for American shipment. DESCI{ri'TK)\ AND CHAR ACIKKISTICS : The full description jjiven of the Clydesdale in preceding chapter, with some few ehan-ts, may be accepted as a conect description of the English .Shire. Colors are about the same, with, perhaps, a predominance of blacks, browns, and bays; but the darker shades of gray, both dappled and steel or iron gray, are more frequently met with. The " bla/e," or bald face, and white feet and stockings, are marks common to both .Shire and CKde, ami the same is true of the long hair at and above the fet- locks, commonly know n as the " feather." English breeders adhere with rigid tenacity to their faith in purit\ of blood, as shown by the feather; while American importers and breeders are as surelv convinced that the feather is not only worthless but posit- ively injurious, by reason of keeping the feet in foul condition unless carefully cleaned and attended to. We can honestly admire the silken fringe of soft feather, but we must express our belief that its absence would detract nothing from the value of either Shire or Clyde. In pt>int of size, the English Shire is larger of the two, and has, perhaps, less of that American objection — daylight — underneath. Importers, h(iwe\er, as a rule, have brought over the more compact and stylish .Shires, and it is eommonlv no little trouble to decide by simple judgment of the iiulix idual, \vhether the animal is Chile or .Shire. ( Compare also illustrations of the two breeds.) In the .South the .Shires are little known, and v\-e can say nothing as to their relati\e merits in our warm climate; l)ut in the West they are becoming more pop- ular with each sueeeeilin;,; \ ear, and ha\ e an assured future along with the other draft breeds. CHAPTER VI. THE SUFFOLK FUNXTI. This breed of horses, which has for many years enjoyed such merited popu- larity in England, has of late years found a substantial and growing favor with American breeders. The origin of the Suffolk Breed is somewhat obscure, but the best evidence obtainable indicates the use of Norman stallions on the best native Suffolkshire mares. That this is true is strongly evidenced by the Suffolk color — sorrel, or light chestnut — which has so often been found a compromise color between bay and gray: the former being represented in the native mares, the latter being the predominating color of the Norman stock. As far back as 1745, the Suffolk was famed for its still prominent characteristic — draft; and notices of the breed at the drawing matches of that period, may be unearthed among the old files of some of the English newspapers. 26 THE SUFFOLK PUNCH. Cl.KVIil.AM) HAYS. 27 linpidx ciiuiit of till.' Suffolk has lici-n \cry great, especially within tlie last quarter (,iiiliir\ . l-"ormeil\ thiie was said to he a tendency to focjt troiihles, hut in the niixlrrn luei-d this li-ndeni-\' has disappeared. AnioHLf the later hreeders and im- jirovers, we nia\ mention Mr. .\lfred 1. Smith, of Wdodhridge, Suffolkshire, Eng. Air. Smith lias heen espc'eialK active in stimulating American demand foi' his sorrel favorites, and since lS('>i, when iiis stud was established, has fmiiished many of the noted prize winners at English fairs. In the United States, many of our most promi- nent importers of vShires and Pcrclicrons have latel}' been importing Suffolks, and, we understand, the demand Is fast increasing. DKSC'KII'TIOX AND C 1 1 A 1! At'lEH ISTICS : Color, almost invariaV)ly chestnut or sorrel; size, somewhat less than Siiire or Clydesdale, having an average height of 15^ to I614 hands, and weighing at maturity from 1,400 to 1,800 lbs. The body is round, close and compact, with short clean legs and pasterns, free from the troublesome long hair of the Shire and Clyde. The shoulders are long and lie well fmwaid foi' draft; the bone is small but firm; the hind quarters long, heav\' and well coupled to a short, close knit back. The general appearance indicates a rather over medium sized sorrel horse witli hea\ v round body and short legs. The Suffolk is emphatically a draft animal, valuable for remarkable steadiness and great faithfulness in the collar. He will jjull e\er\- j)ound which is possible, and no whip is needed or should be used to urge his natural fiecdom in work. As a horse for the general farmer, it would be hard to find one more suit- able — having a good fast walk, an e\en "all-around" trot, and sutficient weight to save muscle work before plow or harrow. CHAPTER VII. C L E \' E L A X D B A Y S. We have no authentic data regarding the origin of the Cle\eland breed, but give what seem to be the most probable of the many theories ad\anccd. Prof. Low says : " It has been formed by the same means as the Hunter, namely, bv the progressive mixture of the blood of the Race Horse, with the original breeds of the country'." A later writer regards it as an offshoot from the old Scandinavian horse improved by careful breeding under the different climatic conditions of England. By others he is thought to be a lineal descendant of the old war horse in ages past. We think it probable, that a gradual use of horses of higher breeding on heavy mares of the larger English breeds, combined with marked skill and care in handling, has finally resulted in the formation of this excellent breed. Certain it is, that, about the begin- ning of the present century, the horses of Cleveland were in great demand, and 28 CLEXEI.AND liAYS. CI.EVELAND JJAYS. 29 y,|i|ip|ipi|iiiilpiMill!llli|ii||i|||i|ll||||i|^^^^^ '^!'''''''T''l''''l'*'l'BIMIfll^^^^^^^^ 30 FUENCII COACH HORSES. their lirccdiiiij (.-arriud on with system and success; for a time they gradually de- clined in public fa\ 11 u \ Sir Hercules. I , . , \ F'^^gh-a-Ballagh Guiccolli. ^ Leaiiiington -i f r, \ f r-k u. ^ Pantaloon. S \ Daughter -; t-. u — I ° I Daphne. 1= i ( Brawner-s Eclipse \ American Eclipse. o I Nantura \ ' Daughter. I / <^ A/r \ Bertrand. I ( Queen Mary ■; , j i^ . ^ •' / Lady rortune. / T p -' to .'' Boston. i j War Dance '^'"^ " / Alice Carneal. g Reel '> Glencoe. g J \ ■ . . ■ . I Gallopade. .n I TT.--u.roi/-' \ Irish Birdcatcher. rt ( Imp- Knight of St. George. . . ^|„,,„„ i: Brenna \ /Maltese. I I L„y-( . \ Imp. Trustee. '^ ^ ( Vandal's Dam. Concerning the race for Freehold Stakes at Monmouth Park, N. J., August 2d, 1888, in which The Bard suffered defeat for the first time, the Turf, Field and Farm, of New York (issue August 10th, 1888), says: " Since our last issue, sudden checks have been given to the victorious careers of several public idols. The Bard has succumbed to Firenzi, Raceland lowered his colors to Badge, Kingston and Terra Cotta suffered defeat by Elkwood, Little Minch out-speeded by Yum-Yum, and even in England, the crack two-year-old Donovan has met with a reverse. But the case of The Bard is the most serious of all, for not only has he been beaten after winning seven straight stakes, but in all probability, he has appeared for the last time in public. "The race in which he met with his mishap was the Freehold at Monmouth, on Thursday of last week. Firenzi was his only opponent. The Bard made the running, setting a fast pace, but at no time did Garrison permit the filly to be more than three lengths behind. He closed in the stretch, forced Hay ward to the whip at the last sixteenth pole, and then coming away, won by two lengths in 2:34, which equals the record, Luke Blackburn having made the same time at Monmouth as a three- year-old on August 17th, 1880, with 102 pounds up, and Jim Guest, when four years old, and carrying 98 pounds, having made a like record at Washington Park, Chicago, July 24th, 1886. The first quarter was run in 0:27, the half in 0:52, the three-quarters in 1:18, the mile in l-A2'/i, and the mile and a quarter in 3:08>^. It was a splendid performance for both. TIIOKOUCIIBKKDS. 37 38 THOROUGHBREDS. "While The Bard did not pull up lame, as far as could be noticed, at the close of the race, it was but a short time before he began to favor his off hind leg, which began to swell. Dr. Shepherd was called to examine the horse, but the inflamation was so great, the swelling being midway between the hock and fetlock joint, that it was impossible to diagnose the case, and the extent of the injury had not been definitely determined on Tuesdaj' last, although it was generally deemed to be perman- ent. After the race, Hayward said that for the first time this season. The Bard had not tried to get away from him when he had mounted, not taking hold of the bit in his accustomed style. Like his illustrious sire, he has gone down in battle, covered with glory, both finishing their raceo in the gamest manner on three legs. That there would have been a still greater contest and in faster time had The Bard been right, there is no question in our mind, for we have long been of the opinion that, under favorable conditions, he could lower almost any record." Firenzi (a bay, foaled 1884), by this race has proven herself a truly great mare; and with The Bard no longer in the field, ought surely to have an easy career as a winner. The Emperor of Norfolk (see illustration from sketch immediately after winning the American Derby) is another one of the successful winners of 1888. At Chicago, June 23rd, he won the American Derby, netting in this one race $14,590.00, and mak- ing a total amount thus far won for his owner of $28,530.00, said to be the largest winnings credited to any living horse. There is a little " cold " blood in the remote pedigree of the Emperor, coming through the Potomac mare — dam of Betsy Malone — but it is so far back that it affects neither his speed nor his breeding value. His abridged pedigree may be given as follows: C Timoleon Boston 1^^ '-' I Alice Carneal . fi' a; I o 1 Z f Imp. Glencoe. \ Sir Archy. / Saltram Mare. / r.. . . T, , , \ Ball's Florizel. ■ S'^t" '° Tuckahoe | Alderman Mare. , c- J \ Emilius. \ I™P- •"'arpedon ^ j^^,.;^ / „ ( Sumpter. R""'^"^ \ Lady Gray. „ 1. S Selim. i Sultan J Bacchante. Chloe Anderson . T, ,. \ Tramp. Trampolme J -yvg^. „ , , , ( .Sir Archy Montorio. Rodolph i T-. u.„__x Tj 11'. Belle Anderson s Imp. Bonnie Scotland L Lady Lancaster / Daughter of Hoxall's Moses. \ Sir William. "/ Butterfly. \ Don Jolin. / Scandal. „ \ Gladiator. Uueen .Mary -, Daughter of Plenipotentiary. , ,. , ( Priam. Imp. Monarch | Delphine. lago . s h?; Imp. Yorkshire Ladv Canton . { Imp. Tranby. 'I Mary Randolph. o. 1.1- 1 1 ( Emilius. ^'- Nicholas ] Seamew. ^^°*^ K°^^ j Sandra Mare. . „, ( .Sultan. Imp, Glencoe -J trampoline. T. . »T , \ .Stockholder. Betsy Malone .) p^j^^^^ Mare. •niOROUGIIBKEDS. 89 40 THOROUGHBREDS. The Chicago Horseman, in a notice of the Emperor, says: " He is a grandly proportioned liorse, and is so constructed that he can carry all the penalties that are piled upon him without materially interfering with his speed. He has defeated all the best three-year-olds of the year so easily that it is impossible to accurately gauge his powers. Should he meet The Bard at weight for age, we shall expect to see a grand struggle, and one which will be fully described in the annals of the turf. Both in his two and three-yearold career, he has proved himself to be a race-horse of the very highest quality, and one of those exceptionally great horses which only appear once in a decade. "The Emperor of Norfolk was bred by Theodore Winters. He was foaled on January 12, 1885, and was purchased at the Winters sale on December 20, 1886, by E. J. Baldwin for $2,5.50. He is by that mighty son of Lexington, Norfolk, out of Marian, by Malcolm. In the veins of the Emperor flows the rich, red tide which came from those grand fountains of speed — Lexington, Glencoe, Bonnie Scotland and Yorkshire. When, as a racing star of the first magnitude, the Emperor has run his allotted course, his splendid individuality, grand speed powers and patrician lineage, will combine to enthrone him as the first lord of the harem." Huguenot is an English Thoroughbred, and we present his portrait as a good type of the English race-horse. While no two famous winners have ever been exactly alike in conformation, there are yet many points of similarity, and we have thought best to give the following short DESCRIPTION OF A TYPICAL THOROUGHBRED: The head is fine; neck slender but well set on at the shoulders; chest deep, wide, and bounded by shoulders long and slanting; hind quarters high and well muscled; legs flat, with short cannons, long, elastic pasterns, and rounded, well-made feet. Not a pound of surplus fat is carried when in racing trim; the cords and muscles stand out clearly, and play in action like the sensitive strings of some delicate instrument. The Racer is essentially nervous in temperament; many have been made vicious by careless handling, and not a few have failed to show extreme speed on the turf, because of failure to understand and appreciate their nerve peculiarities. Many regard the Thoroughbred as a mere fancy animal, — the especial horse of the sporting fraternity, — but we do not agree with such expression. His indomitable will and wonderful endurance, combined with his beauty of form and usually good size, make him a horse of much value to use on native mares of mixed breeding; and the colts thus produced are among our most stylish saddle and harness horses. The South has always been rich in the blood of the Thoroughbred ; and, since there has been little call for horses of the heavier breeds until recent times, mules being em- ployed almost exclusively for heavy draft and farm work, the Racer has served a most valuable purpose. As heavier stallions are now being introduced quite extens- ively, we shall find the mares of racing stock a valuable foundation for producing an excellent general purpose horse. THOHOI'GHIIKEDS. 41 yW'h^iii. 42 AMERICAN TROTTERS. CHAPTER X. AMERICAN TROTTERS. While not yet recognized as a separate breed, the American Trotter is fast ap- proaching that distinction, and the long lines of fast moving offspring from the famous stallions that founded the several strains of modern Trotters, point unmistakably to that constant transmission of characteristic qualities which alone determines a breed. ORIGIN AND improvement: The history of the origin and improvement of American Trotters, furnishes one of the most, ii not the most, remarkable examples of human skill in developing and training to desired lines qualities which, before, had remained partially developed or entirely latent. The courage and stamina of the Trotting Horse, in brief, is found in the use of Oriental blood in and through the royal blood of the Thoroughbred ; but to those remarkable individual animals, which we shall mention, — in whom the trot- ting gait seems to have been a spontaneous development of the trotting instinct com- bined with the energy and speed of the Racer, — belongs the credit for his immediate origin. Among the horses which may thus be considered original sources of trotting blood, and first in the list by acknowledged right, stands imported messenger, himself a Thoroughbred, and embracing some of the choicest blood of the desert in his make-up, as will be seen by a simple statement of his paternal ancestry: Imported Messenger was a gray hoi-se, foaled in 1780; imported to United States in 1788, and died on Long Island in 1808. His first sire was Mambrino, second sire Engineer, third sire Sampson, fourth sire Blaze (?), fifth sire Flying Childers, sixth sire Darley Arabian. His dam was sired by Turf, by Matchem, by Cade (who was a son of Godolphin Arabian), and his second dam was by Regulus, also a son of Godolphin Arabian. His great grandsire, Sampson, was a black horse out of all keeping with the ideal Thoroughbred in appearance, being large, coarse and heavy boned, but with a wonderful power of speed and bottom. Sampson's reputed and recorded sire was Blaze, a bay Thoroughbred, but his conformation and the inclination to trot, which he transmitted to his offspring, have led students of equine history to doubt the record of his paternity, and assert that his dam was covered by a coach horse. If this were true — and it seems at least reasonable — it was the most fortunate accident that could have occurred, since it furnished the exact combination to insure a change of gait and still retain the fire and instinctive speed of the Racer. The peculiar conformation of imported Messenger — low, round, almost flat with- ers — has been faithfully handed down to his lineal descendants; and it is a matter of common note, that all true Messenger-bred Trotters have always enjoyed a remarkable AMERICAN TROTTERS. 48 44 AMERICAN TROTTERS. freedom from all kinds of foot, leg and bone diseases. Messenger blood is found in nearly every family of American Trotters; and, through his great grandson, Rysdyk's Hambletonian, we have a family preeminently above all others in steady re-production of the trotting gait, through a long line of noted descendants, of which we shall write later. Another original source of trotting blood was found in IMPORTED BELLFOUNDER, a blood bay, with white diamond on nose, and white left hind foot. His breeding has always been a matter of question, but by the best evidence obtainable his pedigree is as follows: Sire, Old Bellfounder, out of Velocity by Haphazard, by Sir Peter, out of Miss Hervey by Eclipse. Grand dam of good blood but not Thoroughbred. This stamps him as a true descendant of the Fireaways — a strain which has never been excelled for the saddle. Bellfounder, the "Norfolk Trotter," was foaled about 1815, imported to America in 1822, and died on Long Island in 1843. He was a natural trotter, of remarkable honesty, and his truest descendants have since been known as " field trotters," showing their best speed when free from all restraint of reins. The peculiar value of the Bellfounder blood is found, like that of Duroc, in its happy com- bination with the blood of Messenger. was not an imported horse, but was foaled (1806) and bred in Virginia. He was a chestnut in color, of remarkable frame and muscle, got by imported Diomed, — a small chestnut horse, winner of the first English Derby, — and from him (Diomed) he derived many serious blood defects — such as tendency to foot and leg troubles, as well as those high qualities of nerve and spirit which are found in all of Diomed's descend- ants. On his dam's side he traces to imported Medley, a gray, by Gimcrack, also a gray, and from this quarter comes the peculiar conformation of his descendants — wide hips, long, powerful thighs, and hocks placed low down over short hind cannons — which is always accompanied by an ojjen, loose "straddling" action, by many regarded a sure indication of trotting promise. As already noted, his greatest value was found in combination with Messenger blood, and in such horses as Alhambra, Messenger- Duroc and American Star was found its happiest combination. ST. LAWRENCE must not be omitted in our mention of the earlj' sources of trotting blood. He was a small, bay, Canada-bred horse, standing about 15% hands; was foaled about 1841, brought over to New York about 1848, and died in Michigan 1858. His breeding is not known, but he was a trotter and a sire of trotters. The peculiar motion which proclaims St. Lawrence blood is seen among all of his descendants: The hind-quarters gently swing from side to side, as the hind feet successively advance, trotting with an even but rolling and far-reaching action, that gives an idea of almost irresistible power and momentum. In this connection we quote the opinion of Mr. H. T. Helm — an acknowledged authority in matters concerning trotting stock — as given in his valuable work on "American Roadsters and Trotting Horses": AMERICAN TROTTEFJS. 45 BELMONT. Bay stallion; foaled lHtj4; property of A. J. Al , Spring Station, Ky. 46 AMERICAN TROTTERS, "The fact has become so clear that in some parts of our country the Messenger blood has been bred too closely, and the need of a suitable out-cross of high trotting quality having become apparent in many instances, such a blood as that of St. Lawrence affords, for all such, one of the most valuable strains with which to inter-breed. Many valuable mares now exist that are so c'osely and strongly in-bred in the Messenger blood, that their value as breeding stock mainly depends on the obtaining of a suitable out-cross to invigorate the blood, and maintain the trotting excellence for which it has been noted. For all such the male descendants of St. Lawrence will afford the desired cross, and the union will in all probability result, as did that of Bellfounder in the Hambletonian, in the further advancement of the American Trotter." Next on the list comes the Canadian pacer, PILOT. His breeding, Hke that of vSt. Lawience, is not known, except that his ancestry came originally from France to Acadia, and thence to Canada, forming a class of tough and valuable horses, since known as French Canadians, or Kanucks. He was foaled about 1826, but was first known at New Orleans, 1832, when he was said to be six years old, and was purchased of a peddler for $1000.00; he died in Kentucky in 1855. Pilot in brief, was a black stallion, standing less than 15 hands, with short neck, rather thick and heavy about the throat; a long, coarse mane, showing the handsome wavy curl which characterizes the French Canadian wherever found ; a close knit muscular body; a sloping rump; a heavy tail of same quality as mane, and long quarters with hocks placed low down. His whole make-up was one of utility, and his decendants — chiefly through the blood of his greatest son, Pilot Jr., combined with the blood of established trotting strains — have among them the fastest trotters in the world. The dam of Maud S 2:08^ — the fastest trotter yet known, was by Pilot Jr.; as was also the dam of the famous gelding Jay Eye See — 2:10 — whose record of 2:10^ as a five-year-old has never been beaten. True, these famous movers are descended on the other side in direct line from Hambletonian, but this fact does not detract from the great value of the Pilot blood wiien used in such mighty combination. GRAND BASHAW, a Barb of the purest lineage, was imported from Tripoli in 1820, and died in Penn- sylvania in 1845. His color was black, with small white star, and he was said to be of very great beauty. In 182 L he produced Young Bashaw — from Pearl, by Bond's First Consul, out of a mare by imp. Messenger — rnd through this son has come the credit to Grand Bashaw as an original source of trotting blood. In view of the fact that the grand dam of Young Bashaw was by imp. Messenger, and the further fact that Young Bashaw was a coarse looking gray horse, in many respects resembling the Messenger strain, it has been claimed that the Bashaws and their noted descendants — the Clays— are really nothing but branches of the great Messenger stem, and that therefore, the claims of Grand Bashaw are naught, and his name, assumed by the family, an usurpation of Messenger right. In part at least this may be considered sound reasoning; but we think it more just to admit that the blood of the imperial Barb, Grand Bashaw, was the one element needed in combination, to develop the strain of Trotters that bears his name. Last on the list, but by no means least in importance, stands old JUSTIN morgan: a clear, bright bay, foaled in 1793 near Springfield, Mass. ; died near Chelsea, Vt., AMERICAN TROTTERS. 47 HAROLD. Hay stallion; foaled 18li4; property of A.J. Alexander, Spring Station, Ky. (Sire of Maiul S, 2:0SJi.) 48 AMEKICAN TROTTERS. in 1821. His parentage cannot be definitely ascertained, but from tlie best circum- stantial evidence, it would appear that his sire was a horse called True Briton, or Beautiful Bay, and in all probability a Thoroughbred. His dam was said to be of the "Wildair" breed, and to have a share, be it more or less, of the blood of the Lindsey Arabian in her veins. There is some reason also for the belief, in certain quarters, that he had a trace of Canadian blood in his make-up; although the remark- able impressiveness of Morgan and his descendants in matters of color, form, gait and disposition, mark a predominance of Oriental, rather than Canadian blood. Justin Morgan left several sons, only three of which occupy places of any real im- portance — Bulrush, Woodbury and Sherman. Through Sherman — the best of the three sons of old Morgan — we have Vermont Black Hawk, and, passing down the list. General Knox, Ethan Allen and Daniel Lambert; through Bulrush we have the Merrills; and through Woodbury, Hale's Green Mountain Morgan, Magna Charta and (probably) Gold Dust. From this short summary of the horses classed as sources of trotting blood, we may pass to brief mention of a few of the numerous strains or families now holding more or less of public favor. First, by acknowledged right, are The Hanibletonians : The family takes its name from Rysdyk's Hambletonian, descended on the paternal side from Imp. Messenger, through his Thoroughbred son Mambrino (American) and Mambrino's son, Abdallah, sire of Hambletonian. The dam of Hambletonian was by Bellfounder. Through Hambletonian we have the Volunteers, Edward Everetts, Alexander's Abdallahs, Almonts, Messenger-Durocs, Happy Mediums, George Wilkeses, Dictators, Wood's Hambletonians, Electioneers, and many others of acknowledged eminence, laying claim to the general title of Hambletonian. The jMa?nbrinos, another great family, descended on the paternal side from Imp. Messenger — take the name from Mambrino Chief. His sire was Mambrino Pay- master, a son of Mambrino, who was also the grandsire of Hambletonian. All the Mambrinos, Champions, and many others are grouped under this head. The JSashazvs take their name from Young Bashaw, a son of the Imp. Barb, Grand Bashaw. Young Bashaw was the sire of Andrew Jackson, who in turn got Long Island Black Hawk; and through the latter we have Green's Bashaw, the Mohawks and others of note. Closely related to the Bashaws are The Clays, who take the family name from Henry Clay, a son of Andrew Jackson, above mentioned. From this horse we have the numerous strains of Clays; and through his famous grandson, George M. Patchen, we have the branch which bears his name. The Morgans we have already mentioned as taking the name and excellence of old Justin Morgan. Under this head we have the Black Hawks (exclusive of Long Island Black Hawk, who was by Andrew Jackson, with no trace of Morgan blood), Ethan Aliens, Knoxes, Daniel Lamberts, Fearnaughts, Morrills, and others. Pacing blood is represented chiefly by the Pilots, who take their name from Pilot Jr., already noted, and the Blue Bulls, from the celebrated pacer of that name; with the Royal Georges, Hiatogas, Bald Stockings (descended from Tom Hal, AMERICAN TROTTERS. 49 n5 '■ ^ n 50 AMERICAN TROTTERS. lately deceased), Copper Jfot/oms, and othurs, an seconds of no mean value. Right here we cannot fail to notice the peculiar force of jiacing blood, especially on the side of the dam, when joined with paternal blood of established trotting excellence. The mares of Pilot Jr., St. Clair, and other noted pacers, have given us the fastest flyers of the age, and no amount of self-confident reference to " Thoroughbred grand dams," in the cases of Maud S. and Jay Eye See, can now breast the tide of popular favor which the pacing element enjoys. Old Blue Bull, a horse of great speed at the pacing gait alone, stands now (June 6th, 1888) second on the list — yielding only to the trotter George Wilkes — as a sire of trotters; having to his credit 52 horses with a record of 2:30 or better. It is now well known and admitted that the trot and the pace are interchange- able, and that a horse may be taught to go at either gait. The idea of 20 years ago that pacing blood was of no value in a trotting pedigree, has gone and gone to stay. SOME OF THE FASTEST. An examination of the list of fast records brings up matters of such interest as to warrant at least notice in these pages. In every case, through the list of stallions, mares and geldings, the really fast movers have been the result of steady breeding in blood lines to attain the desired ends. It is this fact which points conclusively toward an earh' recognition of the claims of the American Trotter to be classed as a breed: not yet, perhaps, but soon to be, is assuredly a safe assertion. The fastest stallions of the present day are: Maxey Cobb, 2:18i^; Phallas, 2:135^, and Patron, 2:141^^. Maxey Cobb has the best record, but it is admitted that Phallas — next by a difference of one-half second — is really the better horse, since he met and defeated the former in an easy victory. The 2:13^ of Phallas was the fastest time ever made by a stallion in a race, and the fastest time ever made in a fourth heat by any horse; and cannot at least be considered inferior to the 2:13i^ of Maxey Cobb, made in a trial against time. Phallas (see pedigree in full) is a bay, son of Dictator, out of Betsy Trotwood by Clark Chief. Dictator was by Rysdyk's Hambletonian, out of Clara, by Seely's American Star, and was a full brother to Dexter. Maxey Cobb, a bay, is by Happy Medium — a trotting bred trotter, standing fourth on the list as a sire of 2:30 horses; he by Rysdyk's Hambletonian, out of the trotting mare Princess, the famous California long distance mare, whose history is so inti- mately connected with that of Flora Temple, through their struggles on the track. Princess was by a grandson of Bishop's Hambletonian — the son of Messenger, sup- posed to be Thoroughbred, and whose name was at first spelled H-a-m-i-1-t-o-n-i-a-n. Is it any wonder that Phallas and Maxey Cobb trot? And we may say the same of the next. Patron, a bay, is a great grandson of Mambrino Chief, through his sire Pancoast. On the other side, he runs again to Mambrino Chief family, his dam being by Cuyler out of a mare by Mambrino Patchen. When we consider the age of Patron (five years) at the time his record of 2:14i^ was made, he may fairly be called the equal of the two preceding: indeed, taking the trio together, a horseman could hardly choose one without an innate fear that a better judgment would have chosen another. AMERICAN TUOTlliKS. 