CHARACTERISTICS OF VARIOUS BREEDS.
The inquiry is frequently made, what is the best breed of cattle,
sheep, &c., for general use. In reply it may be said that no breed can
by any possibility fulfill all requirements in the best possible
manner; one is better for meat and early maturity, another for milk,
another for wool, and so on. Because under certain circumstances it
may be necessary or advisable for a man to serve as his own builder,
tailor, tanner and blacksmith, it by no means follows that all which
is required will be as well, or as easily done, as by a division of
labor. So it is better for many reasons, and more profit can be made,
by employing different breeds for different purposes, than by using
one for all, and towards such profitable employment we should
constantly aim. At the same time there is a large class of farmers so
situated that they cannot keep distinct breeds, and yet wish to employ
them for different uses, and whose requirements will best be met by a
kind of cattle, which, without possessing remarkable excellence in any
one direction, shall be sufficiently hardy, the oxen proving docile
and efficient laborers for a while, and then turn quickly into good
beef upon such food as their farms will produce, the cows giving a
fair quantity and quality of milk for the needs of the family and
perhaps to furnish a little butter and cheese for market.
Before proceeding to answer the inquiry more definitely, it may be
well to remark further, that among the facts of experience regarding
cattle, sheep and horses, nothing is better established than that no
breed can be transferred from the place where it originated, and to
which it was suited, to another of unlike surface, climate and
fertility, and retain equal adaptation to its new situation, nor can
it continue to be what it was before. It must and will vary. The
influence of climate alone, aside from food and other agencies in
causing variation, is so great that the utmost skill in breeding, and
care in all other respects, cannot wholly control its modifying
effects.
It is also pretty well established that no breed brought in from
abroad can be fully as good, _other things being equal_, as one
indigenous to the locality, or what approximates the same thing, as
one, which by being reared through repeated generations on the spot
has become thoroughly acclimated; so that the presumption is strongly
in favor of _natives_.
When we look about us however, we find, if we except the Morgan
horses, nothing which deserves the name of indigenous breeds or races.
The cattle and sheep known as "natives" are of mixed foreign origin,
and have been bred with no care in selection, but crossed in every
possible way. They possess no fixed hereditary traits, and although
among them are many of very respectable qualities, and which possess
desirable characteristics, they cannot be relied upon _as breeders, to
produce progeny of like excellence_. Instead of constancy, there is
continual variation, and frequent "breeding back," exhibiting the
undesirable traits of inferior ancestors. That a breed might be
established from them, by careful selection continued during repeated
generations, aided perhaps by judicious crossing with more recent
importations, fully as good as any now existing, is not to be doubted.
Very probably, a breed for dairy purposes might be thus created which
should excel any now existing in Europe, for some of our so called
native cows, carelessly as they have been bred, are not surpassed by
any of foreign origin upon which great care has been expended. To
accomplish this is an object worthy the ambition of those who possess
the skill, enthusiasm, ample means and indomitable perseverance
requisite to success. But except the single attempt of Col. Jaques, of
the Ten Hills Farm, to establish the Creampot breed,[24] of which, as
little has been heard since his death, it is fair to presume that it
has dropped into the level of common grade cattle, no systematic and
continued effort has come to our knowledge. Consequently such as may
be deemed absolutely the best is a thing of the future; they do not
yet exist--and there is no probability that the desideratum will soon
be attained. We Yankees are an impatient people; we dislike to wait,
for any thing, or to invest where five, ten, twenty or fifty years may
be expected to elapse before satisfactory dividends may be safely
anticipated.