51 PHALLAS 2:I3<4. Bay st.illion; property of J. I. Case, Rucine, \Vi 52 AMERICAN TROTTEKS. The fastest mares to date are Maud S., 2:083.^; Belle Hamlin, 2:135^; Goldsmith Maid, 2:14; and Trinkett, 2:14. Maud S., a chestnut, the present queen of the trotting turf by virtue of her 2:08^, is by Harold — a son of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, out of a mare by Hamble- tonian's sire, Abdallah. The dam of Maud S. is Miss Russell, whose sire was the now famous Pilot Jr. Probably no other trotter ever enjoyed such high public favor as this famous mare. She has remarkable courage and intelligence, was foaled 1874, and is now owned by Robert Bonner, of New York. She will not trot any more races, but her owner claims that she is just in her prime, and will yet lower her remarkable record. Belle Hamlin, a bay, next on the list, is by Hamlin's Almont, a son of Alexander's Abdallah — out of a mare by Vermont Black Hawk. The dam of old Almont was by Mambrino Chief. In Turf, Field and Farm, issue of July 27th, 1888, appeared the following: " On Tuesday of last week, Belle Hamlin trotted a half mile on the Buffalo track, timed by a number of gentlemen, among them the experienced horseman Mr. C. F. Dunbar, in l:02yi, last quarter, 31 seconds — a 2:04 gait. This was a terrific flight of speed, and as soon as Belle Hamlin learns to carry the speed, she will trot a great mile." Goldsmith Maid and Trinkett, who are tied as to record, each standing at 2:14, are distinctly trotting bred. Goldsmith Maid, a bay, was sired by Alexander's Abdal- lah, a son of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, and one whose early death was not the least disaster of the late Civil War. The dam of Goldsmith Maid was claimed to be a daughter of the same Abdallah, but as there is no definite proof of such in-breeding in her case, the claim must be passed without further notice. Trinkett, a bay, was a trotter at an early age, having a record of 2:19^ as a four-year-old, at a time when such a record was considered wonderful. Her sire was Princeps, a son of Woodford Mambrino, out of a mare by Alexander's Abdallah. The dam of Trinkett was by Rysdyk's Hambletonian: blood, and performing blood at that, is a potent and manifest factor throughout the list of trotting mares. The fastest geldings by the record are: Jay Eye See, 2:10; St. Julien, 2:11 J^ ; and Rarus, 2:13i^, and we shall find the same story of blood that tells by a brief notice of their pedigrees. Jay Eye See, a black, is by Dictator, out of the mare Midnight, whose sire was Pilot Jr. The parentage of Dictator has been already mentioned under the notice of Phallas. Jay Eye See has the best record ever made by a five-year-old (2:10^), and stands second only to the Queen of the Turf, Maud S., by a matter of 1 }{ seconds. His leg trouble has prevented thus far, even a trial to lower his record ; but his owner has an abiding faith in the little fellow, which we trust may be fully realized. In a recent letter to the author, Mr. Case says : 11* * * * Last winter we concluded to have him fired, which was done, and under the circumstances, he should have been left at rest for fully eight or nine months, but being rather anxious to get him again on the turf, we commenced jogging him. The result was, that his leg fevered up and enlarged a little. This caused us to turn him out for this whole season. He was not lame, and is not lame now, and I will show him to be a greater horse than ever, another year." St. Julien, a bay, is by Volunteer, a son of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, out of Flora, by Sayre's Harry Clay. Harry Clay was also the sire of the famous brown mare, Green Mountain Maid, whose fame as the dam of Electioneer and other noted AMERICAN TKOTTERS. 53 54 AMERICAN TROTTERS. horses, is only exceeded by the universal regret among breeders of trotting stock at her death, which occurred June 6th, 1888. The dam of Harry Clay was by Imp. Bellfounder — surely St. Julien comes honestly by his speed. Rarus, a bay, with blazed face and white hind ankles, third on the list, does not show such unmistakable blood lines as do the preceding, but there is still a foundation other than chance for his blood-like performances. His sire was known as Conklin's Abdallah — claimed to be a son of Alexander's Abdallah — but really of unknown pedigree; his dam was by Telegraph, out of a mare by Vermont Black Hawk.* And now a word as to the phenomenal colts, Manzanita, Sable Wilkes, Wild- flower and Norlaine. Manzanita, a bay mare, bred at Palo Alto, Cal., the best four-year-old, has a record at that age of 2:16. Her dam is Mayflower, by the pacer St. Clair, and her sire is Electioneer, the famous son of Green Mountain Maid and Hambletonian (Man- zanita was severely injured by fire at Palo Alto, April 17th, 1888, and will probably never again appear on the track). Sable Wilkes, a black stallion, best three-year-old, has a record at that age of 2:18; his dam is Sable, who combines the blood of Pilot Jr., Young Copper Bottom, Hambletonian and Mambrino Chief. His sire is Guy Wilkes, a grandson of Ham- bletonian, and tracing on the maternal side to Mambrino Chief and Seely's American Star. Wildflower, a bay mare, the best two-year-old, has a record at that age of 2:21. She is out of Mayflower, by Electioneer — exactly the breeding of Manzanita given above, f Norlaine, a brown filly, the best yearling, whose lecord of 2:31 1^ at that age astonished the world, was by Norval, a son of Electioneer, out of Elaine, the famous trotting daughter of Messenger Duroc and Green Mountain Maid. (Norlaine was fatally injured by fire at Palo Alto, April 17th, 1888, and died on Thursday, April 19th, following.) All four of the young Champions are from California; three of them trace in direct descent to Electioneer — who has now (July 5th, 1888) 32 horses to his credit in the 2:80 list, making him an easy first among living sires of 2:30 horses — and all are from mares speedy both in blood and performance. Another point of interest in these cases, is found in the element of pacing blood, which has so kindly mingled with that of high performing trotters in their royal ancestry. As a fit recognition of the value of pacing blood in the American trotting horse, we give the following list of pacers that have made 2:14 or better. Johnston, 2:06i/; Little Brown Jug, 2:ll3^; Sleepy Tom, 2:12}^; Buffalo Girl, 2:12^; Rich Ball, 2:12i^; Mattie Hunter, 2:123^; Brown Hal, 2:13; Bay Filly, Flora Bell, Fuller, Gem, Little Mack, Rowdy Boy and Westmont, each 2:13^; Arrow, Gossip Jr., Jewett, Lucy and Sorrel Dan, each 2:14. Before leaving this chapter, it may be well to explain what is meant by the term ".Standard Bred," as applied to trotting stock; and this we do through the kindness of D. J. Campau, of The Horseman, Chicago, who sends the following NEW STANDARD OF REGISTRATION: "Established by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, December 14th, 1887. AMKRKAN IROTTRKS. 55 56 AMERICAN TROTTERS. In order to define what constitutes a trotting bred horse, and to establish a breed of trotters on a more intelligent basis, the following rules are adopted to control admission to the records of pedi- grees. When an animal meets the requirements of admission, and is duly registered, it shall be accepted as a standard bred trotting animal. "First. Any stallion that has himself a record of 2:30 or better, provided any of his get has a record of 2:35 or better, or, provided his sire or his dam is already a standard animal. "Second. Any mare or gelding which has a record of 2:30 or better. "Third. Any horse that is the sire of two animals with a record of 2:30, or better. " Fourth. Any horse that is the sire of one animal with a record of 2:30 or better, provided he has either of the following additional qualifications: (1) A record himself of 2:35 or better. (2) Is the sire of two other animals with a record of 2:35 or better. (3) Has a sire or dam that is already a standard animal. " Fifth. Any mare that has produced an animal with a record of 2:30 or better. " Sixth. The progeny of a standard horse when out of a standard mare. " Seventh. The female progeny of a standard horse when out of a mare by a standard horse. " Eighth. The female progeny of a standard horse when out of a mare whose dam is a stand- ard mare. " Ninth. Any mare that has a record of 2:35 or bettei", and whose sire or dam is a standard animal." Of most of our illustrations little need be said. Jay Eye See and Phallas, their sire Dictator; Harold, the sire of Maud S.; Belmont, and Electioneer, are already well known and universally admired, Pennant, the g^rand young horse from Willow Lawn Farm, Waverly, la., although not yet widely known, is destined to stand well up in the list of great stallions. The following, clipped from the Breeders' Gazette^ of Chicago, refers to the race for a purse of $600.00, 2:24 class, at Janesville, Wis., June 19th, 1887: " In the very first race of the meeting, there was a terrific battle between Valkyr and the Son of Abe Downing; and the smart men who owned the bay mare and who piloted her down the central circuit line with such consummate skill last year, keeping her merits carefully concealed until she was ready to win a good race, must have felt chagrined, when they learned by bitter experience that the Iowa Stallion was more than a match for their mare — especially as this knowledge was not obtained until after their entry had won the first heat, and taken a record of 2:19J?4 in order to do it. Of course, they thought this speed did win, and so would any man, who was figuring on a 2:24 class at a June meeting; but in the very next heat. Pennant, having come second at the finish of the first mile, trotted the track in 2:21, and showed that this was not the limit of his capabilities by trotting the third mile in 2:19?4', and the fourth in 2:2l'/i. By his races at Freeport and Janesville, Pennant has proven himself to be a wonderfully good young horse, and as his breeding is of the most approved lines — his sire having made a record of 2:20^4, and his dam being by Harold — his suc- cessful inauguration as a stallion when his turf days shall be over, is assured. Speed of the developed kind is what men who have mares to breed want in these progressive days; and the young stallion, no matter how fashionable his blood lines may be, has no chance against an animal whose speed has been developed and tested in actual contests.' Olivette is a half sister to Pennant, and ofie of the best brood mares of the Wil- low Lawn Stud. * Seft. 19f/t, '88, Mr. Qordon^s erratic black gelding, Guy, secured a record of 2.12}(, at Fleet-ivood Park, N. T; making him the fourth Jastes ttrotter in the world by the record. Guy is by Kentucky Prince, out of Flora Gardner. t On Oct. 19th, '88, Sunol, at the Bay District Track, San Francisco, fassed the Wildfo-.ver mark, and f laced the one-tnile tivo-year-old record at 2 20'/i. Sunol is a bay filly, foaled 1886, got by Electioneer out of Waxana. AMERICAN TKOTTEKS. 58 PEDIGREES. ^ . It «2 En" « 5 PEDIGREES. 59 Miss Russell. Maud S. 3^ H Z £.3 n y s; 2^ 60 PEDIGREES. o ^ too A a. 3 c C rt ^ .S c- g < = o I s -° .2 « ^ c IS g — £ = X S c 2 o ■g ■Si £55 "rf <-' 1} •pooAvjoJX Asjag •s V T T V H tj PEDIGKEES. I A Y Eye See. 61 3^ 3a c/;3 a ^ c 1? a:;- »> 3- s;^ i-§. re a s: c is ? 2 6a PEDIGREES. Electioneer. Green Mountain Maid. 3>=- Rysdjk's Hambletonian. ^^ > «0 ■OOFQ zQp 3^ So 5 !? S 5 g; Q3 ►^O Sff !? S Q3 5^ ^S S ^ 3 S •a cru sf i'udkikkes. Pennant. 68 Abe Downing S2: ffi^ ^ ° '- ~ 8 4i 2=^ •fla- 3 o 5*0 2 -ss" 1 ? s 2 5" 64 ORLOFF TROTTERS SHETLANDS. CHAPTER XI. ORLOFF TROTTERS. The Orloff family of trotting horses derives its name from the Russian Count Alexis Orloff Tschismensky, an enthusiastic lover of horses, who is credited with producing the breed. In 1775, he imported the gray Arabian stallion, Smetanxa — a horse of unusual size and power. This horse was used on a Danish mare, the produce being a stallion, known as Polkan First, who in turn produced from a Dutch mare the horse Bars First — commonly regarded as the progenitor of the breed. Lubezney First, Lebed First, and Dobroy First, three sons of Bars First, have given character to the blood of their sire, and helped to fix the trotting instinct. The Count selected his stallions invariably from the foundation stock just noted; but resorted to the better class of English and Dutch mares whenever practicable. The Orloff, like the American Trotter, is a made-ujD animal; but he shows neither the speed at short distance, nor the endurance on a long stretch, which characterizes so many of our American Trotters. A few have been brought to America, but they are by no means generally known. The prevailing color is gray, but blacks are common and bays are frequently found. Possibly the Orloff may at some future time be used to relieve the inbred con- dition into which certain families of our American Trotters are in danger of falling; but as it stands now, the American is so far superior to the Russian Trotter that our own breeders of trotting stock have every reason to be well satisfied with the mag- nificent results already reached, and should feel encouraged to put forth still greater energies in the future. CHAPTER XH. SHETLAND PONIES. They are, as the name indicates, natives of the Shetland Islands, north of Scotland. As to their origin, one thmg may be stated without fear of contradiction, and that is: no trace of racing (Thoroughbred) blood has ever found its way into their breeding. Their resemblance to the ponies of Scandinavia, and the further fact that the Islands were first taken possession of by Scandinavian plunderers, and for a long time (until the Fifteenth Century) remained attached to the Crown of Norway, furnish SIIETI-ANDS. 65 DO SHETI.ANDS WELSH PONIES. good evidence that the Shetland Ponies are of Norwegian derivation. Tradition, however, has it, that some of the horses carried by the great Spanish Armada — many vessels of which were wrecked off the rugged Shetland coast — escaped to the Islands and have since left their impress upon the native pony stock; the tradition has the color of probabilitj'; more than this cannot be definitely stated. Whatever their origin or subsequent mixture with other breeds, the Shetlands show in appearance and char- acter, the well known influence of severe climate and scanty food. They are extremely hardy; very small — standing about 8 to 11 hands high; shaggy coated, with bushy mane and tail; always round and smooth in the barrel; with short fine legs and round handsome feet. All colors are found, but brown, black and spotted — black and white or brown and white, are most common. The Shetlands are the safest and most popular ponies for children's use, and large numbers of them are, and have been, annually brought to the United States for this purpose. They are remarkably intelligent, and can be readily trained. Their hardi- ness and muscular endurance have always been marked; but they have little or no practical value outside of that already mentioned. When bred in America, the superior food and attention given causes a considerable increase in size ; and — since the smallest ponies are in greatest demand — this fact has led to the practice, quite common at the present time, of importing as wanted for sale direct from the Islands. The illustration — engraved after a sketch from life, expressly for our use — is an accurate representation of the breed. CHAPTER XIII. WELSH PONIES. Of late years quite a number of these beautiful little fellows have found their way to the United States; and, like the Shetlands, are in great demand for children's use. Of their origin Low says: "The mountains of Wales in like manner, give birth to a race of small horses adapted to an elevated country of scanty herbage, * * * which must be supposed to be pure with respect to their descent from the pristine race." The typical Welsh Pony stands about 13 hands high, has a small head, high withers, smooth, rounded, close coupled body, with neat, flat legs and sound feet. Color varies, bays and browns, especially the lighter shades, are common, and blacks and other colors frequently found. CX.MOOKS MUSTANGS. 67 CHAPTER XIV. EX MOOR I'ONIE.S. This breed — a few of which have been imported to the United States — has its origin in the Exmoor Forest region, lying partly in Devonshire and partly in Somer- setshire, England. They are doubtless descended from the same original stock as the Welsh breed, but differ considerably from the latter at the present time. They are shaggy, long haired; stand about 12 or 13 hands high, and, although not so smooth and attractive in appearance as the Welsh, are said to be remarkably hardy. Bays, browns and blacks are the most common colors. CHAPTER XV. MEXICAN PONIES. (mustangs.) Since the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards (1519-22) a race of so-called Mexican horses has been established, differing from their Spanish ancestry only in those things naturally affected by the semi-wild state in which they have existed, and the consequent lack of artificial care and attention. From Mexico they scattered gradu- ally northward until the entire Southwest, including Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, was supplied with a native or wild horse stock, from the same original source. Doubt- less, also, the Mexican breed has contributed largely to form the pony breeds of the more northern Indian tribes. Discussion of this point will come, however, more prop- erly under the next heading, which see. In Texas the Mexican Ponies have been commonly called " Mustangs," and it is by this name that they have become notorious as the most ill-tempered, unmanageable, but, withal, most wiry, tough and enduring specimens of the equine race to be found. In height, they stand about 12 to 13 or 14 hands, weighing from 000 to 800 lbs.; all colors are found, but the colors which might jjerhaps be called characteristic of the breed are yellow clay, smoky dun and mouse, with usually a darker stripe along the middle of the back. The various shades of roan are quite common — white or pink roans nearly always showing a skin of the same color at the nose and on inside of thighs; and spotted ponies — "paints" — are frequently found. The prominent characteristic of the Mexican Mustang lies in his wonderful powers of endurance; he will carry a heavv man on his back, and make a distance 68 MUSTANGS. MUSTANGS INDIAN PONIES. 69 each clay for a month or six weeks' journey, that would tax the powers of the best Kentucky Thoroughbred. As to their viciousness or ill-temper, about which so much has been written, we think it entirely overdrawn. Mustang colts, taken up when two years old, and handled in the same manner that Eastern horsemen handle colts of higher market value, will show a disposition entirely different from the wild, vicious temper commonly imputed to them. Indeed the reverse is also true, since it is a well- known fact that among "American" horses — as the larger improved horses brought from the East are called — or their descendants on the range, are found the worst specimens of the "bucking" or "pitching" type. While the tendency of running wild is always toward wildness, if not viciousness, yet we believe the notorious Mustang disposition is largely a product of very poor methods of breaking and handling. Before leaving this subject, it may be of interest to note a remarkable case of prolonged gestation, reported by Mr. Z. T. Moore, of Traer, la., in the Breeders' Gazette of Chicago. The mare is said to be a Mustang; in 1887 she carried her foal 377 days, and in 1888 the foal was retained 389 days — foals in both instances doing well. The average period of gestation for mares under domestication rarely exceeds 350 to 360 days; but it is commonly observed that mares of any breed, as a rule, cari-y their foals longer when allowed to breed and range in pasture without care or restraint, than when kept up and favored with extra care and attention. We have no doubt that, if statistics could be as carefully kept of the service and birth dates among semi-wild horses as is done among careful breeders of improved stock — we should find a marked difference in the average length of gestation. The illustration was engraved expressly for our use, from a photograph, taken at Laredo, Texas, and is a fair representation of the modern Mexican Pony. Mr. E. H. Sauvignet, of Laredo, has our tlianks for assistance in securing photo. CHAPTER XVI. INDIAN PONIES. As noted in the preceding chapter, Indian Ponies doubtless trace in direct line to a more or less remote Mexican ancestry. Indeed, the horse-stock of the tribes of Western Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, is nothing if not Mexican; but of the more northern tribes, it is probable that another factor has been potent in forming the breed. That the other factor must be sought in northern latitudes, is beyond question, and we are convinced — after careful, continued observation of the ponies belonging to the various " Reservation" Tribes — that the Canadian Pony, a descendant of the small hoise stock of France, imported to Canada at an early date, is the animal that must bear the responsibility. We adopt this conclusion for several reasons, chief among them being the fact that Mustang colors are rarely found among Indian Ponies proper — the latter showing a great predominance of dark bay, brown and spotted (bay and 70 INDIAN PONIES. INDIAN PONIES. 71 white or brown and white), and tiic further fact that their conformation is decidedly different. The spotted mariiing is quite common and it is difticult to trace its source unless we accept the common belief that it is derived from horses inhabitiii^.uquil, I'a. Of our illustrations \vc may say, in brief: Imported Select brought with her fr(jni the island a record of 22 lbs. 8 oz. of well worked and salted butter in seven days, and of milk showing 18.05 per cent, total solids, of which 8.09 per cent, was fat, with a yield of about 22^ quarts a day, on a ration of three quarts of crushed oats and three of wheat bran a day, and grass. Jolie 2nd is perhaps the best cow in Mr. Fuller's herd, and gives when in full milk, 33 quarts per day ; in 1884 this cow won the first Island prize over her famous half sister. Flukes. Windfall is also a wonderful milker, and, although well advanced in years, may still be ranked as one of the jjrinie Guern- seys in America. CHAPTER XXI. AY R SII I RES. The A3'rshire breed is of comparative! v recent origin: in Cully's work on Live Stock(1790), it is not even mentioned. Alton in 1825 mentioned it, but described an entirely different animal from the present improved Ayrshire. Even as late as 1842 Prof. Low closes his history of their origin as follows: "We may assume then, from all the evidence, which in the absence of authentic documents, the case admits of, that the dairy breed of Ayrshire owes the characters which distinguish it from the older race, to a mixture with the blood of races of the continent, and of the dairy breed of Alderney." Afterwards, in the same L-hapter, he gives us a prettv definite idea as to how the later improvement was effected in the statement that " some })reeders in Ayrshire 94 AYRSHIRES. have begun to cross the breed with the Shorthorns." Allen ( American cattle) makes a shrewd "guess" as to how the improvement was brought about; he says: " It could be from no other than the direct cross of small compact Shorthorn bulls, descended from the best milking cows in the northeastern counties of England, on the cows descended from the Holderness bulls of Lord Marchmont, and their crosses from the 'conjectured' Dutch bulls, brought in by Mr. Dunlop. From no other race of cattle, either Scotch, English or Irish, could the improved Ayrshires get their shape, color and milking qualities combined." They are undoubtedly based on the hardy West Highland or Kyloe stock; that the Alderney or Jersey breed was used in the crosses, would appear from the early descriptions given ; and that the " guess " made by Allen may at least approximate the truth, is evidenced by the present appearance of the breed and the gradual change it has made within the past 40 or 50 years. DESCRIPTION OV MODERN AYRSHIRE: Color varies almost as much as in Shorthorns, and is indeed very much the same — red and white predominating; but in many individuals black hairs scattered through the red, give a blue and white color which we have never seen among pure Short- horns. Roans are quite common, and roan and white, or patched roans, were formerly very abundant. Later breeders, however, require colors of whatever shade to be distinct. The general outline of the body is similar to that of all milk breeds — being light and narrow in front and gradually deepening toward the hind quarters. The head is narrow and close fleshed — in the bull wider but still showing the more delicate con- tour peculiar to bulls of milking strains — with bright medium sized eyes, and small horns, showing a tendency, among cattle of our acquaintance, to assume more or less AYRSHIRE BULL, SIR HUGH, 2582. I'r..|H-rtv of II. K. C. Wat-<.in, West F;irms, X. V. A\ KM I IKES. 95 96 AYKSHIRES. irregular positions ; ears thin and well coated ; neck fine, without dewlap — in the bull naturally arched ; body deepening toward the flank ; ribs, at first flat, arching toward the loin; loin, hips and rump full and even with the back; tail dropping squarely; legs straight with rather thin twist, and brisket close and firm fleshed. The udder of the Ayrshire cow is her especial peculiarity; it is large but so broad and vertically flat- tened as to appear small; it spreads out well both in front and to rear — divisions strongly marked, with small cylindrical teats, wide apart and evenly placed. Her escutcheons are usually of a high order — especially the front ovals being well devel- oped, and the milk veins show with considerable prominence. In general appearance, the Ayrshire of the present day has lost much of the lean, ungainly outline once supposed to be necessarily co-existent with dairy excel- lence, and assumed a neat, trim, well roimded, though not beefy, form, which cannot fail to increase its popularity. characteristics: We regard it as a waste of argument to try to convince the public — as many have attempted — that the Ayrshires are general purpose animals; they are, and have been, a distinctive class of milk stock, differing from all known breeds in the high per cent, of casein or cheesy matter of the milk. For butter, the Ayrshire has not been classed among the best, for the reason that the globules are not equal in size, causing the cream to rise unevenly, and injuring the grain of the butter by reason of protracted churning; the use of the centrifugal in cream separation practically does away with the first objection, but the second has yet to be overcome before they can take high rank as butter producers. In quantity of milk they excel the Jersey, but fall short of AYRSHIRE COW. Property of H. R. C. Watson, West Farms, N. Y. AVKSIIIKK 97 the Holstein-Friesian : the pi.'iccnt;i;,'c of fat in the milk is good, and, taken in connec- tion with the large amount of casein, renders the milk from an Ayrshire dairy pre- eminent for cheese. Their beef claims must be accepted with some latitude. Unquestionably they produce excellent beef under favorable conditions, but there is too great a tendency toward milk to admit of any very marked aptitude for fattening. In size they rank with the small breeds — mature liulls weighing from 1200 to 1500 lbs., and cows from 900 to 1100 lbs. As showing the average yield under ordinary conditions, and with very light feed, we give the public record of the herd owned by C. M. Winslow, Brandon, Vt.: Average of 10 cows for year 1880, each 6035 lbs. milk. 11 " " 1881, " 6176 9 " " 1882, " 6672 15 " " 1883, " 6168 16 " " 1884, " 6814 15 " " 1885, " 7025 The following Scale of Points to be used in connection with description given was adopted by the Ayrshire Breeders' Association (C. M. Winslow, Secretary), Feb. 4th, 1885: cows. BUI,LS. 10 Head 10 5 Neck 10 5 Fore-quarters i 10 Back 10 8 Hind-quarters 10 33 Udder Scrotum and Rudimentary teats ... 10 3 Legs '. 5 5 Skin and Hair 10 3 Color 3 8 Live Weight 10 10 General appearance 15 100 Perfection 100 Referring to our illustrations: Dutchess of Smithfield, 4256, has a record of 10,748 lbs. of milk in one year, and 19 lbs. 6 oz. butter in seven days; she won first prizes at Rhode Island State Fairs of 1879 to 1881; at Woonsocket, 1879; and second prize at New York State Fair in 1882. Sir Hugh, 2582, won first prize at New York State Fair in 1882, and second for bull and four of his get, at New York Dairy and Cattle Show, 1887. The large engraving — group from the herd of Coldren & Lee — shows the variety in color markings common to the breed by a predominance of white, and represents a fair sample of the excellent herd from which it is taken. DUTCH-BELTED CATTLE. CHAPTER XXII. DUTCH-BELTED CATTLE. Natives of Holland, and of a pure black and white color, they have been fre- quently described as peculiarly marked Holstein-Friesians. It must be remembered, however, that no matter how closely these two Dutch races of cattle may have been related at first, they are now justly recognized as pure and distinct breeds. The original name of the Dutch-Belted cattle, and the one still used in Holland is " Lakenfield " cattle — the name having reference to the peculiar white belt or sheet passing completely around the bodv. From the first volume of the Dutch-Belted Cattle Herd Book, we quote : " Their breeding dates back to beyond tlie ITth century ;" And again : "These cattle were solely controlled b_v the nobility of Holland, and they are to the present time keeping them pure, but are not inclined to part with them." A fact ^vhich mav account for the comparatix elv small number found at present in America. The peculiar color markings of these cattle show an attainment in the science of breeding, really wonderftd. Prof. Low attributes the first appearance of the belted marking to a cross between two fixed original breeds of opposite color, and this theory is doubtless correct; but to found a breed which will transmit such peculiar points with certainty — as do the Dutch-Belted cattle — was a task, the magnitude of which is only excelled by the results attained. Among the first importers to America were D. H. Haight, of Goshen, N. Y. — who made the first importation to the L^nited States in 1838; W. R. Coleman, and P. T. Barnum — the Nation's Showman. Mr. Barnum says: " They struck my fancy in Holland. I imported them and found their unique and singular appearance not their best recommendation, for they are excellent milkers." DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, as ahead}' mentioned, jet black \\ith a broad band or " belt " of purest white jDassing completely around the body. The milk outline is beautifully shown in long head; fine, rather thin neck — well arched in the bull, but still fine at head; small horns; wide chest; straight back; broad, level hips; deep quarters, and square well-placed udder. In size thev are somewhat above medium — mature cows weighing from 900 to 1200 lbs.; and bulls from 1(500 to 2000 lbs. They are strong and vigorous, usually kind and docile indisposition; and ti^ansmit, with great certain- ty, all their original qualities. In addition to the above we give the following standard description, combined with Scale of Points, which has been formally adopted bv the Dutch-Belted Cattle Association of America: DUTCII-HKI.TED CATTLE. 100 DUTCH-BELTED CATTLE. COWS. BULLS. 8 Color 8 (Bodj color black, with a clearly defined continuous white belt. The belt to be of medium width, beginning behind the shoulder and ex- tending nearly to the hips.) 6 Head 6 (Comparatively long and somewhat dishing — broad between the eyes ; poll prominent; muzzle fine; dark tongue.) 4 Eyes and Horns 4 (Eyes black, full and mild; horns, long compared with their diameter.) fi Neck 6 (Fine and moderately thin, and should harmonize in symmetry with the neck and shoulders.) 4 Shoulders 9 (Fine at the top, becoming deep and broad as they extend backward and downward, with a low chest.) 10 Barrel 10 (Large and deep, with well developed abdomen; ribs well rounded and free from fat.) 10 Hips 10 (Broad, with level chine and full loin.) 6 Rump 6 (High, long and broad.) 8 Hindquarters 8 (Long and deep, rear line incurving; tail long, thin, tapering to a full switch.) 3 Legs 3 (Short, clean, standing well apart.) 20 Udder (Large, well developed front and rear; teats of convenient size and wide apart; mammary veins large, long and crooked, entering large orifices.) Rudimentary teats 10 (Size and wide-spread placing.) 2 Escutcheon 2 8 Hair and Skin 3 (Fine and soft; skin of moderate thickness, of a rich dark or yellow color.) 4 Disposition 4 (Quiet; animal free from excessive fat.) fi General condition and constitution. . 6 100 Perfection 100 They are a dairy breed, the cows producing a large quantity of milk, which is above the average in butter content. For beef they are fair, standing fully equal to other dairy breeds in this respect. Our illustrations are from the herd of -Mr. H. B. Richards — the genial secretary of the societj' and editor of the " Dutch-Belted Cattle Herd Book " — and are excellent portraits of his celebrated cow, Lady Aldine, and the bull, Edward the Great, now owned, we believe, in Illinois. r)U I'C 1 1- li E I.TK I> C A TTLE. 101 102 AMERICAN HOLDERNESS. CHAPTER XXIII. AMERICAN HOLDERNESS. The origin and history of this breed are fraught with singuhir interest as illus- trating the peculiar methods used by breeders in fixing type. Some fifty or sixty years ago, Mr. Truman A. Cole, of Solsville, N. Y., pur- chased a cow of imported stock called "Holderness" — originally from the West Riding of Yorkshire, England; she was red and white in color, of large size, an ex- cellent milker, and was at the time in calf by a bull of the same breed. Her offspring proved to be a male ; when this calf was a yearling, he was bred to his own mother, the result being a heifer calf, which was afterwards bred to the same bull. To put the history of their improvement in a nutshell : Mr. Cole has continually and closely in-bred, never admitting a single drop of outside blood until he has produced a breed thoroughly fixed in type, and accurately transmitting even the least of its distinguish- ing qualities. A remarkable change has taken place in their color markings as seen from the following DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN HOLDERNESS: When first dropped, the sides, neck and head are reddish brown; as they increase in age this color changes to a dark brown or jet black, while the white lines on back and belly remain unchanged from birth. The legs correspond in color with the sides, except at the belly line, where a white band is thrown across, presenting a novel and attractive design. (This change from the former Shorthorn colors of the Yorkshire cattle, can only be accounted for by assuming that the close incestuous breeding prac- ticed by Mr. Cole, has caused them to revert to the colors of their original Dutch ancestry.) In size thev are nearly equal to the Holstein-Friesians; and in outline also very similar. The head is neat, close-fleshed, long in the cow and shorter in the bull ; horns short and curving forward ; neck fine at head — in the bull arching — and well set on at shoulders; back keeping up an even, straight line from the shoulders to the drop of the tail; flanks deep, udder large, broad, well forward, with good-sized teats, placed evenly and wide apart. The)' are emphatically a dairy breed, as illustrated by the fact that nineteen cows of Mr. Cole's herd — two years old and upwards — actually made 5,860 lbs. of butter during the season of 1879 — an average of a little over 308 pounds of butter to each cow. Mr. Cole states that he could easily have brought up the average to 350 pounds, if he had not raised the calves. While not equaling the Holstein-Friesians in quantity of milk, they are said to excel them in richness of product for butter. Their beef AMKKICAN IIOI,nEHNESS. 108 ^iLuU 104 AMERICAN HOI-DERNESS. AMKIUCAN II()I.ni;UNi;sS— liliOWN SWISS. 105 qualities are also good, and taUoii all in all, we predict for them a popular reception in strict keeping with their nieiits. They are by no means generally known; yet they have found a foothold in nearly all of the Northern States, and wherexer fomid are rapidly growing in favor. Our illustrations, better than any description, will give an excellent idea of their appearance. Mr. Cole's herd has become justly celebrated ; and by his skill and care- fulness, he has won for himself a most enviable reputation as a jjatient and ])ainstaking breeder, and as the ori"inator of the American Holderness Breed. CHAPTER XXrV. B R O \\' X S AA' I S S. The history of this breed may be given briefly by stating that it has been built up step by step from the common bovine ancestry of Switzerland and neighboring countries. Improvement has been effected almost solely by selection and light in-breeding, and is most noticeable in those districts or " Cantons" of Switzerland, like Schwytz, which are peopled by progressive, well-to-do farmers — men who have always taken a great pride in their cattle, and, prompted no doubt by local jealousies, have striven, each, to make his herd the best and purest of the race. IMPORTATION TO AMERICA: In the United States the Brown Swiss have been slow to find purchasers until within the last few years. The first importation was made by H. M. Clarke, of Bel- mont, Mass., about 1870, since ■which time several importations have been made, and the demand in the United States is now quite active. The Brown-Sw^iss Breeders' Association has been organized, and Volume I. of their record appeared in 1881. In the Eastern States this breed has already attained considerable prominence; while in the West and South it is little known. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, solid chestnut bronze, somewhat lighter at the back and belly line, and showing the same mealy ring at the muzzle, so well known as characteristic of the Jerseys. The hoofs, tongue, nose and switch of the tail are always black : while the light belly line extends more or less over the escutcheon and inner surface of the legs. In size they are above medium, mature bulls w'eighing from 1700 to 2100 lbs., and cows from 1100 to 1300 lbs. The head is large; horns short and waxy, with black tips; ears well covered inside with long, light-colored hair; neck short, witli rather heavy dewlap; legs short and straight, with wide thighs and deep quarters and; gen- eral outline shoxving the milk breed. The cows have excellent escutcheons, \vell formed udders, and give a good quantity of rich milk. Mr. N. S. Fish of Groton, lOH BROWN SWISS. BROWN SWISS BULL, SOL TEL, 20. Weight at 3 years, 1630 lbs.; property of Geo. W. Hakkis, Wethersfield, Conn. ^,v7 BROWN SWISS COW, FRANCES, 26. Property of N. S. Fish, Groton, Conn. HKOWN SWISS. 107 ^<\\\\iW.jm' 108 BROWX SWISS BRITTANY CATTLE. Ct., Secretary of the Association, writing nndcr date of Jnly lOtli, 1888, says of this breed : " * * ^ * While they will not give as rich milk for butter as the Jerseys, they will give a much larger tiiiantity of fine-flavored, rich milk; and on same feed give as much as the celebrated Holsteins; at least, such has been the experience of some who have had them under like circumstances." As to the ease with which they acclimate in the fever belt, we have as yet no information. The cattle are thrifty, mature early and promise to find abundant favor in the Western States for the dairy. The followingr Scale of Points has been adopted by the Brown Swiss Breeders Association : Head 2 Forward 43 Face 2 Legs 4 Ears 1 Tail 4 Nose 2 Hide 3 Eyes 1 Color 6 Horns 5 Fore-udder 10 Neck 4 Hind-udder 10 Chest 4 Teats 5 Back Milk-veins 4 Barrel 8 Escutcheon 7 HijDS 4 Disposition 4 Thighs 4 Forward 43 Perfection 100 In judging bulls and heifers, omit the points for Fore-udder, Hind-udder, and Teats, as given above; and in color thcv should be dark brown. Our illustrations — all originallv from photo's — may be accepted as accurate repre- sentations of the breed. CHAPTER XXV. BRITTANY CATTLE. From best authority obtainable, this breed of cattle has an origin much in com- mon with that of the Holstein-Friesian; difference in climate, soil and vegetation, having, through years of time, made the difference in size and in other respects as now observed. The breed is now said to be " native" to the five departments of France, which formerly made up the Province of Bretagne, and in support of the statement as to origin, it may be noted, that a considerable variation among the cattle, as to size and milking capacity, is found in the various localities of their native province. BRITTANY CATTLE. I01» ( -n W,!..'^*'* BRITTANY BULL. BRITTANY COW. 110 BRITTANV CATTLE KERRY CATTLE. A fuw have lu'cn imported to the United .States at varit)us times within the last decade, l)ut thev are bv no means generally known. Mr. W. B. Montgomery, of Starkville, Miss, (better known as a breeder of Jerseys) has a herd of 12 or 15 cows and two Imlls. ^^'riting to the author under date August 6th, ISSS, this gentleman says: "Thev are tlie hardiest of all the breeds of which I have any knowledge, and on scant pastur- age, and poor soil, will give better results in the butter dairy than any breed with which I am acquainted. On moderately fertile Land, and with proper care and attention, Jersey cattle are greatly to be preferred; but the Brittanies, on scant feed and on rough mountain lands, will prove superior to the Jersey." DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, clear black and white — almost exactly similar to that of the Holstein- Friesian the white showing a tendency to appear over shoulders and hips, and along the belly line; the membrane surrounding the tongue is always white — a mark which may be called a distinguishing characteristic of the breed. In size they are classed as small — about equal to the Jersey — mature bulls weigh- ing from 1000 to 1800 lbs.; cows from 650 to 950 lbs. The head and neck are fine, even delicate, with little or no dewlap. The horns small, always black at the tips, and sometimes black throughout, rather longer than Jersey horns, and approaching more nearly those of the Devon in curvature; the back is even, chest large, and haunch and buttock bones wide apart. The legs are well proportioned to size of body, hair fine and short, and skin mellow and of medium thickness. The Brittany cows are strictly dairy animals, giving a good quantity of rich milk, and are claimed to give a greater yield on scant grazing than cows of any other breed. Much allowance must be made for extra\agant claims of partisan breeders, yet we believe the Brittany breed ^vill find, in our districts of less fertility, ainple iaxor with those best qualified to judge. Our illustrations were reengraved by permission, from lithographs used by the Department of State in the recently issued Volume of Consular Reports on Cattle and Dairy Farming — and were originally from photographs taken in France. CHAPTER XXVI. KERRY CATTLE. This breed the only one of any prominence nati\e to Ireland — has of late years found its way to America, and is attracting considerable attention. In the volume of Consular Reports on Cattle and Dairy Farming, previously mentioned, Mr. Gumble- ton refers to the "Kerry Cattle, which are very pretty (small in size and black) and very good milkers." Mr. Richard Good says the Kerrys " are attracting more atten- tion than the\' did formerlv, owing to the case with which they are managed;" and KEURV CATTLE. Ill 112 KERRY CATTLE. that "they are particularly suited to mountainous districts, which would not properly feed Shorthorns." It may be here stated that the County of Kerry, whence they derive the name, is the most mountainous, as it is the most western, portion of the island. The Kerries form as nearly an aboriginal breed as possible, tracing back to the wild "Forest" stock, and showing the stages of improvement all through their history. Within the last three years, several small importations have been made to the United States: the largest of which we have any knowledge numbering 11 head, was made by Mr. Edward Kemp, of the well-known tirm of Lanham & Kemp, New York City, in 1886. Mr. Kemp is proprietor of the "Locust Farm," Rumsen Neck, New Jersey^ where his Kerries, Holstein-Friesians, and Hambletonians are now kept. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, black, but this is only a fashionable point of the last 10 or 15 years, so that black and white — "line backs" — and even reds are still found. Low, in 1842, described them as "generally black, with a white ridge along the spine;" he further says that a white streak along the belly was common, and other colors, such as brown, red and spotted, were met with. Breeders are now strictly adhering to the black coats, and will in time eliminate all other colors. In size, the Kerry cattle are small — mature bulls weighing 800 to 1100 lbs., and cows from 600 to 800 lbs. The head is small, with long clean muzzle and thin lips; eyes expressive; horns fine, short and white — "middle horns" — usually turning upward; neck, fine at head and well set on to deep but narrow shoulders; body gradu- ally deepens to the flank, but the riunp is narrow and the thighs light. The dewlap is rather scant, and the brisket small and close fleshed ; legs are neat and fine, but rather long, and the tail slender and dropping squarely. The hair is rather long and thick, but the skin is mellow with good handling properties. In general appearance, the Kerries are neat, small sized dairy animals, showing the typical milk wedge, and quiet disposition so essential to dairy excellence. They are bred exclusively for milk and their partisans claim for them an unriv- alled production on scanty hill or mountain ranges. To explain their dairy worth in more definite manner, we appropriate from the weekly edition of the National Live Stock yournal oi Chicago — issue of July 24th, 1888 — the following clipping, refer- ring to four Kerry cows, which were recently entered at The Royal Counties Show: "One of the four was reserve number and very highly commended, and another commended; moreover, it will be seen bv the following figures that the 'reserve' Kerry gave more butter in pro- portion to quantity of milk than even the first or second prize cows, though one of them was a Jersey. The first prize cow, a Shorthorn, gave 2 galls. 2 pints of milk, yielding 1 lb. 3K oz. butter; the second prize, a Jersey, gave 3 galls. 3% pints of milk, yielding 1 lb. 4 oz. butter; the Kerry very highly commended and reserve, gave 2 gallons of milk, yielding 1 lb. 1J4 oz. butter." Nothing is said as to conditions or food for the three cows inentioned, but we may reasonably infer that these points were made as nearly equal as possible. The Kerries are certainly hardy for more northern latitudes, but we can say nothing as to their acclimation in the South. The " Dexter " strain of Kerry cattle has been quite extensivelv fostered, and we mention briefly the points of difference; KKRHY CATTLE SHOIITHORNS Olt DUHUAMS. 113 it gets the name from that of its founder, who is supposed to have changed the type by selection. The head is coarser; horns thicker and more nearly straight; the body round and blocky and the legs short and thick. CHAPTER XXVII. SHORTHORNS OR DURHAMS. The origin of this valuable breed has alv\-ays been a subject of more or less dis- pute — ardent admirers of the Shorthorn claiming an almost unbroken line of pure descent, and improvement solely by careful selection, feeding and management; others, perhaps partisans of other breeds, claiming that whatever improvement has been made, and in fact, whatever excellence the breed might possess, has been brought about by judicious but stealthy crosses with superior individuals of other breeds. That there was a time when the Shorthorn ancestry were only native cattle, even the most earnest advocates of their purity must admit; but it is also true, that, if there have been any radical out-crosses since the breed became definitely known as such, they have been exceedingly stealthy ones. EARI.V HISTORY. Their probable history begins with the cattle of the mainland of Europe, in the provinces bordering on the Baltic and North Seas. These cattle possessed many of the qualities now claimed by Shorthorns — including color and size; but there was a general disposition toward excellence in milking qualities rather than the full, rounded, symmetrical, beef outline of a majority of modern Shorthorns as bred for range im- provement in the Western States. Prior to the Conquest of England by William of Normandy, the northern and eastern portion was occupied by Danes and other warlike races from the mainland: these people did not confine their operations to war and pillage alone; but, while holding the eastern coastline of the island, established a considerable trade in mer- chandise and agricultural products to and from the mainland. In this way, it is claimed, were the Shorthorn progenitors introduced into England; and what renders the claim more probable, is the fact, that the first Shorthorns were found in, and con- fined to, those counties or shires lying along the northern and eastern boundaries. improvement: As early as 1740, permanent records were kept bv the more careful breeders; and, according to Mr. Bates, there were fine Shorthorns upon the estate of the Earl of Northumberland as early as the year 1600. Mr. Millbank of Barningham, and Sir William St. Quintin of Scampston, were among the early noted breeders previous to 1750; but it was not until the Colling Bros, began raising them for profit, that the 114 SHORTHORNS OR DURHAMS. SIIORTIIOKNS OR DUHHAMS. 115 Shorthorns obtained anything like general notice or favor. They established them- selves about 1780 — Chas. Colling at Ketton and his brother Robert at Barmpton — both places near Darlington on the river Tees. While keeping their herds distinct, they worked more or less together, freely interchanging the use of their bulls. The method pursued by them was to select the best animals, male and female, that could be found among neighboring and even quite distant breeders, breed them together. Keeping up best conditions as to food and management, and carefully in-breed to fix the type. (By the term in-breeding, which we have frequently used, is meant the breeding together of animals more or less closely related ; the object being to perpet- uate certain characteristics, common to both parents in the offspring. While very valuable if carefully used, the principle of in-breeding is dangerous if carried to extremes, and should be used lightly unless by the most skillful breeders.) Early in their history (1780) Chas. Colling purchased, for $42.00, the bull Hubback; he proved a most excellent stock-getter, and now ranks as one of the most celebrated bulls in Shorthorn history. In 1810, Comet — the direct offspring of Bolinbroke and Phoenix, and a lineal descendant of Hubback — was sold for $5,000.00, showing to what extent these cattle had advanced both in merit and popular favor. After Colling Bros., in point of time, came Thos. and Richard Booth and Thomas Bates. These men secured their stock from Colling, but while Booth Bros, persisted in breeding for beef, and the full, rounded points so much admired for the butcher's block, Bates was carefully selecting and breeding with main reference to milking qualities: thus it happened that Shorthorn improvement was started in two parallel, but distinctly dif- ferent lines. From these two main lines of improvement, the tastes of different indi- viduals have given rise to numberless "strains" or "families" all having the same general characteristics, but differing in color, beef and milk qualities, or other par- ticulars. EARLY IMPORTATION INTO THE UNITED STATES: It is probable that importations were made very soon after the close of the Revol- utionary War with England, as cattle answering the description of Shorthorns were found in Virginia as early as 1790, and in 1797 some of these cattle were taken across the line to Kentucky by a Mr. Patton, soon becoming quite well-known as the " Patton Stock." Authentic importations were made direct from England by Mr. Cox in 1816; by Col. Lewis Sanders and Brutus J. Clay, both of Kentucky, in 1817; and from this time on importations on a small scale were quite frequent. In 1834-5-6, Shorthorns were brought over in considerable numbers by a company made up for this purpose among breeders in the Scioto Valley in Ohio, and acting through an agent who was supplied with almost unlimited funds. The first introduction of the celebrated Duchess strain was made about 1840, by a Mr. Vail of Troy, N. Y., who secured a bull and a heifer direct from the herd of Thos. Bates. Among the earlier noted breeders in America, we may mention Samuel Thorne of Thornedale, N. Y., and R. J. Alexander of Kentucky — the latter a Scotch nobleman, who purchased the 'Voodburn estate of 3,000 acres, and used his annual income of $80,000.00 to establish .;nd maintain a model American herd of Shorthorn'. 116 SHORTHORNS OR DURHAMS. SIIOIJTIIOUNS on DUUHAMS. 11' 118 SHORTHORNS OR DUKIIAMS. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS : Widely varying in color, we find almost all markings except black, brown and brindled; in some families pure, deep, cherry red, in others snowy white, and between these two extremes are red and white in all grades as to size and arrangement of spots — red-roan, white-roan, roan and white, and speckled or "turkey" roan. In size the Shorthorn ranks among the largest of known breeds, bulls of mature age ranging from 1900 to 2300 lbs.; and cows from 1200 to 1600 lbs., with occasional individuals con- siderably exceeding these figures. The general form is square, with well filled points, straight back, keeping the line even and well up at the rump; quarters deep and full, but not bulging; ribs well sprung, giving a wide back and rounded barrel; muzzle clear orange yellow (in some families, light drab); wide, open nostrils, and rather thin fleshed lips; eyes clear, bright, and surrounded by rings of orange colored flesh; horns clear or cream-flecked, short, and usually curving inward; ears thin and delicate, showing clear orange wax; neck short and fine in the cow — in the bull heavy and rising with age; back, level; loin, full; buttocks, wide apart; tail, small just above the brush; brisket, wide and full; and legs close, fine boned, and well proportioned to size of body. The Shorthorns are, emphatically, general purpose animals; although, perhaps, the majority of breeders persist in classing them with the purely beef breeds. When selected and bred for milk, they are exceedingly valuable as dairy stock, but it must be admitted that the general tendency to breed and feed for show has greatly increased their beef capacity at the expense of milking qualities. In some of the strains or fam- ilies — as notably the Princess or Duchess strains — the dairy features have been care- fully preserved, and even among the most pronounced beef families, an occasional excellent dairy cow will be found. The American Shorthorn Breeders' Association (J. H. Pickrell of Chicago, Secretary,) has never adopted any standard Scale of Points for the animal. Their adaptability seems not so great as that of some other breeds; they find their most con- genial home, and give best returns for investment, in latitudes of the more central and Northern United States. In the Southern States — comprising what is known as the "fever belt" — they have not proven easy to acclimate, averaging a high per- centage of mortality when brought into this region. Good animals, old enough for service, and recorded in the American Herd Book, can be obtained at from $100.00 to $200.00 of any responsible breeder. The individuals so well represented by our illustrations, need no introduction to any one familiar with Shorthorns. They are representative animals of the strains to which they belong, and their breeders are men of unquestioned integrity. Mr. Scott — the owner of Prince William — in a recent letter to the author, gives a good natured thrust at those southern cattlemen who have persistently bred inferior cattle. He says (referring to the engraving of Prince William): " Hope it will fill the expectations of your readers, and teach the people of the Southern States what cattle ought to look like, and stimulate them to a better effort." We should be pleased to have Mr. Scott visit the Texas State Fair and inspect the large exhibit of Texas-bred stock of Shorthorn and other breeds. He will find SIIOKTIIOKNS oil Dimi A.MS. iiy 120 SHORTHORNS OR DURHAMS RED-POLLED CATTLE. that Western breeders no longer have a monopoly in the fine stock business, and that many herds in the South compare very favorably with the best to which he is accus- tomed — not even excepting his own magnificent bull, Prince William. (We should, perhaps, chronicle the fact that there is also a polled variety of Durham, which the dehorning mania is strongly stimulating — the two varieties seem to be the same in all respects save horns.) CHAPTER XXVIII. RED-POLLED CATTLE. The Red-Polls, while tracing their history well back into the last century, have onlv recently attracted any considerable attention. Their origin is somewhat clouded in obscurity. Suffolk County, England, had from very early times a breed of polled cattle, and it is more than probable that this Suffolk breed had much to do with moulding the type of, and dehorning, the Norfolk breed, which was the first to attract attention from outside parties. From their general resemblance to the Devons (ex- cepting horns) we would look for a common ancestry somewhere in the early history of the breeds. Marshall, in his Rural Economy of Norfolk, states that the breed of Norfolk, about 1780, was a " Herefordshire breed in miniature," and that the color was "blood-red, with a white or mottled face." He further traces the changes of the breed, by crosses with Suffolk bulls, stating in substance, that size was increased and form improved. To trace the origin further, it would be necessary to go back of the old polled Suffolk breed, and bring up the question as to how the various breeds of hornless cattle were established in their peculiar feature. We need only say in this connection that polled animals were found in most portions of the British Island from time immemorial. According to Youatt, there seem to have been two distinct breeds of aboriginal cattle, occupying the central and northern portions of the British Island ; one of these had medium horns, while the other had none; from the first were prob- ably produced the Devons, Herefords, Sussex and West Highland cattle; while as a continuation of the second, we have now the Galloways, Angus and Suffolk and Norfolk Reds — the latter now collectively called Red-Polls. Improvement of the breed has been steadily carried forward — the Suffolks dehorn- ing, while the Norfolks were firmly fixing the blood red color mentioned by Marshall — and both breeds coming gradually nearer a common standard, until about the middle of the present century, breeders from both counties began to meet in honest compe- tition, and select their breeding animals with reference to perpetuating the red color and the hornless trait. In 1874, Mr. H. F. Euren, of Norwich, succeeded in establishing the English Red-Polled Herd Book, and through the stimulus thus applied, these cattle have since been making rapid strides toward perfection. In 1883, the American Red-Polled Cattle Society ( J. C. Murray, of Maquoketa, Iowa, Sec- REI)-rOLI,EI) CATTLE. 121 122 RED-POLLED CATTLE. retaiy,) was organized, and two volumes of the Herd Book have aheady appeared. The first importation was made in 1873 by G. F. Taber, Patterson, N. Y., since which time many have been brought in, and more bred, until we have in the United States at present writing some 800 or 900 head. DESCRIl'TION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, a deep rich red, with only the brush of the tail white, occasionally white on the udder in cows, but this, while not regarded as an absolute disqualification, is not favored. Size, above medium, mature bulls weighing from 1700 to 2100 lbs., and cows from 1100 to 1400 lbs. The head is neat, with a tuft of hair curling over the narrow frontal points, and a light colored, clear cut muzzle. The neck is clean and fine, with little dewlap; ribs springing — not broadly arched — but filling the demand for rounded outline of barrel; legs clean, fine and short. In the cow the udder should be large, but not meaty — when empty it should hang in creases or folds; milk veins should be prominent and knotted or puffed. It must be confessed, that most of the modern breeders of Red-Polls have been too intent on securing size and beauty of contour to preserve, as carefully as they should, the really valuable dairy qualities of the breed. If a change be not made in this direction, we shall soon be compelled to say of them, as we might now say of the Shorthorns — originally excellent dairy stock, but greatly injured by the pernicious custom of feeding highly for the show ring. Red-Polls are, in general appearance, hornless Devons (see also illustrations) and they are bred and advertised as general purpose cattle. They are claimed, and we think fairly, to be the rivals of the Shorthorns for general use in the western United States. As to their adaptability in the fever belt of the South, we cannot speak to a certainty, from the fact of there having been so few importations to this region. They are quiet, good feeders, easy to handle and ship, and — as all must admit — attractive in color and form. If the Red-Polls are carefully bred, we may expect to see them grow rapidly in public favor, and secure on their merits high rank as a combined milk and beef breed. In view of the present dehorning craze — and believing it too early to express a settled opinion as to the utility of the practice^we may be pardoned for saying, that among the bulls of the established polled breeds now in America, the advocates of dehorning will certainly find more formidable rivals than have hitherto appeared in print. RED-POLLED CATTLE. 123 f'^S 124 DEVONS. CHAPTER XXIX. DEVONS. Lying south of the Bristol Channel, on the Map of England, may be found the county or shire of Devon; much of its physical geography, as also that of the county adjoining it on the west, Cornwall, presents characteristics strikingly similar to that of Wales — indeed the people of these lower western counties weie as safe from Roman incursions behind the vast forests which covered the alluvial deposits of lower England as were the people of Wales in their rugged mountain fastnesses. As a result of this immunity from invasion, the wild or "White Forest" bree'd of cattle described by Low increased greatly in numbers, and, in the counties named, became more or less subject to partial domestication. In Wales, we have at present, the North Wales and Pembroke breeds as undoubted descendants of these wild cattle; and in the shire of Devon, occupying more especially its northern slope, has existed for generations the ancestry of the Devon breed— familiarly known in England as the "North Devons" to distinguish them, from the cattle occupying the low lands of Devon and the counties to the east. That the breed is of remarkably pure descent is attested by the wonderful impressive- ness in marking offspring. Surely no breed of modern improved cattle has a better claim to be called aboriginal than this. As their merits became known, they were gradually distributed to other and more northern counties, and the demand thus found to exist induced a more systematic effort toward improvement. Within the present century their size has been increased, beef capacity improved, and milking qualities especially advanced. The Earl of Leicester was among the most noted of early English breeders, followed by Lord Somerville and Lord Western, who were not only breeders but did much, also, to improve the quality of the animals bred. Their introduction to America dates from a very early period — a few head of what were undoubtedly Devons being brought over in the ship Charity (1623) for a Mr. Winslow of Massachusetts; in 1817, however, probably the first authentic impor- tation of pure bred improved Devons was made by a Mr. Patterson of Baltimore, direct from the herd of the Earl of Leicester (at that time Mr. Coke of Holkham). The next year (1818) a few were imported to Long Island from Mr. Coke's herd. Other importations were made from time to time, notably in 1836, by Mr. Vernon of New York State, and in 1853 by L. G. Morris also of New York. Since that time, the Devons have been widely distributed throughout the United States, and have taken a settled place among the popular breeds of the country. DESCRIPTION OF MODERN IMPROVED DEVON: Color, a rich, deep red throughout, except a central tuft of long white hair in the 125 126 DEV'ONS. brush of the tail, and a white spot on the udder in cows, and about the purse in bulls. Upper line almost perfectly straight from the head to the tail; in the bull, the neck is of course somewhat arched above this level. The head is neat and trim, rather long in the cow but short and masculine in the bull, and well pointed to a bright flesh colored muzzle; eyes prominent, bright, wide apart, and encircled by ring of flesh-colored skin ; horns rather long, slender, curving outward, forward and upward, waxy clear at base, and tapering to almost needle-like points of darker shade. The ear is sprightly; neck small at head, without dewlap, and full and broad at the should- ers; forequarters wide apart, showing good lung power, and slanting well back, a feature in strict keeping with their well-known activity. The barrel is round and close-muscled; loins even; hips square; rump smooth; taillong, slender, and invariably tipped with white; flank, low cut; brisket deep, and legs short, straight and clean fleshed. We believe the above to be a just and fair description of the breed as now known in the United States, and to show the improvement which has taken place, we quote the following from Low's Domestic Animals of Great Britain (previously quoted), published 1842: "Although the Devon ox presents a symmetry of parts which pleases the eye, yet his form is not precisely what the breeder seeks for in an animal destined to fatten quickly and arrive at great weight. His neck is too long, his chest too narrow, his sides are too flat, his limbs are too long in roportion to his tcdy ; or, in other words, his body is too small in proportion to his height. The Devon ox is a kindly enough feeder, but he requires good pasture, and a somewhat favorable climate, and could barely subsist on food which would suffice to fatten some of the hardier mountain breeds of nearly his own size." The following scale of points adopted by the American Devon Cattle Club (F. W. Reed of Zanesville, Ohio, Secretar}'), is now in general use: cows. BULLS. 8 Head 10 Cheek 2 4 Neck 4 4 Shoulder- 6 8 Chest 10 S Ribs 10 IC) Back 20 8 Hind Quarters 12 20 Udder 2 Tail 2 4 Legs 4 8 Skin 8 2 Size 4 8 General appearance 8 100 Perfection 100 CHARACTERISTICS : Probably the most prominent trait of the Devon is his sprightly energy. In the early days of the present century, when the feitile prairies of the Great West held DEVONS. 127 their virgin soil unbroken, the farmers of New England found abundant exercise in removing the stones, stumps and saw logs with which their land was covered. For this purpose oxen were employed almost exclusively, and the grades from those early imported Devons were eagerly sought. The writer has in mind an amusing incident related by his father concerning a yoke of grade Devon steers, which, for two good miles, in response to the fun-loving spirit of their youthful driver, succeeded in keep- ing behind them a span of fine carriage horses belonging to a neighbor, and driven by the neighbor's son. As work oxen, the Devons have no superior in the world; they lack, perhaps, the weight necessary to move enormous loads, but their remarkable quickness, combined with an intelligent observance of the driver's will, make them invaluable for work of certain kinds. For beef, little recommendation is needed; the improvement of the breed has, with many breeders, been almost entirely in this direction. Allen, in his valuable treatise on American Cattle (previously quoted), after speaking of the excel- lent milk qualities of the cows in a herd of Devons owned by him, says: " It is bvit fair to say, however, that after we commenced crossing our cows with bulls of later importation, some 15 years after the commencement of the herd, the large milkers were not so numerous, although the cattle from these crosses were somewhat finer. The bulls we used were apparently bred from stocks highly improved with an effort more to develop their feeding properties than for the dairy." We are glad to note that not all of our Devon breeders have followed these points so closely as to lose sight of the capabilities of the breed for dairy purposes; and, in this connection, quote the following from the report of Wm. Brown, Professor of Agriculture in the Ontario (Canada) Agricultural College, for ISSC): " Of this distinctly intermediate class of cattle (Devons), milk and beef combination, we have DEVON COW, DAMSEL, 3749. Property of Edward D. Hicks, Xushvillc. Tenn. 128 DEVONS — LONGHORNS. to repeat the observation that none can make better calves, few so content and hardv, and but one richer in dairy product. The Devon has not held the world's patronage because of undersize, and possiblv also, of moderation in maturing and milk quantity, but it is difficult to conceive of a more desirable cow on upland rangy pastures for the butter factory." The Devons are probably as nearly general purpose animals as may be found among the present known breeds: in size they are medium — bulls when matured weighing from 1200 to 1000 lbs., and cows from 900 to 1100 lbs. One thing more ■we must notice — their introduction into the Southern States. In Mr. Allen's work, the author intimates that the Devon acclimates unusually well in the South. We cannot agree with him; information from various portions of the South, has shown a high proportion of mortality among Devons brought from the North, only one breed — Shorthorns — showing a greater average percent, of loss. To counterbalance this, however, it is a well-known fact that the Devons when acclimated will thrive and keep in good condition on scant pasture where many other improved breeds would starve to death. This high percent, of mortality in acclimating Devons, may be due to the unnatural forcing which the breed has undergone of late years in the hands of unskillful breeders, as it is well-known among successful importers of northern cattle, that the introduction of overfed or pampered stock from the North is apt to result fatally to both profits and cattle. There are now a goodly numlier of fine herds of Devons in the South, ?,nd their certain increase, both in numbers and favor, is fast becoming an accomplished fact. CHAPTER XXX. LONGHORNS. These cattle, so little known at present in the United States, have their origin in the district of Craven, England; probably the Irish Longhorns, mentioned by Youatt, ■were identical with the English breed, and for many years were bred in parallel lines. When Bakewell (see also Leicester sheep) took hold of the breed, he found it already somewhat improved, but there can be no doubt that a large proportion of -svhatever merit or popularity the English Longhorns once possessed was due to his •wonderful skill as a breeder. His methods were kept secret, and his ability considered •extraordinary; but, to state the case plainly, we have no doubt that many of our modern improvers and breeders possess just as much ability, and are producing just as great results. Concerning their importation to America, we can say little. A few head were imported into Kentucky as early as 1817, but they were crossed with the Shorthorns and soon lost sight of. We know of but one other importation, although several are said to have been made at different times. In 1872 or 3, the writer attended the Iowa State Fair, then held at Cedar Rapids, in Linn County; there was exhibited a herd of some four or five cows and a bull of the genuine English Longhorns; they LONGIIORN; 129 ■= z is 3Q CO E ■'-54 130 LONGHORNS NORMANDIE CATTLE. were marked somewhat similar to the modern Hereford, with white faces and lined backs and bellies; their sides, however, were of a dun or light red, almost a yellow, and on one or two individuals patches of brindle and roan were visible. We do not remember the name of the exhibitor, nor have we since been able to locate the herd. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: We describe as we remember them, and find that our observations agree with the description given by Allen (American Cattle). Size equal to Shorthorn or Here- ford; color dun or yellowish fawn, sometimes red, brindled or roan, with frequently white faces and white lines on back and belly. Their distinguishing feature lies in the peculiar horns, which are long, ungraceful, curving forward and downward, some- times crossing under the jaws, and frequently requiring amputation to jjrevent a threatened puncture of the muzzle. They were claimed to be general purpose animals, but with especial tendency to milk, and were exhibited as would-be rivals of the Shorthorns — at that time in the height of popular favor. Their general appearance was very like the description given of the earlier unimproved Herefords, and this with the similarity in their mark- ings, would lead us to suppose, that they may have originally sprung from the same channel. Our illustration was re-engraved by permission expressly for this purpose, from a lithograph made for the Department of State, and was originally from a photograph. CHAPTER XXXI. NORMANDIE CATTLE. From the report of United States Consul Williams, of Rouen, we clip the following : "The origin of the Norman breed seems unknown; in fact, has never been traced. It is con- sidered that the nature of the soil has produced the breed. It seems to have changed very little in the last century and is very remarkable. The center of production of this fine breed is comprised in the departments of Eure, Manche, Calvados and Orne." The above, while not very definite information, is the best we have been able to obtain regarding the origin of Normandie cattle. As the breed grows in favor, doubtless some one will be encouraged to more extended — and, we trust, more suc- cessful — search for their early history. Improvement has been slow but constant, and has been brought about by care in selection and management. Attempts to improve the breed have been made by crossing with Shorthorn or Durham blood, resulting — as might be expected — in a more rounded contour, but decreasing at the same time the milking value and fixed- ness of type: in fact, producing that most unreliable of all animals for breeding pur- NORMANDIE CATTLE. I 1^1 132 XORMAXDIE CATTLE. --a » -^ . 'Iv^'j 'i^- - XOUMAXDIE CATTLE NOKTII WALES BLACK CATTLK. 133 poses — a cross. Ft)r liccf thu Noniiandic is uiidoiihtudU inipio\ cd li\ tlic use of bulls of any of our best beef breeds; but when we say this, we li:i\e neither added to the claims of one, nor detracted from the merits of the other. Importations to the United States have been few, and only durinj;^ recent years. The first of which we have any knowledge was made in 1885, by Mr. J. C. Duncan, of Normal, 111. Regarding; this importation, Mr. Levi Dillon writes under date August 29th, 1887: "* * * * He [Mr. Duncan] imported from France two vears ago, one Normandie bull and one Normandie cow; tliey are registered, botli recorded in France. Tliej are brindle in color, and are noted for their great milking qualities as well as for their beef qualities. Thev are said to be the equal of the Jerseys as milkers, and ihe equal of the Shorthorns as beef cattle. I am not a cattle man, but our leading cattle men here speak highly of these cattle. * * * * Combining, as they do, the good qualities of the Jersey and the yhorthorn, I believe they are the coming cattle of this country." Another small importation was made to New York Citv in ISSC), and one to Chicopee, Mass., in 1887. Probably others have been made of which we are not aware. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, brown, roan and red or spotted — varying considerablv as to marking, but never failing to preserve the brown stripes peculiar to the breed, which have earned for them the term " brindled." The head is long and coarse, with large mouth — fit emblem of an enormous appetite. The horn is irregular, commonh- twisted and curved toward the forehead ; the body long, and deep at the flank, with rather narrow hind parts, showing an escutcheon well marked for milk. The legs are short and the skin rather thick and heavy. The Normandie cow is classed as a combined milk and beef animal, with ten- dency more towards milking excellence, especially in the Cotentine strain of Nor- mandies. In size they rank with the large breeds, mature bulls weighing from 1800 to 2200 lbs., cows from 1100 to 1500 lbs. The illustrations were re-engraved by permission from lithographs made for the Department of State, and were originally from photographs taken in France. CHAPTER XXXII. NORTH WALES BLACK CATTLE. ( ANGLESEA. ) As a separate and distinct breed, this race of cattle has received attention only of late j'ears. Descended from the same original stock (^the wild Forest breed of Wales and West England) as are the Pembrokes or Castle Martins of South Wales, and partaking largely of the same general appearance, they yet show decidedh" different characteristics, which, by right, stamp them as a separate breed. 134 NORTH WALES BLACK CATTLE. NOKTir \VAi.i;s m.ACK CAiri 135 136 NORTH WALES BLACK CATTLE. Of the gentlemen in Wales who have been so actively advancing the interests of Anglesea cattle, we can make only brief mention — they well deserve more extended notice. Col. Henry Piatt, of Gorddinogg, Bangor; Lord Harlech of Glyn Hall, Talsarnau; R. B. Smith, Esq., of Tjnewydd, Bangor, and the Editor and Honor- ary Secretary (now deceased) of the Association, Wm. A. Dew, have been among the most active workers. Only one importation of which we are aware, has been made to America. In 1885, Mr. T- B. Warren, of Larchwood, la., imported 13 head for the Larchwood Estate. Answering our inquiries, under date Sept. 12th, 1887, this gentleman says: " We have had our herd for the last 18 months, and are prepared to say, that they are a very large breed, quite as large as the Shorthorns, and much hardier. They are excellent millters, are very docile and thrifty. Last winter most of our cows ran out until the middle of January, and were at that time in much better condition than the natives." f( DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, black, with, occasionally, white about the udder in cows and the scrotum in bulls: all other spots of white while not necessarily a mark of impurity, are dis- couraged, and \\il] soon no doubt be known only as an occasional reversion. The hair is long, fine and wavv; head rather large; neck medium; quarters full, and general outline approaching very nearly that of the Devons. In size they are classed with the larger breeds, mature bulls weighing from 1800 to 2200 lbs., and cows from 1100 to 1500 lbs. The Earl of Cawdor, whose answer is published in a report to the Department of State, goes still higher and places the " live weight of the bulls 24 cwt.; oxen, 22 cwt.; cows, 18 cwt." The horns of the North Wales cattle are middle sized, long, and yellowish with darker tips; the legs are short, and waste por- tions of the body generally are reduced to a low percentage. Their dairy qualities on an average are counted good — an ordinary herd yielding annually from 125 to 150 pounds of butter to the cow; and occasional herds are found which considerably exceed these figures. The partisans of the breed claim for them a I'ank equal to the highest as a com- bined milk and beef breed; we are willing to file the claim, and shall give them ample time to prove it. The establishment of the North Wales Black Cattle Herd Book — the first volume of which appeared in 1883, and the second volume in 1886 — will doubtless do much toward improxing and keeping pure this really valuable breed of stock. CHAPTER XXXIII. PEMBROKE CATTLE. ("CASTLE MARTINS," OR BLACK CATTLE OF SOUTH W.\LES.) Although there are no Pembrokes in the United States at present writing, we have thought best to insert the chapter on account of the close relationship between this breed and the Black Cattle of North Wales — discussed in the preceding chapter. I'lCMHUoKic LArri.K 11 i;ui;i()iii>s. 187 liitil within a score of v<-'ars, the l'cml)roke hreeci has included all of the bhick mountain cattle of Wales. From the report of the Hon. .Stephen 15. Packard, United States Consul at Liverpool, we quote: "There are two breeds of cattle in Wales. The North Wales breed [see Nortli Wales Black Cattle] is found in greatest perfection in Angleseaand Caernarvonshire. The South Wales breed was called "Castle Martin," and the animals are very big, large boned and coarse, but they are not in favor in the north of the Principality. * * * * Both breeds are black, producing occasionally specimens dun colored and red. Characteristic points require that bulls should have white testicles and the cows white udders."' Rejj^ardinfj their orii^in it is onlv necessary to sa\ , that the\' are sujjposed to he directly descended from the Has primigeiiius^ and are hence allied to the \\ ild '• For- est" breed — still preseryetl in Chillingham Park, the I)e\ nns, and still mure closely to their new riyals, the Ulack Cattle of North Wales. DKSCKIPTION .\M) C II A H .VCTERISTICS : Color, hlack, with tlie white marks already mentioned. As compared with the Xorth Wales breed, they haye shorter hair, lighter hind parts, narrower shoulders, and coarser bones. The best specimens of each breed would bear a really close inspec- tion to decide between them on merit alone; but it is now full\ admitted that a much larger number of the North Wales cattle answer the retiuirements of an imjjroxed modern breed. The particular characteristics claimed for the Pembrokes, are hardiness, dairy qualities and aptitude to range well. They cannot be said to bear forced feeding, but for rough grazing they would doubtless find much fa\or upon our \vestern ranges. As to their dairy qualities we confess to some degree of scepticism ; it does not seem reasonable that a breed reared under the rough " no care " conditions — which their breeders are careful to claim — can haye any very great tendency to large yields of milk. Their flesh is said to be as good as any, and the oxen are docile, easily trained, and make strong active teams. The first volume of the Herd Book appeared in 1874, and since that time inipi(i\e- ment of the lireed has taken a more decided and systematic turn. CHAPTER XXXIV. HEREFORDS. There is much to be said of the Hereford cattle, as they existed in Herefordshire, and adjoining counties, England; and also of the cattle of Wales. Previous to the time of Tomkins, the cattle of these districts had a reputation for the best of quality, and were of uniform character — varying in size according to elevation and fertility of the range. It was from cattle of this uniform character that the Hereford breed had its origin. 138 HEREFORDS. The more reliable records place Mr. Benj. Tomkins as the improver, if not the founder, of the breed. Mr. Tomkins was born in 1745, at the Court House Canon Pyon, and began farming at Black Hall, King's Pyon, 1766 — then in his 21st year; he afterward lived at Wellington and then at Brookhaven, King's Pyon, where he died in 1815. His herd was sold in 1S19, and brought (for breeding stock) as follows: 15 cows $11,245.00— an average of $ 750.00 'S 2-year old heifer'. 1,415 .00 2 1-year " .... 780.00 4 bulls 5,355.00 2 bull calves 1,810.00 460.00 . 390.00 . 1335.00 . 905.00 .$ 792.00 Total, 26 animals $20,605.00 Mr. Tomkins came from a line of ancestors who were prominent men of the county of Hereford as cattle breeders, and many of them prominent men of the nation. He pursued a steadily systematic course in his breeding, and stands, undoubtedly, as regards the history of the improvement of Hereford cattle in the west of England, as do the Colling Bros, in improvement of Shorthorn or Durham cattle in the east. Other noted breeders may be mentioned, among them such men as Yarmouth, Walker, Hoskyns, Penn, Jellicoe, Smith, Lord Talbot, Price, Sherif and others; but the blood of Tomkins' cattle was always found strongly diffused throughout their herds — as may be seen by consulting the Herd Book records. To show the recognized value of the Hereford breed for beef at that early day, we give the following prices of cattle sold by Mr. Westcar, and obtained from his books by Mr. Smythies of Marlow. The figures represent 20 Hereford oxen, selected from the entire record as each bringing a figure upwards of £100. Sales of 20 oxen from 1799 to 1811 — the average price of which was i"106 6s. or $530.00 each: 1779 Dec. 16th 2 oxen $200.00 1800 Dec. 4th 1 " 147.00 1800 Dec. 13th 1 ' 100.00 1801 Nov. 2(')th 6 " 630.00 1802 Nov. 26th 1 " 100.00 ...I " 126.00 ...2 " 200.00 ...1 " 100.00 . ..1 " 105.00 ...1 " ' 105.00 ...1 " 105.00 ...1 " 100.00 1811 Nov. 28th ] " 105.00 The Smithfield Club at London, Eng., held its first cattle show in 1799. The winner of the first prize was a Hereford ox, shown by Mr. Westcar, bred by Mr. Tull}', Huntington Court, Hereford, and for the first twenty years of this show Herefords won the first or champion prize for the best ox or steer exhibited. During 1802 Nov. 30th 1802 Dec. 4th 1803 Dec. 4ih 1803 Dec. 19th 1803 Dec. 29th 1804 Dec. 5th 1805 Dec. 4th HEREFORDS. 139 140 HEREFORDS. the years from about 1820 to 1834, there was a very warm contest carried on between the respective breeders of Herefords and Shorthorns as to the merits of the two breeds — a condition of things which has been kept up with more or less warmth ever since. (We cannot see why there should be such violent temper displayed by the respective champions of these two popular breeds. Each has a certain definite place in our midst, and it is no secret that any successful breeder is quite likely to regard his own success as a reflection of superior merit in the breed he handles. " Live and let live " is a pretty good motto, which both breeders of Herefords and Shorthorns would do well to heed.) Mr. Geo. T. Turner, writing to the National Live Stock Journal of Chicago, in 1880, says: "The Hereford bullock in London is quite a season animal, and comes only as a grass beast in the late summer and autumn, when it tops the market," And, we might add, the Hereford steer has held his own in this respect for more than 100 years. The Hereford Herd Book was first published in 1846 by Mr. T. C. Eyton — the second volume appearing in 1853. At this time, the markings of the breed were not as uniform as now, and Mr. Eyton classed them according to color as Mottle Faced, White Faced, Gray and Light Gray. In his preface to the second volume, Mr. Eyton says, that many breeders neglected to forward any account of their stock or pedigrees of their bulls, and that it is not his intention "to continue the work unless the breeders generally come forward to assist me more than they have done to the present time. I would willingly give my own time and trouble if I thought all would join in working out the truth, and afford the work sufficient patronage to cover its expenses." While some few of the breeders were willing to aid in the support of the work, the interest was not general enough to induce Mr. Eyton to continue his labors. In 1856, Mr. W. Styles Powell purchased the copyright, and published the first part of Volume III, containing 286 pedigrees. July 15th, 1857, a letter to the Herefordshire Agricultural Society was read, from Mr. Underwood, solicitor to Rev. W. Powell — uncle to W. S. Powell — stating that the cost of the Herd Book to his late nephew was j£"30; yet he was willing to place the work as it then stood in the hands of any gentleman recom- mended by the society on payment of £Vd. Mr. Powell's offer was accepted, and Mr. Thos. Duckham was requested to carry on the publication of the Herd Book. The conditions were that he should publish it annually, and that an entrance fee of one shilling (25 cts.) should be paid for each head of stock entered. Mr. Duckham proceeded to revise and reprint the portion of Volume III, adding a second part for bulls and a third part for cows with their produce; and in September, 1858, the revised volume was issued. In 1859 Volume IV appeared, with a list of 247 sub- scribers; and Volume V followed in 1862 with a list of 317. Mr. Duckham continued the work on his own responsibility until Volume IX was issued, when — March 5th, 1878 — the Hereford Herd Book Society was formed and the Society purchased the copyright, becoming responsible for its publication through an editing committee, of which Mr. Duckham was an active and influential member until his resignation which occurred about two years ago. Volume XVII of the Herd Book was issued last year (1887). UliHEI'OKDS. 141 142 HEREFORDS. While Mr. Duckham was editor and publisher, he gave a large portion of his time to advancement of Hereford interests; and the breeders of England and America owe much to him for the records and data that have been preserved to the breed. In Scotland, Ireland, Australia, South America, and the Island of Jamaica, Here- ford cattle are now well-known, and rank second to none in public favor for early and economic production of beef. IMPORTATION TO, AND BREEDING IN, THE UNITED STATES: The Hon. Henry Clay brought two bulls and two heifers to this country in 1817; one bull and the two heifers reached Kentucky and contributed to the improvement of beef cattle in that state. In 1824 Admiral Coffin brought to Massachusetts the Here- ford bull Sir Isaac. The bull was owned for several years by Isaac C. Bates of Northampton, Mass., and was used on the cows in that vicinity with the uniform tes- timony that for all purposes combined, his produce formed the best stock ever kept in that neighborhood. In 1839-40 a large number of Hereford cattle were imported by Mr. William Sotham of Albany, N. Y. They met with a good deal of favor, and were soon well distributed throughout the northeast portion of the United States. In 1851 Messrs. John Humphries and Thos. Ashton brought to Ohio two bulls and two heifers; and since 1879 there have been many importations, and some very large ones. They have gone into all parts of the country, and have uniformly become very popu- lar with all who have handled them. C. R. Thomas of Independence, Mo., is the present Secretary of the American Hereford Breeders' Association. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: In color the Hereford is a red of varying shade, generally dark with clear white face, white line — extending from head to tail in some specimens, in others abbreviated to merely a white mane, or what is even more fashionable at present, an oblong spot above and between the shoulders — white belly, white brush and white feet. The horns are medium to long, white, waxy and generally turning outward, forward and sometimes downward. In form they are blocky, square built, with rather short legs and all meat points full and rounded ; the tail drops squarely from rumps even and high; the quarters are heavy, muscular and low down on the hocks; the ribs well sprung, but rounded neatly to a long, deep barrel; the head and neck both short and close fleshed ; in fact the whole make-up of the animal indicates strongly the marked characteristic of the breed — beef. The Hereford is emphatically a beef or range animal, and while good milkers are occasionally met with among the cows, most of them do little more than raise wonderfully vigorous calves. The "white faces" have found considerable favor on the great cattle ranges of the Panhandle of Texas. In acclimating, they are well located as standing even with the Aberdeen-Angus, — about third on the list, — Holstein-Friesians and Galloways ranking first and second respectively. They are hardy, prepotent to a strong degree, and are classed with the largest of modern breeds, mature bulls weighing from 1900 to 2300 lbs., and cows from 1200 to 1600 lbs., with occasional animals exceeding these weights. IIKlJIilOltDS. 148 144 HEREFORDS— GALLOWAYS. Our illustrations faithfully represent animals that have contributed very largely to the success of the Hereford breed in America. Sir Charles, 543, was first secured about 1871 to head the since celebrated herd of Mr. T. L. Miller, Beecher, 111.; and not long after, Mr. Miller imported the cow Dolly Varden and her calf Success. Probably no other man in America has done so much to advance the interests of Hereford cattle as T. L. Miller. His latest great undertaking to push the white faces on irrigated lands in Arizona, for shipment by train loads to the large markets of the country, is an enterprise which, if successful, will rank as almost phenomenal; and that it will be successful is almost assured by the simple fact that Mr. Miller has undertaken it. CHAPTER XXXV. GALLOWAYS. These cattle derive their name from the province of Galloway, lying in the southwest portion of Scotland, to which locality they trace a long line of polled ances- try. The breed is among the oldest, authentic history carrying it back to the begin- ning of the Kith Century, and tradition asserting that their was never a time when Galloway cattle did not exist in their native province; moreover, the main distinguish- ing points of the breed were the same then as now, subject only to progressive change from careful selection and management. Improvement in the Galloway breed was largely stimulated by the extensive pur- chases of Scotch polled cattle by the English soon after the union of England and Scotland. The Scotch breeders knowing that the cattle sold were to travel on foot throughout the greater part of England, vied with each other in attempting to furnish the best animals. It is worthy of note that the improvement of the Galloway has been effected almost entirely by skillful selection, judicious feeding and careful man- agement — a fact which accounts, in fixedness of breeding, for their present remarkable prepotency. Although an old breed, the records date only from recent time, — all pedigrees and papers relating to the breed having been destroyed by fire at Edinburgh in 1851. From 1851 to 1878, they were recorded with the Angus and other polled stock in the Polled Herd Book; in 1878 Galloway breeders published separately the first volume of the Galloway Herd Book of Great Britain, and in 1883 appeared the first volume of the North American Galloway Herd Book — the register now used for American- bred Galloways. While black has always been the prevailing color, there were formerly many well bred individuals of other colors and one of the most apparent improvements, made by later breeders, has been to eliminate variety in color and reduce the breed to its present color standard, namely black — in winter with a brownish tinge. It must be AI.I.OWAVS. 145 146 GALLOWAYS. borne in mind, however, tliat this peculiarity still shows itself in an occasional rever- sion to dun or drab; and such animals, while inferior in selling value, are nevertheless as purely bred as the most sable of their kind. We have at this writing on the College Farm, a heifer — dropped in 1886, got by Admiral Good 1184, Am. G. H. B., out of Admiration 1186, Am. G. H. B, both black — which is a pure dun in color, but a typical Galloway in all other respects. DESCRIPTION OF THE GALLOWAY: No horns are admissible, not even scurs; they are emphatically a jDoUed or horn- less breed. The color should be black — in winter showing a brownish tinge from the fact that the long hairs turn brown at the extremities. The skin should be of medium thickness, but soft and pliable, and the hair long, soft and wavy, giving a silken shaggy appearance — with a soft thick coat of wool underneath. Coarse, straight, or closely curled hair is objectionable, especially when the mossy under-coat is wanting. The head should be short and wide between eyes, with full forehead and open nostrils; eyes large and prominent; ears medium sized — rather broad in proportion to length — pointing upward, fringed with long hair, and well provided, both inside and out, with a soft woolly covering; neck short, tapering finely in the cow, and becoming wonder- fully enlarged with age in the bull; quarters long, deep and fleshed well onto the leg; breast wide, brisket heavy, loin well filled and flank low. The body is round and long, back straight, tail thick, with a heavy brush, and legs short and very muscular. The Galloway, in brief, is a heavy bodied, short legged, hornless, black, beefy looking animal. No scale of points has yet been adopted for the breed. characteristics: The Gallowa\s arc mainlv a beef-producing cattle — their flesh finely marbled, sweet and juicy; in prcipcirtion of live weight, they dress remarkably well, averaging nearly 60 per cent., and frequently reaching as high as 65 or 66 per cent, of live weight. As range stock the\- have proven exceedingly \ aluable, being hardy, easily handled, close shippers, and ampl\- able to find their own food on any reasonable range. The late mania for dehorning, which we have mentioned, although advocated by breeders of horned cattle, must surely work to the advantage of all of the polled breeds, inasmuch as the average man will consider it much safer, more economical and much less cruel to remove the horns b\' using a naturalh- hornless bull. ( )ne of the prominent traits of (jalloway cattle is their prepotency when crossetl with other breeds — fully 80 per cent, of resulting offspring, being without horns. As to matur- ity, there is considerable difference of opinion, due, ^ve believe, to the fact that Gal- loways vary greatly in ages at which individual animals reach maturity ; as a rule we cannot say that they are early maturers — although perhaps comparing favorably with most of their ri\ als in this respect; neither do they as a rule attain so great weight as several of the other beef breeds — bulls weighing from 1700 to 2100 lbs., and cows from 1000 to 1400 ll>^., with occasional animals exceeding these figures. VVe believe there is truth in the following statement: Let a Gallo\va\- steer alone, and he will do what he can with credit to himself and profit to his owner; hut attempt to crowd him GALLOWAYS. 147 ■if iSi, 148 GALLOWAYS — AnERDEEN-ANGUS. for extra results, ami hcvoiul a certain point the forcing; process will not prove a financial success. In the dair\- little is claimed for the Galloway cows, by even their most ardent admirers; it is onlv fair to state, however, that aniono; them are foinid some very excellent milkers. The practice of allowing the calf to run with the cow and making the herd find both food and shelter on its own account, while it may have, and doubt- less has, increased the hardiness to a considerable extent, has certainly worked great injurv to whatever milking superiority the breed may have originally possessed. In the South, Galloways stand second on the list as to ease of acclimation; and this fact will doubtless tend to graduallv increase the nimiber of pure bred Gallo- \vav bulls annualU shipped to Texas ranges for improxemcnt of nati\e stock. CHAPTER XXXVI. A B E R D E E X-A N G U S. ( POLI.ED-ANGIS OK POLLED-ABERDEEX. ) As to the origin of this now well-known breed, little is definite beyond the com- monlv accepted belief that the two polled Scotch breeds — Galloway and Aberdeen- Angus — are descended from the polled variety of the original Forest breed. Of the long controversy, between Galloway and Angus breeders, regarding the merits of their respective breeds, we have nothing to say: by many the two breeds are con- sidered identical ; some of our best judges predict that at no great distant day, the Aberdeen-Angus and Galloway Associations will follow the example so lately set by the Holstein and the Dutch Friesian breeders, by combining forces to advance the interests of all concerned. We cannot say that we agree with such expression. While both breeds have undoubtedly descended from the same original stock, yet selection, feeding, care and sj-stematic breeding have changed the characteristics and appearance so greatly as to fully warrant the present recognized distinctions between them. As to what these differences are will be understood from a studv of the description and characteristics of the t\vo breeds — which see. Improvement of the Aberdeen-Angus was first begun in a systematic way about the opening of the present centurv. Probablv no man has contributed more to advance the merits of Angus cattle than Mr. Hugh Watson, of Keillor, Scotland. Mr. Wat- son began his herd in 1808 with 2 bulls and 14 cows — the "best and blackest" that could be found — and by continually breeding in and in, putting the " best to the best," without regard to relationship, and carefully weeding out all freaks or reversions, he established a reputation for his herd and for himself as a breeder, ^vhich the most successful of breeders might well envv. The earlv improvers brought to the work superior abilitv, practical experience and sound sense — following up the arkrdei:n-angus. 14i) 150 ABERDEEN-ANGUS. demand for an animal which should range well, and, at the same time, prove a kindly feeder, quick maturer and an animal of large size, they kept steadily at work until the foundatit)n of the Angus breed was thoroughly laid, tested and received. Among the later breeders of note, we may mention William McCombie, of Tillyfour. His herd was started about the year 1830 — just at the time when the pure bred Aberdeen- Angus was threatened with total extinction through the exceeding popularity of the Angus-Shorthorn crosses for feeding purposes. Mr. McCombie believed that the Angus breed was eminently worthy not only of preservation, but of improvement as well, and steadily directed his energies toward the accomplishment of this end. IMPORTATION TO THE UNITED STATES: Tlio first of which we have any record was made in 187i5 bv Mr. Grant, of Vic- toria, Kan.; this was followed in 1878 by an importation of five cows and a bull for Messrs. Anderson & Findlaj', of Lake Forest, 111., and the next year a few head were brought over by Mr. F. B. Redfield, of Batavia, X. Y. ; since that time importations have been numerous and breeding rapid, initil there are, at present writing, probably not less than 2500 to 3000 head of pure bred Aberdeen-Angus in the United States. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: ^^'c can best distinguish them by a comparison with the close description of the Galloway already given: There are no horns. The color is pure shining black — without the brown tinge of the Galloway — and the hair is fine, smooth, short and close-lying. In this respect, alone, the Angus cattle show a greater nicety of breeding, and taken in connection with their size, illustrate perfecth", the aim of both early and modern improvers of the breed, namely: to produce an animal which could be forced with profit, attain large size, and attract attention by his neat and meaty appearance. In size they are considerably ahead of the Galloway, mature bulls ranging from 1800 to 2200 lbs., and cows from 1100 to 1500 lbs.; the forehead is less inclined to fulness, the back broader; flanks deeper, and general form more nearlv filling the beef rectangle. To the ordinary observer, not interested financiall}- in either breed, the Aberdeen- Angus, would undoubtedly rank first from looks alone; to those who go further, and demand not onh- looks, but hardiness and other qualities combined, it is difficult to decide between them. From our own experience, and what we have gathered from others, the Aberdeen-Angus is the better animal to buy where feed is plentv and pasture luxuriant; but for the range, where the animal has to look out for himself, we would prefer the Gallowa}-. The fact already stated — that Galloways acclimate somewhat better than Angus in the southern fever belt — the latter standing next be- low the former — bears considerable weight with breeders in the great Southwest. To offset this, Angus cattle mature earlier, and attain greater size. Each breed claims preeminence in beef qualities, and we candidly confess our inability to see anv differ- ence between them on this point. As a milk cow, the Aberdeen- Angus gives an ample supply for her calf — no more is needed for the range. Either Angus or Gal- lowav bulls are excellent dehorners. The first volume of the American Aberdeen-Angus Herd Book was published AI!ERDEEN-A\Ol S. 151 152 ABEUDEEN-ANGUS — SUSSEX CATTLE. in 1886 — the two main requisites for record beiiit;: ( 1) The animal itself or its sire and dam must be recorded in the 8th or prior volumes of the Polled Aberdeen or Angus Herd Book of Scotland. (3) The animal must be the produce by registered sire of a cow that has produce in the 8th or prior volumes of the Polled Aberdeen or Angus Herd Book of Scotland. The illustrations of both Galloways and. Angus represent excellent specimens of their respective breeds, and will well repay a careful studv. CHAPTER XXXVII. S L' S S E X C A T T L E . This breed is closely allied to the Devon — indeed, some writers assert that it is follv to class them as separate breeds. We cannot think so: certainly their origin is found in the same stock, but this is also true of the Galloway and Aberdeen- Angus breeds. The early writers on the breeds of cattle in Great Britain certainly looked upon the Sussex as a breed well worthy a class by itself. Youatt and Martin, while acknowledging the ct)mmon origin of both Devon and Sussex cattle, yet speak of the Sussex ox as possessing not onlv the activity of the Devon, but the strength of the Hereford, " with the propensity to fatten, and beautiful fine grained flesh of both." The breed takes its name from the county or shire of Sussex, England, adjoin- ing Devonshire, and differing from it in contour, elevation and fertility of soil. As already mentioned, the Devons occupied the elevated slopes bordering the Severn; the Sussex cattle held the lower regions of rich luxuriant pasture farther east; and this fact alone — when we consider the long period of time involved — would naturally lead to a very supposable difference between the two breeds. Improvement of the Sussex has not been rapid, but rather marked by the slow, steady conservatism of their English breeders. In America they have obtained a foothold, and already claim a large share of favor from American stockmen. Mr. Overton Lea, the energetic and popular breeder of Mont Eagle, Tenn. (now Secre- tary of the i-ecently organized association) has done more toward pushing the Sussex to the front in the last five years, than all their breeders in England combined — and onlv because he has freely advertised, and fullv exhibited his cattle, courting inspec- tion at all times, and asking only an honest opinion as to their merits. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, like the Devon, a rich dark red, with white brush to the tail ; in size they excel the Devon considerably, mature bulls weighing from 1700 to 2000 lbs., and cows from 1,100 to 1,400 lbs. Comparing further with the Devon, we may say: The head is coarser with thicker horns ; neck heavier, shoulders deeper, barrel longer and general form showing more of a beef tendency; they mature as early; are fine feeders, hardv, dress well and produce an excellent qualitv of flesh. SUSSEX CATTLE. 153 154 SUSSEX CATTLE SIMMENTHAL (BERNESE) CATTLE. At the Fat Stock Show, Chicago, 1885, a yearling Sussex steer received the Class prize on the butchers block, and was only defeated by one vote for the Sweepstakes prize open to all ages. At the Kansas City Fat Stock Show, 1886, a two-year-old Sussex heifer, shown by Fowler and Van Natta of Indiana, won both the Class and the Sweepstakes prizes. When we consider the great number of magnificent car- casses exhibited in competition, we may readily accord to the Sussex for beef a place among those in the front rank. As milk stock, they cannot claim much — improvement of the breed has been rather 'with a view of increasing size, appearance and feeding value, than with any idea of enhancing their dairy qualities. What milk they do give, however, is quite rich in cream, and occasionally a cow is found capable of an excellent record as to quantity. The engraving was prepared expressly for our use, and we do not hesitate to say, that the animals represented are second to few if any in America in point of general merit. Mr. Lea as a breeder of Sussex has been remarkably successful, and his uni- form courtesy and fair dealing have secured for him a host of well-wishers. CHAPTER XXXVIII. SIMMENTHAL (BERNESE) CATTLE. The Simmenthal cattle came originally from Canton, Berne, Switzerland, but the best specimens are found in the valleys of Bernese Overland, and on the rich pastures of western Switzerland and southern Germany. In southern Germany, especially, the fertile valleys have been found very favorable to steady improvement, and to the late King William of Wurtemburg, who was especially interested in their importa- tion to Germany, the breed is largely indebted for its present improved condition. So far as we can ascertain, only two importations of these cattle have been made to the United States. In 1886, the Rev. F. Von Schluembach, of Perry, Tex., while on one of his periodical visits to Germany, became much impressed with the idea that just such cattle as the Simmenthal were needed in the United States, and if properly handled would grow rapidly in favor. He accordingly secured and brought over successfully four head — two bulls and two heifers — all yearlings, the first Simmenthal cattle ever brought to America. (The second importation of Simmenthal cattle was made in May, 1887, by John Dick, of Quincy, 111.) Writing to the Author, under date February 14th, 1888, Rev. Von Schluembach says: "* * * * The weight of the cattle in Switzerland is very great: bulls up to 3000 lbs.; cows, five-year-old, upwards of 1800 lbs. Height, from 1.34 to 1.4 meters [54 to 56 inches]; length, 2.15 to 2.3 meters [85 to 87 inches], well and equally developed animals. * * * * Edelweis [referring to one of the heifers imported in 1886], three-year-old cow. May 1st, gives about four quarts per day now, but she will come in with second calf very soon. They are not a distinctly dairy breed, but are rather for meat purposes; but, at the same time, I believe good milkers if properly attended to. Although I imported my cattle in spring, and after quarantine in New York, had to SIMMENTIIAI. (HEKXESE) CATTLE. 155 156 SIMMENTHAL (BERNESE) CATTLE. bring them to Texas in August, by steamer to New Orleans, they have done finely from the start, and are easily acclimatized. The success I had with them in this respect, I attribute in no little measure to your excellent and very reliable suggestions. * * * They are easy kept in foodi are fully satisfied with Texas prairie hay and loose bran, feed up well, and fatten easily. * * * " Wishing to present an accurate description of this valuable breed, the ^Vuthor made a personal inspection of Rev. Von Schluembach's herd in March, 1888; and from notes made at that time, gives the following DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color, light yellowish red, spotted with white — in one strain of the breed, evenly variegated, in the other strain, the white is confined mainlv to the legs and belly line with white marks about the flanks, and usually also, about head and neck. Further than this there is no distinctive arrangeinent of color marking. In size they are fully equal to the largest Herefords or Holstein-Friesians — bulls weighing at maturity 1900 to 2800 pounds, cows from 1200 to 1600 lbs. The head is broad and short, rather beefy, with a neck which in the bull fills up grandly as the animal develops, and in the cow is short, not delicate but neat and well carried. There is a characteristic mark in the peculiar pendent skin beneath the throttle in both sexes — especially so in the bull — and in the rather long and finely shaped ears well fringed with hair. ■ The horns are white and waxy to the tips, pointing outward and upward, sometimes for- %\ard, much like those of the Hereford, but shorter and better curved. The shoulders are deep and sinmoimted by a mass of dense muscular tissue, filling the crops to an even line; ribs well sprung to a neatly rounded barrel; haunches smooth — not promi- nent: indeed, tlie even rounded appearance of the haunches, as seen from rear view, may be called a prominent characteristic of the breed. The tail is placed well up, and drops squarely between full buttocks; legs medium to short, with large, strong bone closely held in firm tissue — almost the perfection of bovine symmetry and strength. The general appearance indicates beef and feeding capacity ; and the long body, squarely placed on legs' of moderate length, gives a frame work of sufficient size to carry an enormous carcass. As we have already indicated, the Simmenthal should he classed with the beef breeds. As to their merit for use in grading up on the range, we can only conjecture, as they have not been tried long enough to exhibit any grade offspring. We believe, however, that the southwestern rangemen have a very valuable addition to their stock in this breed, and we shall await further trial with interest. The engraving has been prepared expressly for our use from a photograph of Re\ . Von Schluembach's cattle, by Baron Von Hollweg, and is remarkably accurate in all details. The bull in front is Czar; a fine model with evenly variegated color. The one showing escutcheon (rear view) is Sultan; he represents the type in which the white markings are limited to lower line, legs and head. The view of Sultan displays fully the characteristic rounded haimches, and shows a thigh well turned and extremelv muscular. The cow Edelweis is unfortunately almost hidden by the two bulls, but is fulh their ciiuai in breed markings and characteristics. liKAHMIN (ZKIiU) CATTLE. 157 CHAPTER XXXIX. BRAHMIN (ZEBU) CATTLE. Refenin<:f to the name by which these cattle are known in America, it may be well to state that it has no authentic foinidation other than tlie prevalent but mistaken idea — that but one breed of cattle is found in India, and that one connected in some mysterious way with the Brahmin reli<^ion. There are, in fact, several breeds of cattle in India, each one transmitting its peculiar qualities with as much certainty as do any of the modern breeds so well known in America. True, all of these families possess many characters in common, but they differ sharply in those distinctive (pialities by which American breeders must judge of their \ alue. Mr. Albert Montgomery, of New Orleans, has kindly placetl at hand a number of private letters from reliable parties in various portions of India, written in response to queries prior to his importation of Brahmins in 1885. Accoi-ding to the unanimous testimony of these men — well qualified to judge — the family best calculated to find favor in America is, in India, known as the " Buchour," and it is from cattle of this family that most of the shipments to America have been made. The name " Brah- min," however, is so firmly fixed among those who have bred or known them in the Southern States, that it would be impracticable at least to attempt a change. We have therefore adopted the nomenclature which heads this chapter, and shall refer, solely, to the cattle as now known in the United States. The Brahmins — as noted above — form one of the common domestic breeds of Indian cattle, are found also in China and East Africa, and are the onlv breed which can endure the intense heat and insect pests of the countries named. They differ from our domestic cattle in the following particulars: The period of gestation is about 300 davs, while the average period with the common cow is 283 davs; they have a hump of fat over the shoulders, and 18 caudal vertebrae as against 21 in our ordinary cattle. These characteristics have led naturalists to class them as a distinct species (Bos Indicus^, but the bulls breed as freely with all varieties of the common cow (Bos taurus)^ as with females of their own peculiar breed. Introduction to the United States dates from before the _year 1853, when Mr. Davis, of South Carolina, purchased from the Earl of Derb}-, the first pair of Brah- mins ever brought to the United States. This importation finally found its way, about 1858 or 1859 to the McHatton Farm, above St. Louis; but it was too far north for them, and the entire herd was afterward sold at auction. Brahmin cattle found their way to Mexico about 1867, when Mr. F. McManus & Sons shipped 20 head — descended from the Davis importation — to the " Brachimba Farm," near the citj' of Mexico. No attempt was anywhere made to keep them pure, but the grades were much sought, and were soon widely scattered through northeast Mexico and southern Texas. Col. Richard Peters, of Atlanta, Ga., also made an importation of pure Brahmins before the war, and descendants of his stock have been scattered all over 158 BRAHMIN (zebu) CATTLE. Florida and the coast regions of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. In southern Texas especially, the Brahmin blood has played an important part in improving the native stock, and its value is attested by the constant demand for Brah- min grades from practical stockmen in the region named. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: They m:\\ be best described by calling attention to those peculiar points which distinguish the grades — even when as low as l-16th of Brahmin blood is present. The ears are long and drooping; the horns, in the thoroughbred, point upward and backward — in the grades this peculiarity is retained, but greatly modified. The dewlap is voluminous, especially at the throttle; the hips are rather narrow, and the rump slopes rapidly from the sacrum to the tail. The loose fold of skin at the na\ el is remarkabh' developed, swinging from old males so as to almost touch the ground : this latter may be called the distinguishing mark of a Brahmin grade. We have seen a great many of these grade steers — some of them having not more than 1-1 6th of Brahmin blood, but everyone retained this peculiar mark. In the grade heifers or cows, it is not so strongly marked, but even a novice would have no trouble in detecting the Brahmin blood. The color of the thoroughbred Brahmin is a sort of silver gra}-, with darker (iron gray) fore and hind quarters; and a large percentage of the grades from native cows exhibit similar markings. As to the economic value of this breed for the southwestern ranges, we have already \yritten. The great advantage which they have over any other breed capable of improving the so-called "native" Texan, lies in the fact, that they acclimate with perfect safety. Their native home is subject to about the same conditions (in concen- trated form) as obtain in the Gulf regions of the United States; and a change to the latter seems only to act as a sort of strong tonic, increasing the general vigor and health. ^^'c■ cannot say that we admire them — in fact an American ideal of a thorough- bred bull is likely to be considerably shattered on first inspection of a typical Brah- min; but there can be no doubt as to their utility in the region named. The cross improves the quality of native beef, and adds quantity by increasing size. For the dairy, some of the cows are said to be superior; they give a large quantity of milk, but the quality is rather deficient; moreover, the Avild natm-e of the animal is liable to crop out in a variable, and sometimes vicious, temper. The grades from good quiet cows, are of course more nearly free from this objection, and in many places, dairies of Brahmin grades are giving good satisfaction. The previously published experience of Col. Peters is interesting in this connec- tion, and we quote: " The animals did excellent, and I thought I had solved the problem. They made tine beef cattle — wonderful — and some of them were extraordinary milkers. I had one grade Brahmin cow, that gave 36 quarts of milk per day ; I exhibited her at the fairs, and took premiums everywhere; but I discovered that tlie milk lacked butter-making qualities. * * * * And then the Brahmins were the most malevolent animals in the world, with a di^tinctive aversion to women. I don't think I ever saw a Brahmin cow that a woman could milk. * * * * I never knew one animal to die of murrain. They made the best work oxen I ever raised." The place for the Brahmins is on the southern ranges, and the grade bulls — half bloods — \\ith which !Mr. Albert Montgomery, of New Orleans, and his partner, J. liUAIlMIN (zebu) cattle. 159 160 BRAHMIN (zebu) CATTLE WEST IIIGHLAND CATTLE. AI. Frost, of Houston, Texas, ai'e supplying the market, find ready sale at good prices. Mr. Frost, writing to the Author under date of July 9th, 1888, says: " I defy any man to name the time when he ever saw a tick on either pure or half-breeds, or a worm from the blow fly [screw worms]. Further than this, 1 defy any man to say that he ever saw an V of them to die from a severe winter. They are the grandest cattle that exist for southern climates." The illustration represents the imported Brahmin bull Khedive, and several of his grade offspring from native Texas cows — property of the gentlemen just men- tioned — and was engraved for our use from photographs taken in Houston, Texas. CHAPTER XL. WEvST HIGHLAND CATTLE. I (kyloes.) This breed is undoubtedh' native to the Highlands of West Scotland, and the islands along the coast. The mountain breeds of Scotland may all be referred to the same original stock, and their variations at the present time, ascribed to climatic or other natural and artificial conditions mulcr which thev have been reared. As in Wales we have the Pembroke and North-Wales Cattle, so in Scotland, we ha\c the West Highlands, as direct descendants of the original Forest stock. Improvement of the breed has been effected mainl}' by selection and careful in- breeding. About the middle of the last century, the Duke of Argyle commenced a systematic course of breeding, which soon called public attention to the herds of Argyleshire ; in course of time the superior quality of his stock was communicated to all the cattle of the Highlands, and has since served as a basis for their continued excellence and improvement. The Hebridean farmers especially, declare that the Kyloes are as nearly perfect, for that locality, as may be, and assert positively that outcrosses, whenever tried, have only tended to render the offspring less hardy with- out increasing either quality or quantity of beef. Several importations have recently been made to the United -States and Canada, and we may confidently look for more extensive introduction in the future. DESCRIPTION : Color, black ; until late years, this color was not so strictly adhered to — brown, brindle, dun and other colors were nearly as common as black ; even now while the fashionable Kyloe must be black, there are many animals of equal merit showing other colors, indeed we are inclined to agree with Prof. Low when he says: "The breeders should look to the essential character of form, without limiting themselves to a black color of the hair, which is a property altogether secondary." The face is broad, tapering to a narrow muzzle, and showing a gradual dish or curvature from the horns to the nose. The eyes are prominent, bright and restless; WEST IIK.III.AM) t ATTI.E. 1()1 WEST HIGHLAND BULL. (English EngmvinM;.) 162 WEST HIGHLAND CATTLE. ears well carried and thickly covered with hair; horns middle sized, broad and waxy at base, and curving upward to sharp points of a darker shade; neck short with con- siderable dewlap; back wide and straight, with full crops and even loin; ribs well sprung, and dropping to somewhat flattened sides. A striking peculiarity of the Kyloe is found in the small space between the hips and the last floating ribs. The lumbar region is remarkably short and strong, a provision rendered necessary by the mountainous character of their native country, and admirably fitting them for moun- tainous or hilly ranges wherever found. The hind quarters are full, deep and fleshed well down to the hock — twist low; forequarters wide apart, deep and heavy; brisket very full, and projecting well forward; legs short, straight and strong boned. The skin is mellow, "handling" remarkably well, and the hair is long, thick and more or less wavy — curled hair is considered an objection. In general we may say: the Kyloe is a compact, blocky built, neat looking, middle horned animal of dark color and medium size. Mature bulls weigh from 1100 to 1600 lbs.; cows from 700 to 1000 lbs. characteristics: The West Highland breed has two verv strongly marked characteristics — (1) hardiness; and (2) excellent beef qualities. To use a western expression, the Kyloe is a good "rustler" — that is, he is entirely capable of taking excellent care of himself if given a reasonable opportunity. Trained for generations to range over pastures always hilly, and sometimes scant, and sheltered only by the rocks and ravines of his native range, it is no wonder that the modern Kyloe is superlatively hardy. Why they have not been introduced more extensively in the ranges lying along the foot hills of the Rocky Mountains, is only explained by the push and energy of Hereford, Angus and Galloway breeders; and the mania — we can call it nothing else — among Americans, for breeding size without regard to vigor. Certainly it would be hard to imagine a better stock for the broken range countries of the western United States, than is found in this vigorous and impressive breed. And now comes the second point in his favor — meat excellence. Facts are stub- born things, and the fact that Kyloe or West Highland beef has almost invariably commanded a higher price in the London markets than beef of other breeds, speaks volumes in its favor. We must remember, however, that the Kyloes have never yet been in such demand as to shut off the annual supply of thoroughbred beef; while with some of the more popular breeds, nothing has found its "way to the shambles, except the inferior'animals — too poor for breeding purposes. That the West High- land beef is really better than the marbled beef of either Galloway, Angus or Hereford, we are much inclined to doubt; but that Kyloe beef is as good as the best there can be no question. As work cattle, we have litttle knowledge concerning them • the people of the Highlands have always been essentially stock raisers, and there has been consequently small demand for oxen trained to the yoke. They possess the essential properties — activity and strength — and with training, would undoubtedly rank high for this purpose. Nothing is claimed for the Kvloe cow in the dairy : she gives sufficient milk to bring up her calf in excellent condition and for the range, nothing: more is desired. WEST iriGIII,AND CATTLE. 163 164 WEST HIGHLAND CATTLE TEXAS CATTLE. The engraving of cow and calf was prepared expressly for the Breeders Gazette of Chicago, and the kindness of the Gazette people in parting with an electro for our use, is acknowledged with thanks: the engraving of the bull is English work — both represent excellent specimens of the Highland breed. CHAPTER XLI. TEXAS CATTLE. On the ranges of the Southwest have existed for nianj' years, vast herds of cattle, which by their peculiar characters — effectually transmitted to their offspring — may be classed as a breed. Although known as " Texas Cattle," the same race extends throughout Mexico, and has been pretty well scattered through the more northern and western territories of the United States. According to Allen (American Cattle) " they are the descendants of the early Spanish stock introduced into Mexico in the sixteenth century ;" and this is undoubtedly correct, as a comparison of Texas cattle with the modern cattle of Spain would show — even at this time, after centuries of changed conditions — a marked similarity. The same original stock must also have furnished a nucleus for the now almost countless bovine population of South America. In this connection we quote Prof. Low (Domestic Animals of Great Britain): " The origin of those amazing herds which cover the plains of Paraguay, Buenos Ajres, and other noble provinces, is traced by Spanish writers to the arrival by way of Brazil of seven cows and a bull from Andalusia, at the City of Assumption on the Paraguay, in the year 1550." DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color varies, light dun and mouse color are, perhaps, most common, but red, yellow and black — and each with all styles of white markings — are found. A point already mentioned in the chapter on Jerseys is the usually lighter color of the hair bordering the muzzle — a peculiarity doubtless derived from the cattle of Spain where it is commonly observed. In size they vary according to the quality of range, but as a rule are small — bulls weighing from 1000 to 1200 lbs. ; cows from 600 to 900 lbs. Texas steers at 4 years old, grass fat, generally weigh from 900 to 1200 lbs. The distinguishing feature lies in the extraordinary size of the horns; these assume various wide, spreading shapes, sometimes measuring upwards of four feet from tip to tip. The cows are practically worthless for the dairy — few giving more than one or two gallons per day on good feed; but the value of the race to the whole country where it finds a natural home, can hardly be over-estimated. The improved breeds have found in this hardy stock, a basis which receives most kindly the blood of im- provement; indeed, but for Texas cattle, the Southwest would wait long years before possessing many herds of improved varieties. It is wonderful what results obtain in a few years from a single improved bull, placed with Texas cows. There is no dying TEXAS CATTLE. 165 166 TEXAS CATTLE HINTS ON SELECTION, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF CATTLE. of such offspring by acclimating fever, and if the bull only survives until the cows are served, he has more than repaid his cost. It is this fact which has stimulated the demand for thoroughbred bulls during the last decade, and placed thousands upon thousands of Hereford, Aberdeen, Galloway, Shorthorn and other grades upon our ranges. The breed originally known as Texas Cattle, will, before many years, be a thing of the past, but its descendants combining the blood of improved varieties, will give a different character in the future to Texas cattle sold for Eastern markets. The engraving is an exact reproduction of a photograph taken under our imme- diate direction Aug. 4th, '88, and may be accepted as a fair likeness of a native Texas ox. (The horns of the animal represented in the illustration measured — at time the photo was taken — three feet, five inches from tip to tip, and the animal — five years old— weighed about 1000 lbs.) CHAPTER XLII. HINTS ON SELECTION, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF CATTLE. As already noted in the summary of part second, we have considered the breejds of cattle under three heads — dairy, general-purpose, and beef. Each of the known families of cattle must be classed under one of these divisions, and for whatever pur- pose bred, will all be subject to the same general principles of care and handling. In these days of specialists and " experts," even the breeders of stock have caught the contagion, and lines are drawn so closely between dairy and beef types, that it is an absolute necessity to refer to some intermediate class the many breeds which are valuable in both extremes, but supreme in neither. Cattle are no longer chosen entirely with reference to size, weight and rounded contour; but the peculiar qualities of each animal are as carefully estimated, and for these qualities the animal as quickly appropriated to satisfy some taste or special judgment, as any other commodity, sub- ject to the inevitable law of supply and demand. There is ample room for every improved breed of cattle, which has been, or in the future may be, established; and we have little patience with such narrow views as prompt a breeder to decry all other breeds but his. To advance one's interests, by setting forth the good qualities of his wares, is perfectly legitimate; but to attempt to advance one breed by tearing down another, is pernicious, and will sooner or later destroy public confidence, not only in the men, but also in the breed they champion so unwisely. In deciding the question as to which breed will prove most profitable, a man must be governed largely by: (1) The natural conditions of soil and climate; (2) nearness to market or shipping facilities; (3) the relative cost of outfits and materials for carrying on the different lines of work; (4) The cost and scarcity or abundance of competent labor; (5) the probabilities of fluctuation in market value, or the rela- HINTS ON SELECTION, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF CATTLE. 167 tive cost of holding over to meet a more favorable market; and (0) most important of all, the peculiar fitness of the man, either by natural ability, taste or education, for one of the special lines of work to which the various breeds are severally adapted. It will thus be seen how impracticable it is to give advice on selection of the "best" breed, and how utterly worthless such advice must be, unless given with inti- mate knowledge of all the peculiar conditions we have mentioned, and many others which will doubtless occur to the thinking reader. There are, however, certain points which may be given as an aid to individual selection, and of these we mention: First. — The animal should be carefully studied, with reference to some standard description of the breed to which it belongs; such a description we have aimed to give in each Chapter devoted to a breed; and no animal should be selected for breeding purposes that does not show, in appearance or progeny, the dominant characters of its particular breed. Second. — If a cow desired for the dairy, she should have the typical milk wedo-e: that is, as seen either from above or from the side, a V shaped outline, with the apex forward. The fore regions may be rather light in appearance, but the barrel must gradually deepen to the flank, joining the udder in an almost continuous line, as though the entire body were a portion — as indeed it is — of the milk machine. As to shape and appearance of the udder, breed characteristics must largely govern, but we may sa}' in general that a well formed udder should be large only when distended with milk: when empty it should appear small, and will usually hang in loose folds or wrinkles. As a rule, those cows having broad udders close up to the body, but spread- ing well forward and back, may be expected to give a good quantity of milk, while the cows with rather narrow and longer udders — "bottle-shaped" — will usually give a better quality as to butter content. The so-called milk veins, running from the udder region on either side of the abdomen forward, should be irregular and puffy, rather than straight and even; a rich' yellow colored skin is usually an excellent indication of value in the butter line, and a soft, glossy coat, is an invariable accompaniment of health. The escutcheon or "milk mirror," consists of hair turned in a reverse direction from that grown on other parts of the body, and is found on the udder — spreadino- forward and backward, and between the thighs, covering a greater or less surface according to the milking capacity of the animal. As previously stated, we shall not undertake a description of the various classes and orders of escutcheons outlined bv Guenon; the system is of sufficient importance to justify all the comment, favorable and otherwise, which it has provoked, and we can do no less than advise a careful study of the subject before deciding as to its practical utility. In our own experience, we have found the Guenon system of much value. The escutcheon cannot, in our opinion, be relied on as the only expression of good or bad milking quality, but if properly used in connection with other milk signs it furnishes a most valuable aid in the selection of dairy stock. Finally, and most important of all, be sure that the anir mal has a feminine look: a decided cowy appearance, especially of the head, not only indicates milking promise, but may also be accepted as a uniform sign of docility. The tj'pical outline for meat excellence should be sought in an animal full and even at all points, but especially well rounded at the parts which carrv beef of highest 168 HINTS ON SELECTION, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF CATTI.E. price and qualit_v. Animals which hiy on fat in bunches are objectionable, as are, also, those which carry an immense bony frame — too large to be ever fully loaded. To put the matter in a nut-shell : In selecting for beef, choose always the animal which will dress the largest amount of high-priced beef and the least proportion of low-priced beef and offal. The parts to be favored then, are: Shoulders, fore ribs, loin, haunches and hams; and the parts to be curtailed as much as possible are: Head, neck, legs and belly. Beef is the end — if not the aim — of all cattle, and on the great ranges of the West, until the fertile prairies are dotted with settlers homes, the beef breeds will hold an undisputed sway. Third. — Between these two extremes of milk and beef stands the general-pur- pose animal — the one of all others which must always play a prominent part in the economy of thousands of small farms throughout the United States. The small farmer demands a cow which will not only furnish a fair quantity of milk and butter, but also carry at the same time a frame of good size, and show a natural tendency to flesh when not in milk. Steers from such cows make profitable feeders, and the cows themselves when rendered unfit for breeding by any cause, as accident or age, may be fed for the butcher and turned into cash at minimum loss. To select such an animal, requires ability to discover and appreciate the good points, when partially hidden by others of, perhaps, equal worth, but opposite indications. With this per- ceptive ability, and a knowledge of the good points of both beef and dairy types, a man will exjjerience little difficultv in selecting cattle for any desired purpose. Concerning care and management for the herd, we are pleased to present the following letters from practical breeders in different portions of the United States: Hoi stein- Fries ians. " Lakeside Farm, Syracuse, N. Y., July 24th, 1888. * * * * "The methods of feeding and caring for our stock are extremely simple. Calves are taken from dams when a day or two old and fed for a few weeks, new, full milk; then, as the calf gets age and strength, we take away the full milk, and in its place give centrifugally separ- ated skim-milk. We also give, dry, a small amount of ground oats and wheat bran, the amount of either food depending on the condition and assimilative powers of the animal. As the animal devel- ops, we add to the amount of dry and liquid food given, as we think the calf will digest and assimilate it, until it reaches an age and development that warrants taking the milk away and supplying haj and grain. We always leave a liUle hay in manger, that the calf may eat ad libitum. In summer we send the females to pasture, and the males are kept in stable, but are given frequent exercise in open air yards or paddocks. We commence using the bulls at about a year old. We aim to breed the heifers, conditions being favorable, when about 15 to 16 months old, so that they will calve after two years old. As the time approaches for calving, the heifer is put in a box stall, and carefully watched, and during calving, if necessary, assistance is given. For the first few days after calving, very little grain food is given, and that largely bran ; then, as she gains strength, we gradually add in quantity and qual- ity of grain food, the amount depending entirely on the individual and its powers of digestion and assimilation, but in a mixture of two parts of wheat bran to one of ground oats and one-fourth of one part of oil meal, which is our mixture for cows, where quantity of milk is required, or, if feeding for butter, one part each of corn meal, ground oats and bran, and one-fourth of one part of oil meal, the amount per capita would be from 4 to 12 pounds per day. "Our milch cows are milked twice or three times a day, as circumstances dictate, and are fed at each milking, which is done in the stable, grain feed being fed dry. In summer, cows run in pasture; they are fed soiling foods, such as rye, clover, oats or corn in stable, when pastures are poor. In winter, corn or clover ensilage is fed, with an alternate feeding of hay. HINTS ON SELECTION, CAKE AND MANAGEMENT OF CATTLE. If39 "The milk of each cow is carefully weighed separately, and the amount set down at the time on a blackboard conveniently placed, and each day transferred to a bock made for the purpose; the milk is then taken to the creamery where it is thoroughly strained through a perforated tin strainer and four thicknesses of cheese-cloth into a large tank; from there it goes into a smaller tank and thence into the De Laval Separator. The skim or separated milk, is run into a tank, from which it is drawn as needed. The cream is put in large vessels and allowed to acidify, and then churned in a cubic churn propelled by steam power. When the butter is in the grain, the buttermilk is drawn off, and the butter thoroughly washed in clear, cold water; it is then taken to the butter- worker, and salt added, one ounce to the pound of butter, then packed away in a cold room, and next day taken out, worked and packed for market. " We use no cotton seed meal or concentrated or highly stimulating foods, nor any drink other than pure water. Scrupulous cleanliness is used in caring for both calves and cows, milk and butter. "We keep our service bulls in stalls, and fasten them with chain from ring in the nose, and also from strap around the neck. They are so placed as to be able to see each other, and we think this tends to make them fearless of strangers and accustomed to company. These bulls we feed very sparingly of grain, and give hay and soiling foods in summer and ensilage in winter. Yours truly, Smiths, Powell & Lamb." The above is :in excellent tvpe of well-planned, thorough system. Lakeside Farm has become very widely known for the high class of its stock and dairj- prod- ucts, and the success attained is explained by the above outline of actual methods pinsued. yerscys. Manor, Tex., July 16th, 1888. '■**** My stock run in pasture in all except the very severest weather. Young things by themselves until old enough to breed, when they are turned into the larger pasture with the others. The time of their breeding is noted. Unless in thin order, no feed is given to heifers or dry cows in the grass season. Cows giving milk are fed all the time on cotton-seed, shelled oats and crushed corn and cob meal, with hay or corn fodder as I happen to have. If a cow is to drop calf in winter, she is carefully watched, and stabled in roomy box stall well littered. If the weather is mild, she is left in pasture. (No mules in pasture). As soon as the calf is dropped, the cow is milked out clean. " The calf is allowed to suck until it is three or four days old, when it is removed and afterwards never allowed to suck, but fed on whole milk fresh from the cow till it is four to six weeks old, when sweet skim milk is gradually substituted. At first the skim milk is slightly warmed, but afterwards, unless in exceeding cold weather, no warming is done. I have never had a case of milk fever nor other trouble about calving, nor do my calves ever suffer from scours. If an animal appears consti- pated, a dose of salts or 'liver regulator' is given, but I doctor very little. In bad weather everything is sheltered and fed, the main food for everything being cotton-seed. In fact, except to cows in milk, cotton-seed, with access to straw stack and pasture is the only feed. " I have lost a few head from Black Leg, but believe it can be prevented — not cured if it is very far advanced. When an animal dies, all the young and susceptible animals are at once given a mild cathartic and antiseptic. Have used Copperas, tablespoonful, with about as much of the dry powder Simmons' Liver Regulator, or one level teaspoonful Salicylic Acid and heaping teaspoonful of Sulphite of Soda; in either case, the dose is repeated for two or three days. I have stopped three outbreaks — losing none after beginning treatment. " In short, I follow nature as near as I can, depending on grass, good water and pure air for all. For about three months, stable; remainder of time in open lots; calves on grass from two weeks old. Very truly, &c., L. B. Giles." The above gives an idea of how the dairy herd is handled where cotton-seed is the main or staple food. While we are not of opinion that cotton-seed is the best food for cows in milk, yet there is no doubt that it and its product after extraction of 170 HINTS ON SELECTION, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF CATTLE. the oil — cotton-seed, meal — are the most valuable concentrated food-stuffs which the Southern dairyman can command. Fairly good — even excellent — butter is made from the milk of cows fed largely on cotton-seed-meal, but its best effect is had when combined in smaller proportion with food-stuffs less rich in protein. Mr. Giles has certainly made an excellent showing inway of handling calves; there are few herds, where calves are reared by hand, that do not occasionally suffer from attacks of the scours, and Mr. Giles' success in this respect is probably due to the fact that he makes accurate note of the animal's condition from the time it is born. Devons. "Nashville, Tenn., July 19th, 1888. " * * * * As a breeder of Devons, having as the principal object in view, the sale of voung animals, it is necessary first that there should be absolute purity of blood; this is secured by starting with pure bred cows and bull, and as the bull is by much the largest part of the herd, extraordinary care is taken in his selection. No bull in my herd is inbred to his own calves, and although I do not part with a bull which I consider good, when his heifers come of age to be bred another bull of different strain is bought to serve them. My heifers are bred not under two years old, and are placed with the bull in the month of July, so that the first calf of the heifer will be dropped in April or May, thus giving an opportunity for the udder to be expanded by the spring grazing. Of 16 heifers being bred this season, the youngest was dropped 2nd September, 1886, so that the youngest heifer will be at least 31 months old at calving, and most of them three years old. My object in this is to give stamina and constitution, both to the cows and their progeny, which I think are greatly impaired by the very early breeding practiced by some breeders, in the great desire to get quick returns. After the first calf is dropped, I do not consider it of much importance in our climate at what season the calf comes, so my bull runs with the herd of milk cows all the time, and calves are being dropped by my cows at all seasons of the year, the time between calves running from ten to twelve months. " The bull is driven to the cow-house regularly every night with the milk cows, and, in my experience of twelve years as a breeder of Devons, buying a new bull about every two years, I have never had a vicious bull. This may be attributed in part to the docility of the breed, but I think it .ilso partly attributable to the manner in which they are kept. All of my cows (twin calves or some rare cases excepted) are milked night and morning in order to protect and develop the milking habit, but not enough is taken from them to stint the calves, who finish the job and take what the milkman has left, and no great complaint is made about the quantity of the milk which goes to the dairy so long as the calves are fat. " Calves are turned out to pasture every morning, and when weaned at six to eight months old, are put upon pasture. During the winter months the weaned calves have as much hay — red top, timothy or clover — as they can eat, and once each day are fed with grain (cornmeal coarsely ground) enough to keep them in good condition. Cows are milked in the cow-house in stall with rope halter fastened around the neck, and are fed every time they are milked — during the summer, very lightly, just a little being put in their troughs to keep them quiet; but in winter all the finely-cut hay they can eat, and coarsely-ground cornmeal as a grain ration. Except in extremely severe weather in winter, cows are turned out every day and night. Loose boxes about 10x30 feet are provided for cows which calve in the winter, and in summer, small pastures near by in which cows are put a few days before calving. Such is my system; the result: gentle bulls, healthy cows, breeding regularly up to the age of 18 or 30 years, and healthy calves, kept easily all the time in good growing condition, but never pampered until they look fat enough for prize beef. Truly, Edward D. Hicks." Mr. Hicks knows how to handle Devons for jDrofit. His plan of letting the bull run with the cows, is one which must be carefully regulated as to number of cows admitted if the sire is to be kept in prime breeding shape; but, when so managed, is HINTS ON SELECTION, CAKE AND MANAGEMENT OK CATTLE. 17] very satisfactory. It is the practice usually adiipted l.y all breeders ,,f vanu;^. stock, certainly tends to render the bull more easily subject to o.utrol, aud cannot fa?l lo llnd' plenty of advocates. His method of rearing calves will make line beef animals, but, if continually practiced,— one generation after another,-vvill surel\- tend t., destroy whatever capacity for large milk yield a breed mas- haxe originally possessed. As we have stated—" Nature" is .-.ll right in l,cr way, but a considerable ani.umt of "Art" has always been required to increase the dairy excellence of any breed. His. practice is correct, inasmuch as it Hlls the demand for beauty of form, fattening pro- pensity, and early maturity which a majority of Devon purchasers have created ; but we confess to a feeling of disappointment that the Devon breed is n.,t more strongly stnnulated to bring into greater prominence its inherent dairy worth. Red-Polled and Shorthorn Grades. .k * * * "Temple, Texas, August 20th, 1888. "I begin when calves; pen everything each night; lieep plentv of salt in the lot at all times- throw them a batch of shucks or cut corn-all of which has a tendency to make them gentle and docile. I breed them young, let the calves come at 24 to ,30 months old, then feed well. I think that makes better milkers. It has, however, a tendency to dwarf the heifer-she never gets so large when so treated. My cattle are all 'Muleys:' I can feed twelve head in a 12-foot trough and not crowd them. I u.se young bulls a little at one year old-say ten cows that year I keep my bull up in day tmiew.th calves all the spring, and turn him but at night; it makes him much gentler and more docile. I keep a ring in each bull's nose after one year old. I dehorn when calves, if they have horns at b.rth. I feed milk cows the year round-it pays. I use salt, sulphur and lime for my cattle- don t allow the ticks to accumulate on them. I have my cows milked at 6 A. M and 6 P M ' as near as I can. I keep about 20 to 25 head of cattle, which are penned where the rain carries the vvashings from the pen on to the farm, hence the liquid manure is saved on the land without ii.uch work. Yours truly, W. A. Cl,\rk." Mr. Clark is a Texas farmer who has found money in the dairy bn-iness. He believes in dehorning, but thinks they should always be removed xv ben the animal is very young. American Holderncss. In answer to our request for statement as to methods practiced by him, Mr. T A. Cole, of Solsville, Madison County, N. Y., originator of the American Ho'lderness breed, sends a very interesting "write up," clipped from the Neix.' York ( Weekly-) Sun. We make the following extract : "Rearing Calves.-As may be inferred, nearly all the calves are raised, and this is done in addition to the average annual yield per cow of 300 pounds of butter. At first thev are fed exclusively on new milk, but gradually skimmed milk is added and the new milk diminished; until at the end of three or four weeks, nothing but skimmed milk is fed. To make up for the loss of cream, a little dry o.l-meal is given them daily to lick. They are all shut up together on a floor 24x36 feet, Nvhich has been littered with the cobs from 500 or 600 bushels of corn. On these they caper and lie the cobs absorbing all droppings, and the action of the calves keeping the cobs stirred up and clean. On these they are kept out of storm and sun until the room is wanted for storing hay. Then they are turned out to grass, but are given their sour-milk rations until about the 1st of October. After this the sour- milk, not wanted for the few pigs intended for the family pork, is given to the cows. The horses all summer long, receive regularly a ration of buttermilk, which they appear to relish exceedingly Care is taken that young animals shall continue in a healthy, thriving condition, but are not ne'r- milted to become excessively fat, lest they acquire a tendency to put on fat rather than expend the-V energies in filling the milk pail. By inbreeding and this care the cows are all remarkably uniform 172 HIXTS ox SELECTIOX, CARE AND MAXAGEMEXT OF CATTLE. in their milk-producing qualities, both as to quantity and richness. Mr. Cole says this uniformity extends to the raising of the cream, and the time required to churn it — one cow's milk being as like another's as one-half of a mess is like the other half. So completely does all the butter come at the same time, that he has tried in vain to get an additional yield of butter by churning the buttermilk. The separation appears to be complete at the end of the first churning." The main point which we wish to mention in the practice of Mr. Cole, is the one of allowing the calves to bed on corn cobs. The idea is a good one, and if put in general practice among Western farmers would soon do away with the unhealthy odors too frequently found in the calf-pen. His j^ractice of feeding back to the cows, the surplus skim product from the dairy, is rapidly growing in favor and is giving excellent results. Shorthorns. "Centre Grove Farm, Durant, Iowa, July 28th, 1888. * * * * " We are breeding Shorthorns for both milk and beef, so our methods may differ from those \vho breed exclusively for beef or exclusively for milk. Every breed has its office, and we believe the milking Shorthorn must fill a large demand made by the general farmer who wants a good milch cow that will raise a good, easy-keeping, early maturing steer. To fill this now rapidly increasing ■demand, we are breeding and feeding the noble 'Red, White and Roan,' and the following are our methods: " We keep our bulls in a separate pasture by themselves, where, if possible, no cows will be ■near them. Mature bulls will keep in good order on grass alone; growing bulls get a light ration of oats and bran twice a day. The breeding bulls get lots of exercise, even in winter, when they are turned out in tight yards on fine days. Ours are now tied in stalls at night, but we think running loose in box stalls would be preferable. " Heifers, cows and calves are run in separate pastures as much as possible. Pastures are of mixed grasses, blue grass predominating. Water and plenty of shade complete the outfit, and for eight months of the year the cow is content. Green fodder, however, is sometimes given during August; this is relished as a change. Pumpkins are also thrown to them during this dry time. Rock salt in each pasture, affords them a sure supply of that necessity. " Cows are mated at the first ' heat ' after the calf is dropped, unless in thin flesh, when more time is given. The first heat is surest to 'hold.' Heifers are bred at from 18 to 28 months, according to size and flesh. If getting too fat, we breed them younger, as excessive fat in a heifer is liable to produce barrenness. We try to prevent calves coming in July, August, January and February. "Pregnant cows are handled much the same as the other cows. The calf should be weaned ■when its dam is five or six months pregnant, and the cow should be milked awhile and then dried off. The remaining three months of rest, should enable the cow to put on flesh, and gain strength for the <:oming calf. If necessary, such cows are fed extra to produce this condition. We expect the calf on or about the 280th day, but watch closely from the 270th day. If on grass, keeping confined on light, loose food (bran and oil-meal, &c.) for a week or more before and after calving, to prevent milk- fever, and to be present at parturition and save the calf. Great care is exercised to prevent pregnant cows from being chased by dogs, gored by other cattle, wading through deep mud, or eating mouldy or ergotized fodder. Some times feed a little fiaxseed about the 270th day, to help her ' clean ' well. " When a cow begins to show signs of calving, the attendant stays near until all is safe, usually in the box stall with her. Soma say that the cow prefers to be alone, but I think our cows like to have me there; they know I am there to help them. If the cow seems to need help, I pull down on the feet of the calf when she strains. As soon as the calf is delivered, I leave cow and calf alone for a time, then feed her bran mashes (warm) and give tepid water. The cow is then milked three times a day for a few days, and twice a day for a few weeks (or months) till the calf can take all and not physic him. "If the calf sucks and his bowels move once during the first six hours, he is fairly started on the road to market. We allow him to stay in a stall with his dam for a few days, and after that they are HINTS 0\ SEI.IXTION, CAUK AND MANACKMENT OF CATTLE. 173 together only at night. During the day time, he plays with his mates, and early learns to eat oats which are placed wilhin his reach. This feeding is continued during the first year, and sometimes the second winter also. Calves run in .separate lot during the day, and after the cows have been partly milked, the calves are put wiih ihem. " At a very early age (two to four months), the bull calves are taken from among the heifers and placed in another lot. They are all weaned at from six to twelve months according to the con- dition of the calf and cow, and the stale of succeeding pregnancy. After the first year, we expect them to keep in good condition on grass alone; many will be ready for market at any time. "Our grain ration for young stock bulls and suckling cows is three parts of oats, three of bran, three of corn and one of oil ineal. This is varied very much, however, to suit the animal and the season. We very seldom feed corn alone; often feed oats alone. Raise a few wurtzels to feed in winter as a change. .Some corn fodder is cut in early September and fed, ears and all during cold snaps, besides the regular hay diet of stock cattle. Fine blue grass pastures are allowed to grow dur- ing the fall months, affording much nutritious food for stock during the warm winter days when there is no snow. " Such are about the methods now in use at Centre Grove Farm. Of course, something is learned each year to cause us to make some slight changes. When changes are made, however, we hope they are for the better. C. W. Norton i^ Son, fer Oak. We should like to make a great many comments — mostly favorable — on the above, but .space forbids inention of more than the main points suggested by the out- line given. Our friend " Oak " is right — there is no doubt that the cows like to have him around at the " labor" period; kindness to the brute creation is never thrown away, and cows brought up under such careful treatment as that pursued at Centre Grove Farm, always crave and appreciate the attention given. The jjractice of sep- arating the bull calves from the heifers at an early age, should be emphasized — and the hints on breeding cows and heifers will bear reading twice. If they are breeding for both milk and beef as noted, it is presumed that the calves are not allowed to do all the milking — and at irregular intervals, although it is not so stated — otherwise we should think the tendency would be more toward beef. Another point we may notice briefly is the practice of keeping the bull entirely away from the cows except at time of immediate service. There is no doubt that — if mental condition at time of coupling has any effect on the offspring — that effect will be more strongly marked by such practice. We have tried both plans, and, while many are in favor of permitting the cows and bull to run at farthest in adjoining pastiu'es, we believe — if separated at all — the separation should be complete. The only question that can be raised is one of disposition ; it has been stated that bulls kept in sight of cows will be more easily managed; but in our own experience the reverse has been true, and we are pretty well satisfied that to keep a bull in good temper, he must either run with the cows and be handled with them, or be kept entirely separate except at time of service. Holstein-Friesians. "Westburg Farm, Jesup, Iowa, Aug. 29th, 188S. " As to age of breeding, my practice at the outset was to breed so that each heifer would have her first calf at or near the age of three years. My own observations, and the milk records I have taken for five years, have not yet been sufficiently numerous to enable me to decide definitely. As to diminishing size by early breeding, I can only say that I have heifers which calved at two and two and one-quarter years, as large as those that calved at three and three and one-quarter years. As to 174 HINTS ON THE SELECTION , CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF CATTLE. milk flow, I am inclined to think early breeding is preferable . I prefer to breed as nearly as possible in December, January and February; just as good (if not better) calves can be raised in a warm barn through the winter, as in summer. Milk being worth more in November, December, January and February, I find it more profitable to have them come at this time; in summer, milk is worth 45 to 60 cents per 100 lbs., and in winter 85 cents to $1.10 per 100 lbs. I avoid having cows come in during warm weather, as I think them more liable to have parturient apoplexy. ''I have practiced various ways of rearing calves; have seen little or no difference in size and constitution between feeding calves the fresh milk three times per day until they are six weeks old' and in allowing them to suck the cow to this time. My general practice is to allow them to suck at least seven or eight times. I have never taken a calf from the cow as soon as dropped. As far as milk flow and size are concerned, I am prepared to believe, that calves reared on sweet skim-milk and oats for a time after they aie four to six weeks old, make just as good cows as those allowed fresh milk for six months. I think that calves allowed to suck the cow, for say five or six months, develop a habit of laying on fat and do not generally make as valuable cows for milk on that account. " My practice, in summer feeding of cows, has been to give a small allowance of bran — say one to one and a-half lbs. at a feed — even while the pasture was good. It saves much of the labor in driv- ing from the pasture, aside from contributing to the volume of the manure; it saves also time and muscle necessary in driving them in the barn prior to milking. For winter feeding, I aim to mix 50 lbs. of bran with 6-1 lbs. ground oats and 56 lbs. of ground corn. Of this mixture I approximate the needs of different cows; have fed as high as 24 lbs. per day to a cow weighing 1200 lbs., and giving 65 to 67 lbs. milk per day ; have fed five to six lbs. at a feed to cows giving 30 to 35 lbs. per day. Have practiced mixing this ground feed on a small allowance of wet cut hay, and am confident, from the appearance of the excrement, that a great benefit resulted from this practice. "I think that, as a general thing, twice a day is suflicient for milking. I have milked several cows that gave large messes three times a day, for at least one month after calving, and afterwards twice a day. Larger milk records can be made, of course, by milking three times a day throughout the year. A fresh cow, especially, should be milked quite rc-gularly, while a cow that has given milk six months will not be affected very much by a little delay in milking. I aim to milk all cows regularly: When at the height of their flow in summer, I think they ought to be milked about 5 A. M. and 4:30 P. m. A heavy tnilker usually secretes the most milk from morning to night. " I have practiced selling milk to creameries by the 100 lbs., receiving back, at different times, the set skim and the separated skim-milk ; have also set the milk at home in ice water, at 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, for 12 hours, and sold the unsalted butter. As to separated skim-milk from creameries, that require the milk hauled but once a day, I have decided to my satisfaction that it is much less profitable than set skim-milk, either 36 hours or 12 hours old — just the relative difference I am not aware has ever been settled. Calves fed on separated skim-milk, reared in this vicinity, are certainly not so thrifty and large as those raised a few years ago on set skim-milk. "There is very great difference of opinion among men as to keeping cows in the barn during winter. My practice is to keep them in during all snow storms and blizzards, and all days when the thermometer is at zero or below. I turn them out two or three times a day for water, and as soon as they are through drinking put them back — cleaning out the stables while they are in. The tempera- ture should be above 32 degrees Fahrenheit, when the cattle are in the barn. Truly yours, J. N. Muncey.'' Mr. Miincey is one of our careful, accurate breeders, well qualified by taste and an extended education to solve some of the actual problems of the day. The point he mentions (difference in feeding value between "set-skim" — the skim-milk left when cream is removed, after setting milk away for a number of hours — and " separ- ated skim-milk" — the product from centrifugal cream separators) is one of consider- able interest. In the South, esjDecially, the centrifugal process is of peculiar value, saving ice, — a costly commodity, — by reason of greatly decreased bulk in handling; and if, as Mr. Muncey suggests, the skim product from the machine is inferior ti> that from set milk, some wav must be found to rcmcd\' the defect. P A I^ X T H I I.^ D . SHEEP. SHORT- WOOLED BREEDS: PAGE Merinos Chapter XLIII 176 Atwoods " " 183 Paulars " " 183 Dickinsons " " 186 Black-Tops Delaines " HORNKD-DORSETS " XLIV 193 Cheviots " XLV 195 MIDDLE- WOOLED BREEDS: SouTHDOWNs Chapter XLVI 197 Shropshires " XLVII 200 Hampshires " XLVIII 308 Oxfordshires " XLIX 206 LONG-WOOLED BREEDS: CoTswoLDS Chapter L 308 Leicesters " LI 213 LiNCOLNS ... " LI I 315 HINTS ON SELECTION, CARE AND MANAGEMENT: Chapter LIII 219 176 CHAPTER XLIII. MERINOS. Youatt supposes the Merino sheep a derivation from the old Tarentine breed of Italy. In his book — " Youatt on Sheep" — he says: "They were the Tarentine breed already described, and which had gradually spread from the coast of Syria and the Black Sea, and have now reached the western extremity of Europe. Many of them mingled with and improved the native breeds of Spain, while others continued to exist as a distinct race; and meeting with a climate and herbage suited to them retained their original character and value and were the progenitors of the Merinos of the present day." Low (1842) says: " Upon the whole, although authentic documents on the subject are wanting, there is presump- tion that the sheep of Africa were employed to perfect the sheep of Spain with respect to the pro- duction of wool. The Merinos exhibit certain characters which seem to show them to have been derived from some country warmer than that in which they were naturalized, and it was during the dominion of the African possessors of the country that the wool of Spain arrived at its greatest ex- cellence." Stewart in his valuable work, "The Shepherd's Manual," says: " The Spanish Merino existed as a distinct race 2000 years ago, and the fine robes of the Roman Emperors were made from the wool of .Spanish flocks. There is no history or tradition as to their origin, which can be accepted as reasonable by any practical shepherd. It is probable, however, that the fine-wooled sheep, which we read of in the ancient histories, were rather the natural product of very favorable conditions of soil and climate, by which inferior races were greatly improved, than of any direct efforts to breed them up to a desired standard." That the Tarentine sheep were taken to Spain at a very early day, is proven by the early writers; but there is little doubt that Spain received, at the same time, acces- sions of African blood from the fine-wooled flocks of the Barbary States on the other side of the Mediterranean. Columella (an ancient rural economist and author of " De Re Rustica" — a copious treatise on agriculture, in twelve parts — who flourished about A. D. 20 to 40) informs us that his uncle (of the same name) took with him from Italy to Spain a consid- erable number of the Tarentine sheep; and that he also secured some African rams of singular beauty which had been exhibited at Rome. Pliny the younger refers to the "red fleece of Boetica" — an ancient district of Spain — in ternns of the highest praise, but as the sheep of this district have always retained the "red fleece" of which he speaks, and, as they have always differed — and still differ materially from the Merino breed, it is hardly probable that these sheep — sup- posed to be of Grecian nativity — had any important place in the immediate origin of the Merino. To the Atnerican breeder a close, accurate account of the precise origin of Merino sheep would be of considerable interest; but, unless some, as yet unfound, history may be discovered, the precise origin of the Merino will remain a matter of deduction MERINOS. 177 from circumstantial evidence. The Merino is certainly the oldest of surviving breeds, and as its authentic history is almost co-existent with the history of Spain we may for all practical purposes, and without further question as to its remote origin, regard it as a creation of Spanish breeders, who used the finest sheep of Italy and Africa, and were further assisted in improving the then native flocks by the natural adaptation of Spanish soil and climate to the rearing of fine-wooled sheep. When the flocks of Spain first came to be in great demand, there were found, then as now, two classes, known respectively as "esiantes" or stationary, and '■'■irans- humantes,^'' or migratory. The stationary flocks are those which remain in a certain district during the year; while the migratory class, on account of scarcity in food or water, make bi-yearly journeys in search of fresh pasture. From the latter class — generallv superior — most of the shipments to other coun- tries have been made. The French Merino originated from an importation of about 400 head of sheep, selected from the finest flocks of Spain, in 1786. A few had been imported to France nearly a century before this date by Jean Baptiste Colbert, Minister of Finance to Louis XIV, but they were not appreciated and were soon lost sight of. The importation of 400 head, mentioned above, was made by the French Gov- ernment during the reign of Louis XVI, and most of the sheep were placed on the Royal Farm at Rambouillet, where their improvement was carried on with consider- able success; it was from this circumstance that they derived the name " Rambouillet" sheep, by which they have been commonly known. The Merinos under French management increased in size and weight of fleece, but lost, to a great degree, the hardiness of their Spanish parents. The fleece was fine — fully equal to Spanish wool — and carried a much smaller quantity of yolk: this character, in connection with their increased size, made them quite popular for a time in America; the small quantity of yolk rendered the fleece much less subject to loss of weight in washing, but the sheep were soon found to be too tender for American conditions, and rapidly declined in favor. The Saxon Merino originated from a flock of 300 Spanish Merinos, of the Escurial family, sent in 1765, by King Louis XV, to Saxony, in response to the request of his brother-in-law Prince Xavier. The Escurial family of Spanish Merinos had always been noted as bearing the finest wool of any in the Kingdom ; and their Saxon breeders have carefully preserved this, the only really' valuable, feature of the breed. Saxon Merinos require great care and attention — being the least hardy of any of the modern Merinos — and, as they yield an average clip of not over two or three pounds, the higher price obtained for qualitv does not make up for the marked deficiency in weight of fleece. The German or Silesian Merino is the only one (except the American) of the Spanish branches which may be called a success. It is the direct result of uniting the Infantado and Negretti families of Spanish Merinos, and is as purely Spanish in its nature as if really Spanish bred. The original importation to Silesia was made in 1811, by Ferdinand Fischer of Wirchenblatt. This gentleman selected in person 100 Infantado ewes and four Negretti rams, and so carefully did he preserve the purity of the breed, that the pedigree of every sheep since the foundation of the flock has been recorded, and no trace of outside blood can be found. 178 MERINOS. Silesian Merinos from Mr. Fischer's flock were first imported to the United States about 1850-00, by WiUiam Chamberlain of Duchess Co., New Yorls;, in all some "250 head, and have since obtained considerable favor. The wool is liner than that of the Spanish Merino, and the carcass little if any smaller. They mature slowly, but are said to be hardy and fairl)' prolific. From this brief account of the Merino in other countries, we may pass to con- sider more in detail the modern families which have attained popularity on this side of the Atlantic. The American IMerino. The first importations of pure Spanish Merinos to the United States were soon lost sight of, through being mixed with other blood; but we give them in order, so far as possible, as being of interest to American breeders. About 1791 four Spanish rams were shipped to the United States, and one of them was used in the vicinity of Wilmington, Delaware, until 1808. In 1798 Hon. William Foster of Boston, imported from Cadiz two Merino ewes and one ram ; these sheep were presented to a friend, who, ignorant of their great value, killed and ate them. ( Mr. Foster, it is said, afterwards caught this same unfortunate friend in the act of paying $1,000.00 for a Merino ram, no better than the one he had eaten.) In 1802, however, the first importation of importance was made by Col. David Humphreys of Derby, Conn., then Minister to Spain; and from the flock then intro- duced the modern Atwoods, Dickinsons, and Black-Tops have sprung. Concerning this importation we quote from Vol. I of the Atwood Register : "Col. Humphreys made a contract with a gentleman to deliver one hundred Spanish Merino sheep at Lisbon. Ninety of these arrived at Derby, Conn., in the spring of 1803. In reference to this importation, Col. Humphreys says, in his miscellaneous papers: 'Convinced as I was that this race of sheep, of which I believe not one has been brought to the United States until the importation by myself, might be introduced with great benefit to our country, I cont-racted with a person of most respectable character to deliver me at Lisbon one hundred, composed of twenty-five rams and seventy- five ewes, from one to two years old. They were conducted across the country of Portugal by three Spanish shepherds with proper passports, and escorted by a small guard of Portuguese soldiers. On the 10th of April they were embarked from the Tagus on board the ship Perseverance, of 350 tons, Caleb Coggeshall, Master. In about fifty days twenty-one rams and seventy ewes were landed at Derby, Conn., they having been shipped at New York on board a sloop destined to that river. The nine which died were principally killed in consequence of bruises received by the violent rolling of the vessel on the Banks of Newfoundland.' " The second importation of importance — and the one which, by reason of its magnitude, has done most to stamp the character of American Merinos — was made in 1809-10, by William Jarvis of Vermont, then United States Consul at Lisbon. Stewart ("Shepherds' Manual"), referring to the Jarvis importation, says: " This consisted of 3850 sheep of the flocks of Paulars, Neggrettif , Aqueirres and Montarcos of Spain. These flocks, consisting of 50,000 head, had been, for political reasons, confiscated and sold by the Spanish Government, with other property of the four grandees who had owned them. Of the imported sheep, 1500 came to New York, 1000 to Boston, and the remainder to Philadelphia, Balti- more, Alexandria, Norfolk, Richmond, Portland, Wiccasset and Portsmouth. Another shipment of 2500 head followed in 1810, and were distributed between New York and Boston. These sheep were of the prime flocks of Spain, and Spain's loss was our gain." From the importations made by these two gentlemen — Col. Humphreys and Mr. 179 180 MERINOS. Jarvis — the American Alerino, with its numerous subdivisions or families, has arisen. From the United States Merino Sheep Register we take the following authori- tative DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: "There must be a perfectly authenticated line of ancestry extending to one or more of the im- portations of Merino sheep from Spain, made prior to 1812, without admixture of any other blood. The constitution is indicated by a heathful countenance; expanded nostril; short, strong neck; deep chest; round barrel; strong, short back; strong loin; heavy bone of fine texture; muscle fine and firm, and skin thick, soft and of a pink color. " Under the term fieece must be included quantity, quality and condition of the wool, as shown by the weight of fleece, the length and strength of staple, crimp, fineness and trueness of fibre, even- ness throughout, freedom from gare, and the fluidity and amount of yolk. "The term covering includes the extent and evenness of the fleece over the whole body, legs, belly, neck and head; the quality, lustre, crimp, density and length of wool, and the quantity and kind of oil or yolk. The shoulders should be well placed; back broad; quarters long and well filled up; head short; folds in the neck, elbow, flank, belly, thighs and tail. " Rams at full growth, in breeding condition, should weigh 130 lbs. or upwards, and ewes about 100 lbs. The head should be of medium size ; muzzle clear ; nose (or face) covered with short, glossy, furry hair; eyes bright and placid ; forehead broad ; ears soft, thick and set wide apart; ewes hornless; horns on the ram well turned (set not to closely to the head and neck, nor yet standing out too wide), and free from black or dark colored streaks. The neck should be short on top and long below ; strongly set to the head and shoulders, becoming deeper toward the shoulders; folds heavier under- neath and extending up the sides of the neck, including heavy dewlap and apron. The legs should be short, straight, well spread apart, and bone heavy; hoofs clear in color, and well shaped. General appearance should be bold and vigorous with symmetrical form, and proper complexion of covering." The following Scale of Points, for American Merinos, should be used in connec- tion with abo\e: Blood 20 I F..rw;ird 81 Constitution 18 ! Head (y Fleece 13 i Neck 5 Covering 13 Form 9 •Size 8 Legs and Feet 4 General Appearance 4 Perfection 100 Forward 81 In the South, the Merinos are better known than anv other breed of sheep; the fact of their continued breeding for centuries in the hot, dry climate of Spain, and the further fact — or perhaps we should say supposition — of a remote ancestry from the still warmer latitude of northern Africa, has fitted them especially for the warm, dry, elevated regions of the Southwest. It must be borne in mind, however, that the Merinos do not come in conflict, in an\' jDarticular, with the heavier sheep of the Down and Long-wool tribes. The mission of the Merino is to furnish wool, and that, too, of the finest qualitv ; and for this purpose he stands, admittedlv, ^vithout a rival. Of the more prominent strains of Merinos, now known in the Laiited States, we have thought best to give a short account, in order named, of the Atwoods, Paulars, Dickinsons, Black-Tops and Delaines. It will be remembered that we are not writing from the standpoint of a biased or partisan breeder: our statements are intended to do MERINOS. 181 ^m^?m^ ^ii ^^-%.^.-. ^^j» 182 MERINOS. simple justice to each, and if we fail in this the blame cannot, at least, be imputed to any malicious purpose on the part of the Author. The Atwoods. The origin of the Atwood family may be given, in brief, by the following quota- tion from Rules of Entry to the Register of the Vermont Atwood Merino Sheep Club: "Descendants of sheep purchased from Stephen Atwood, or vouched for by him as pure descen- dants of the Humphrey's importation, and no other may be entered in the Register on proving either ancestral purchase from Stephen Atwood, or their direct descent through the importations of W. S. and Edwin Hammond, R. P. Hall, W. R. Sanford, and C. B. Cook from his flock, to the satis- faction of the Executive Board." The flock of Stephen Atwood was founded in 1813, when he purchased of John Riggs a six-year-old ewe, raised by Col. Humphreys, out of one of his imported ewes. Mr. Atwood's account of his sheep — and which is attested by reliable gentlemen who were familiar with them — is given as follows in the Atwood Register: "I bred the Riggs ewe and her progeny to rams I knew to be of pure Humphreys blood, till 1819," and at that time he states : " I bought from the Leman Stone flock, that he raised from Col. i«s»#i«#ia PURE-BRED ATWOOD MERINO RAM, CLINGSTONE 2nd, 40I. Weight of third fleece, 30 lbs.; sold to Soulh Aiiieric;i, issli; bred by George Hamm.imd, >riddlebiiry, Vt. Humphreys' flock, five ewe lambs that I selected; and with these five lambs and the ewe I bought first, I have raised my flock of sheep." While Mr. Atwood was fortunate enough to preserve the blood in its original purity, to Edwin Hammond belongs the credit for most of the great improvement which the Atwood sheep have undergone. Mr. Hammond was born in Middlebury, MEKINOS. 183 Vermont, May 20th, ISOl, ami lived within a short distance of his birthplace until his death, Dec. 31st, 1870. He was a man of excellent judgment, and is placed by some on an equal footing with Bakewell (of Leicester fame) as an improver of sheep. The Hammond sheep are directly descended from the flocks of Stephen Atwood, and thus it happens that on proof of Hammond breeding, the purity of blood is at once accepted, and the animal admitted to record. DESCIUl'TION AND CHARACTERISTICS: No authoritative scale of points or standard description has been adopted by the club, but the following points may be stated in brief, as distinctive of the Atwood sheep : They are large, round bodied and strong boned; very heavy shearers — a clip of 24 or 25 pounds for rams being not uncommon; the fleece is very dense, and although abundantly supplied with a liquid yolk (natural oil) it exhibits little tendency to crust externally: when parted, the wavy crimps of the wool may be seen to the very tips of the fibre, and the coloring is a rich buff tint — one of the points for which Mr. Hammond bred in particular. The skin, as will be seen from the illustration, is strongly marked by folds ("wrinkly") at both neck and rump — a peculiarity even more strongly marked in the next family — (Paulars). The sheep are hardy, and the rams have been extensively used for grading up the mixed flocks of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The Paulars. Concerning the history of the Paular Merino family, and its present status, as compared with the other recognized strains, we have thought best to give — without comment — the views of the acknowledged leader among Paular breeders in America, Mr. Jno. P. Ray, Hemlock Lake, N. Y. We have decided upon this course for sev- eral reasons, chief among which stands the fact that Mr. Ray is known to be a careful breeder, and, although undoubtedly somewhat partisan in his views, a thorough student of all literature bearing upon the history of sheep. Replying to our request, he writes as follows: " Probably the most noted of all the Spanish flocks were the Paulars, Infantados, Escurials, Guadaloupes, Negrettis, Montarcos and Aquierres. We have no authentic history to show how- marked and well defined were the differences that existed between these families; there is a general belief among sheep men, that the Escurials were the finest fleeced of all the Spanish flocks; the Negrettis, the wrinkliest, and the Paulars, the hardiest, best formed and heaviest folded in the neck. * * * * Col. David Humphreys [see Atwoods] left no records benind to show from what flock or flocks he obtained his sheep; Consul Jarvis, who went to Spain soon after, made a great effort to learn this fact but without success. Stephen Atwood, the distinguished Connecticut breeder who lived near Col. Humphreys, wrote Gen. Otto F. Marshal, Wheeler, N. Y., in 1884 that Col. Humphreys' sheep were of the Paular breed. That Edwin Hammond, the great improver of Merino sheep (Atwoods), was of the same opinion, the following certificates witness: "' MiDDLEBCRY, Vt., September 23d, 1847. "'This may certify that I have this day sold to D. P. Pond of Cornwall, State aforesaid, six full- blood Merino ewes — four of them being of the age of one year, and one of them bearing the age of two years. Said sheep are of the Paular breed, a part of them being purchased by myself and R. P. Hall of Stephen Atwood of Connecticut, and the other portions of said sheep were raised by me and are precisely the same in pedigree as those purchased of Mr. Atwood. As I bred them pure from said Atwood sheep, I will here insert a certificate whrsii I obtained of Mr. Atwood and reads as follows : 184 '"Woodbury, LitchBeM, Co., Conn., Jan. 37th, 1844. '"This may certify that Edwin Hammond and R. P. Hall of Addison Co., State of Vermont, have this day purchased of me three full-blood Merino bucks and of me and others, 27 full-blood Merino ewes, descendants from my flock of the Paular breed, which originated from the celebrated fiock imported by Col. Humphreys of Derby, New Haven County, State of Connecticut. (Signed by Stephen Atwood.) ' Edwin Hammond.' "(These certificates were published in the Country GeH//e/«(7« of Aug 24th, 1865 ; the original, given by Mr. Hammond, was carried to the Country Gentleman office by a deputation of Vermont breeders of whom the venerable S. S. Rockwell, West Cornwall, was chairman.) " Other Paular Blood. — Consul Jarvis, hitherto mentioned, sent out from Spain 1400 sheep of this breed. His flock which he established at Wethersfield, Vermont, and bred in separate and distinct blood lines for several years and subsequently mixed all together in breeding, was originally composed of about one-half Paulars, one quarter Aquierres, and the other fourth Escurials, Negrettis, and Montarcos. "Andrew Cocks, Flushing, Long Island, purchased 800 head of sheep from the different cargoes PURE-BRED PAULAR MERINO RAM. Property of Jxo. P. K.w, Hemlock Lake, X. Y. sent in, and history and tradition sustain the fact that his purchases consisted of Paulars which he selected with great care. He bred the flock pure down to 1823, when it was sold to Jehiel Beedle, on account of Leonard Beedle and Hon. Charles Rich of Shoreham, Vermont. At the time of the sale to the Vermont parties, it is claimed that some of the imported sheep were still in the flock, and carried the original Spanish ear-marks. It would occupy too much space to reproduce the certificates given by Effingham Lawrence, John T. Rich, F. H. Jennison, Charles A. Hurlbut, Jaspar Barnum and Levi Rockwood, all going to show that the Cocks flock were of the Paular family, and were certified to be such in the Bill of Sale given by Cocks to Beedle. We refer the reader to Moore's Rural Ne-w Torker of August 5th, 1865, where the certificates may be found. "The Rich branch of the Cocks sheep was bred for several years in the Cocks blood-lines, then it was crossed to a ram bred by Consul Jarvis, and later still with the blood of Stephen Atwood's MERINOS. 185- flock. From this flock was descended the celebrated flock of V. Rich, Richville, Vt., and the flocks of the late Tyler Siickney and Erastus Robinson, Shoreham, Vt. — the blood of which is now widely dispersed throughout the country. "About 1840, David and German Cutting purchased about 80 ewes and 2 rams that were bred by, or descended from, the flocks of David Buffum, Reuse Potter, David I. Bailey and Geo. Irish of Newport, Rhode Island. It is claimed that these sheep were descended from the importations of Paul Cuffe and Richard Crowineshield and were without doubt consignments of Consul Jarvis. Messrs. Cutting bred these sheep to rams of Robinson and Rich and Atwood blood, and wherever this blood has found its way it has been crossed without reference to maintaining the original Rhode Island strains — hence but a small fraction of that blood remains in the Cutting blood-lines wherever found. " In 1844, Jacob X. Blakeslee of Watertown, Conn , wrote a letter for publication in the Culli- vator, published at Albany, N. Y., in which he claimed his sheep to be of Negretti, Montarco and Escurial blood. " It may be assumed that our improved American Merino flocks are, substantially, if not wholly, descended from the foregoing named blood-lines, with the Blakeslee blood, at most, in a very limitedi degree. For more than 40 years a class of our breeders have claimed a family of sheep descended purely from the flocks of the Atwoods of Connecticut, and have claimed a distinction in title and breeding. In view of this circumstance, and the fact that all other pure-bred Merinos partake largely of the Paular blood, they have been very generally alluded to as ' Improved Paulars,' ' Mixed Paulars,'' and 'American Paulars,' which last name or title, I hope, will be generally adopted. " The most successful breeders of these sheep have aimed to secure type and quality in their flocks, and have placed this above any special line of descent from importation, or from any one of the earlier flocks. In pursuing their course of breeding they have made use of the best specimens of' the breed, and as a rule have avoided too close in-and-in breeding, and have achieved results unat- tained elsewhere when measured by high, sure weight of carcass, or weight of fleece — either gross or scoured. The aim has been to produce a well formed and symmetrical animal, of constitutional vigor, carrying a dense, oily fleece of good quality tliroughout. Folds or wrinkles have been culti- vated in a marked degree, and an amount of oil secured in the fleece that many have thought to be extravagant in the extreme; yet sheep of this class have made great improvement on the common wool-growing flocks — the wrinkles contributing toward density of fleece and covering, and the oil' proving interchangeable with wool product. "The accompanying Scale of Points will enable one to understand the points of excellence esteemed by breeders. A ram takes standard rank by making a score of 75 points, and a record at public shearing of 25 lbs. fleece and 110 lbs. carcass. "SCALE OF POINTS FOR STOCK RAM: " Bone 5- Physical development and general appearance lO Head broad, nose wrinkly and face covered with soft velvety coat 5 Neck, short, broad, muscular, well set on shoulders 5 Shoulder, massive as to depth and breadth 5 Back, level, straight — Ribs, rotund 5 Hips, broad and long 5- Fore-legs, straight, well set apart 3 Hind-legs, straight and set so as to give a perpendicular appearance to hind parts 5 Ear, soft, thick and velvety 2 Color of nose, ears and hoofs, pure white 5 Wrinkles on neck heavy, pendulous 5 Wrinkles across arm and point of shoulder on side and running well under 5 Tail, hip folds and flank 5 Density of fleece on neck 3^ " " " " back 3 For-K'tird 7(> 186 MERINOS. Forivard 76 Density of fleece on side 3 " " " " hip and extending to ilanlc 3 " " belly 3 ' Crown of head or cap 3 Cheek 2 Foreleg 3 Arm-pits 2 Covering. \ Hindleg 2 Inside of flank 3 Connection between tag wool and belly 1 Fibre to indicate, as 'fine,' 'jnedium' and 'coarse.' Oil, as 'buff' and 'white.' Perfection 100 " The illustration represents the ram "Prince Bismark," a famous prize winner of the Paular family, that was never beaten in the show ring. In full fleece he weighed ,200 lbs., and yielded a fleece, of one year's growth, of 35 lbs. 9'/^ oz. The Dickinsons : Concerning the origin of this strain of Merino blood, we may say : Mr. Thos. Rotch purchased from Col. Humphreys (Derby, Connecticut) some of the latter's pure-bred Spanish Merinos, imported in 1802, and took them to Stark County, Ohio, about the year 1810. W. R. Dickinson — from whom the family takes its name — lived at Steubenville, Ohio, but had large landed possessions in Stark County, and soon secured the entire flock of pure-bred Merinos as his own. The sheep were bred with scrupulous care as to purity of blood, and under Mr. Dickinson's skillful manage- ment soon reached a high state of improvement. After the death of Mr. Dickinson (1831) Adam Heldenbrand became the owner of all the pure-bred Humphreys sheep which Mr. Dickinson had bred, and from him was secured the nucleus which formed the flock of James McDowell. As we shall mention imder the next topic an apparent conflict of statements between breeders of Dickinsons and Black Tops, it may be well to make the follow- ing extract from a published letter, written by James McDowell in 1884, in which Dickinson breeders find their authority to deny a Humphreys origin for the Black Top sheep; the last statement is the one referred to: " W. R. Dickinson, of Steubenville, Jeffei-son Co., O., in the early part of this centurv, com- menced the breeding of a small flock of pure Merino sheep that were imported from Spain in the year 1803, bv Col. David Humphreys of Derby, New Haven County, Connecticut. These he secured through the agency of Thomas Rotcli, an eminent and enterprising citizen of Connecticut, who migrated from that State to .Stark County, O., in the early part of this century, bringing with him the first large flock of Spanish Merinos into Ohio. "These sheep were bought direct of Col. Humphreys, which was learned by my personal acquaintance with Mr. Dickinson, Thomas Rotch and his shepherd, John Hall, who brought the sheep from Connecticut to Ohio. " The sheep wliich Mr. Dickinson secured were kept at Steubenville, O., for a few years, and were the origin of his entirely purebred Merinos, descended directly from sheep imported bv Col. Humphreys from Spain in 1802. "These were distinctly marked, and separately kept. Mr. Dickinson stated in the latter years of his life that he never sold any of the ewes descended from his own pure-bred flock, his sales being of ewes purchased throughout the country^a grade of well-bred Merino flocks or '.hose descended therefrom, in which he dealt extensively." 187 188 MERINOS. Dickinson Merinos, eligible to entry in the Dickinson Merino Sheep Record,, must trace their descent to the standard bred flock of James McDowell, Canton, Stark Co., Ohio (without admixture of impure blood), which flock, as we have already men- tioned, was directly descended from the Humphreys importation of 1802, through the famous flock of W. R. Dickinson. The following, adopted by the Association, may be accepted as a standard description: " Body deep, round, wide and long, showing mutton capacity, good feeding and tliriving qualities,^ heavy, thick flesh, straight under and top lines, well proportioned, filling every part of its skin when fully matured. Skin thick, soft, not raised in corrugations, pink red. Head small, carried high. Quiet, placid eye. Nose white, not mottled, covered with fine soft white hair, wide and slightly arched. Ears short, thick, covered with fine, glossy hair. Horns small, neatly curved, light yellow color; better without any horns. Neck short, arched in under and on top, the base very strong. Shoulders wide, deep, rounded, breast bone projecting forward of front limb. Back straight, wide, ribs extending out horizontal from spinal column, rounding in line with shoulders, extending close back to hips. Loins strong, wide. Hips wide, long. Thighs wide, thick flesh extending close down to hock joints. Limbs short, bone heavy, joints smooth and flat, the contour of, to show perpendicular lines from elbow and stifle joints to center of hoofs, and from base of tail to center of a straight line drawn horizontally from caps of hock joints, when standing erect on limbs. Hoofs deep, thin, white; texture tough and elastic. Fleece smooth, even, dense, soft to the touch. Staple three to five inches, fibres- glossy, crimped. Quality XX, XXX or above, fine. Quantity, Rams 15 to 25 lbs., ewes 10 to 15 lbs.,, unwashed wool, covering entire body with even length and grade, except parts injuring thrift and comfort of sheep, entirely free from gum and hair. Oil very fluid, white or nearly so, enough to preserve the wool and rising to outer ends of fibres. Size of full grown rams 200 lbs., and ewes 150 lbs. Internal organs strong. Mature early, 2^ years." The following Scale of Points — also adopted by the Association — should be used in connection with above description: Skin 4 Forward 49' Head 4 Hoofs 4 Nose 3 Smoothness of fleei. e 6 Ears 3 Staple 4 Horns 3 Quality of fletce 6 Neck 4 Quantity of flt-ece 6 Shoulders 5 Covering 8 Back 8 Oil 5 Loins 3 Size of animal 5 Hips o Internal organs 4 Thighs 4 Maturity 3 Perfection 100 Legs 5 Forward 49 Dickinson Merinos are now favorably known in many parts of the United States. The Record Association was organized in May, 1884. Mr. H. G. McDowell, son of James McDowell, is the present active and efficient Secretary. The Black Tops: This family, if the claims of its breeders are correct, fin-nishes a good example of change wrought by slow, steady purpose in one direction — the Black-Top Merinos 190 MERINOS. being placed before the public as lineal descendants of the Dickinsons — just described — and through them of the original Humphreys importation in 1802. Referring to preceding topic, will be found the Dickinson breeders' claim, that W. R. Dickinson never sold any of his Humphreys sheep. If this can be proven, it will leave the Black-Tops with a broken link in their chain of genealogy. We do not under- take to decide the case, but give both statements, and invite the reader to draw his own conclusions, or investigate further on his own responsibility. Concerning the change, or, as the breeders of Black-Tops have it — improvement in these sheep of Dickinson descent, we may say : In 1821, Wm. Berry, of Washington County, Pa., purchased a choice ram and a number of ewes from W. R. Dickinson's flock; and according to Vol. I of the Black-Top Register, Mr. Berry was assured and satisfied that these sheep were directly descended from the original Humphreys' im- portation made in 1802. Without discussing this question further, it is certain that Mr. Berry strictly carried out his purpose to breed within the flock and make all improve- ment by selection and care. In 1847 he rented his farm and sold his flock to his two sons — William and Matthew — himself moving to Canonsburg, Pa., where he remained until his death, Dec. 26th, 1866. In the experience of both Mr. Berry and his sons, it was noticed that the sheep with darkest "tops" were the largest and made the best records in shearing. They also found that the darker sheep were more hardy, and better able to endure the rough winter weather of that latitude than were those of lighter cast. It is believed that Mr. Berry was the first to apply the name "Black- Tops," and that he did so to distinguish them from the light colored, delicate Saxon Merinos, which, for a time, were bred in the vicinity. By permission of the Secretary, W. G. Berry, of Houstonville, Pa., we make the following authoritative extracts from Vol. I of the Black-Top Spanish Merino Sheep Register. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: " Constitution, indicated by physical development ; deep and large in the breast and through the heart; broad back: very heavy square quarters; skin of fine texture, and pinkish in color; expansive nostril; brilliant eye; healthful countenance; and good feeders. " In good condition, with fleece of five months growth, full grown rams should weigh not less than 175 pounds, and ewes not less than 125 pounds. " Head carried well up; standing squarely on feet and legs; well rounded body, showing in all points symmetry of form; body throughout heavy boned, well proportioned in length; smooth joints, ribs starting horizontally from the back bone, and well around to breast bone; breast bone, wide, strong and prominent in front; strong, straight, and heavy back bone; heavy, muscular quarters; shoulders broad and flat; muscles firm and heavy, and body entirely free from folds. There may be a slight throatiness, and a small dewlap — smaller on the ewes than on the rams. " The head should be wide, with clear bright eyes and prominent ears. Ewes should give no appearance of horns, while upon the rams, the horns should be well developed, clear in color, and symmetrically curved. " Neck very heavy, especially with the rams, deepening towards the shoulder. Legs medium in length, set well apart, with well shaped, medium sized feet. The body and legs to the knees, covered with medium or fine wool, extending well forward between the eyes. Fleece should be compact, but should open freely — showing a length (at twelve months growth) of not less than three inches, and the oil (yolk) must be white, flowing freely from skin to surface, and form on the exterior a uniform dark coating." MICIUNOS. U)l Tlic followiun' >l;iiul;iril Stall.' (if I'oint-- should lie umhI In ciiiUKi.ii(in w illi ihe above : " Constitution 15 Forward 64 Size 12 Covering 8 General appearance 3 Quality of fleece 7 Body 15 Density of fleece 7 I lead 5 Length of staple 8 Neck 4 Oil Legs and feet 10 '' IVrfcction 100" Forward 04 7'//c Delaines : Tlic iirij^in (if this famiU is of rcci'iit dale, Miul has j^idwii (nil of a rdiiliiiiu-d and steady demand for what is known as Delaine wools. Just what eunstitntes De- laine wool is rather hard to detnie, luil Ihe process of mainifaclure rcqtiircs combing; instead of carding — the fibres beinj;; laid parallel with each other, and spim at full length in the yarn. To Mr. E. R. Miidgc, of Hoston, Mass. — now deceased — belongs most of the credit for foimding this branch of textile indnstry, and to the breeders, who aimed to supply the demand thus created \\ i- tinn lo lind the origin of the Delaine Merino Sheep. It is claimed that no dii]) inbreeding has been practiced, and that the sheep are, therefore, free from all laini of weakness so frequently traced to incestuous breeding. On the other band it is slaU-d, that nothing but the pm-est Merino blood has ever been introduced, and lo i\plain Ihe seeming contradiction, we- may say in brief, that the Delaine Merino has been produced by a careful system of crossing the pure Spanish with the American Hlack-Top Merino. The original .Span- ish foimdation for the Delaines was largely made up of sheep descended from an importation made in 1820, by Richard W. Meade — at that time Minister to Spain. These sheep were first stationed near Philadelphia, but were afterwards sent to Wash- ington County, Pa., w here their choicest descendants have since been bred. DKSCKIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: The fieece presents a uniformly smooth surface, dark on the outer end of wooU but a "black-top" — caused by excess or sticky character of yolk, and consecitient clogging up with dirt to form an outer crust — is considered a great objection. The natm-al oil or yolk should be freely liquid, not gummy, showing an even w bite color, and rising to the top of the dense, fine covering. The staple (fibre) is of good length, averaging from tw o and a-half to three inches in wool of one year's growth, covering the body and legs to Ihe knees. The animal is of good size, mature ram* weighing about 150 pounds, antl ewes about 100 pounds — with a vigorous constitu- tion and a carcass for mutton, which, in a fine wool sheep, is surprising. To illustrate their mutton capacity, we clip the following from Ihe issue of April, 1S84, National Stockman, published at East Liberty, -Pa. : " Among the sheep sold here this week, there was a car-load of fine wool wethers, something^ under three years old, averaging 114|^ pounds. They were of the Delaine Merino family, were raised and fed by James McClelland, of Canonsburg, Pa., and brought seven cents per pound, a price which shows that they found high favor among the butchers." 192 MERINOS HORNED DORSETS. 193 The following Scale of" Points, condciisccl from the National Delaine Merino Register^ has been adopted by the Association, and is now in use by its members: Constitution 10 Forward 54 Heavy round heart <) Foot 10 Neck <) Length of staple 8 Dewlap 5 Density of fleece 8 Back 8 Darkish cast on to() 5 Ribs 5 Opening up white 5 Legs Good flow of white oil 5 Bone 8 Good crimp in staple 5 Forward 54 Perfection 100 The Delaines, as well as the Black-Tops and Dickinsons (see illustrations), are smooth, no folds, only a fulness at the throat being permitted. Their breeders make no pretense of "line-pure" descent from a single sheep or a single flock, but on the contrary, are rather proud of having secured in combination, the blood of the best (in their judgment) flocks in America and Spain. CHAPTER XlilV. HORNED DORSETS. As far back as we have any record this breed of sheep has existed in the shire of Dorset, England. From the fact that the old Dorset resembled the old Spanish Merino, it has been thought that the former may have descended from the latter; the resemblance, however, was only in form and external appearance — the properties of the two breeds being entirely different. In this connection we quote Professor Low (1842): "While the Merinos are bad nurses the Dorsets are the most productive of milk of any of our races of sheep. In the broad loins of this race, we have the same external character which, in the case of the cow, indicates the faculty of yielding abundant milk. The remarkable fecundity of these sheep has given rise to the supposition that they are derived from some warmer country where the females bring forth twice in the year. We have, however, no evidence of this fact, and may accord- ingly believe that the property is one which is due to situation, although the peculiar circumstances, whether of climate or food, which gave rise to it may escape our observation." The breed is not well known in America, but there are several breeders of con- siderable prominence, both in the United States and Canada; and, during the last five or six years, they have pushed forward the Dorsets with great success. We do not know of any Dorsets in the South, but see no reason why they would not prove of value, especially in the higher portions of the Texas "Panhandle" region. DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS: Color of face and legs, white; head fine, rather long, and supplied with horns in 194 HORNED DORSETS. ii<)nxi:i) i)()r