Still, if all would begin to-day, to use what skill and judgment they
have, or can acquire, in breeding only from the best of such as they
have, coupling with reference to their peculiarities, and consigning
to the butcher as fast as possible every inferior animal, and if, in
addition, they would do what is equally necessary, namely, improve
their general treatment as much as lies in their power, there would
result an immediate, a marked and a steadily progressive improvement
in stock. To the acclimation or Americanization already acquired,
would be added increased symmetry of form and greater value in many
other respects. This is within the power of every man, and whatever
else he may be obliged to leave undone, for want of ability, none
should be content to fall short of this. Those who have the command of
ample means will of course desire that improvement should be as rapid
as possible. They will endeavor at once to procure well bred animals,
or in other words, such as already possess the desired qualities so
thoroughly inwrought into their organization that they can rely with a
good degree of confidence on their imparting them to their progeny.
It may be well to allude here to a distinction between breeds and
races. By _breeds_, are understood such varieties as were originally
produced by a cross or mixture, like the Leicester sheep for example,
and subsequently established by selecting for breeding purposes only
the best specimens and rejecting all others. In process of time
deviations become less frequent and greater uniformity is secured; but
there remains a tendency, greater or less in proportion to the time
which elapses and the skill employed in selection, to resolve itself
into its original elements, to breed back toward one or other of the
kinds of which it was at first composed.
By _races_, are understood such varieties as were moulded to their
peculiar type by natural causes, with no interference of man, no
intermixture of other varieties, and have continued substantially the
same for a period beyond which the memory and knowledge of man does
not reach. Such are the North Devon cattle, and it is fortunate that
attention was drawn to the merits of this variety before facilities
for inter-communication had so greatly increased as of late, and while
yet the race in some districts remained pure. All that breeders have
done to better it, is by selections and rejections from within itself;
and so, much improvement has been effected without any adulteration.
Consequently we may anticipate that so long as no crossing takes
place, there will be little variation.
Among the established breeds of cattle the IMPROVED SHORT-HORNS are
the most fashionable, and the most widely diffused; and where the
fertility of the soil, and the climate, are such as to allow the
development of their peculiar excellencies, they occupy the highest
rank as a meat-producing breed. Their beef is hardly equal in quality
to that of the Devons, Herefords or Scots, the fat and lean being not
so well mixed together and the flesh of coarser grain. But they
possess a remarkable tendency to lay on fat and flesh, attaining
greater size and weight, and coming earlier to maturity than any other
breed. These properties, together with their symmetry and stately
beauty, make them very popular in those counties of England, where
they originated, and wherever else they have been carried, provided
their surroundings are such as to meet their wants. In the rich
pastures of Kentucky and in some other parts of the west, they seem as
much at home as on the banks of the Tees, and are highly and
deservedly esteemed. The Short-horns have also been widely and
successfully used to cross with most other breeds, and with inferior
mixed cattle, as they are found to impress strongly upon them their
own characteristics.
Without entering into the question of its original composition, or of
its antiquity, regarding both of which much doubt exists, it may
suffice here to say, that about a hundred years ago, Charles Colling
and others entered zealously and successfully into an attempt to
improve them by careful breeding, in whose hands they soon acquired a
wide spread fame and brought enormous prices; and the sums realized
for choice specimens of this breed from that time to the present, have
been greater than for those of any other. Much of their early
notoriety was due to the exhibition of an ox reared by Charles Colling
from a common cow by his famous bull "Favorite," and known as the
"Durham" ox, and also as the "Ketton" ox, (both which names have since
then been more or less applied to the breed, but which are now mostly
superceded by the original and more appropriate one of Short-horn,)
which was shown in most parts of England and Scotland from 1801 to
1807, and whose live weight was nearly four thousand pounds, and which
was at one time valued for purposes of exhibition as high as $10,000.
The old Teeswater cattle were remarkably deep milkers, and although it
does not appear that good grazing points necessarily conflict with
excellence for the dairy, the fact is, that as improvement in feeding
qualities was gained, the production of milk in most cases fell off;
and although some families at the present time embrace many excellent
milkers, the majority of them have deteriorated in this respect about
in proportion to the improvement effected as meat-producing animals.
The earlier Short-horns introduced into this country were from the
very best milking families, and their descendants have usually proved
valuable for dairy purposes--but many of those more recently imported
are unlike them in this respect. By crossing the males upon the common
cows of the country the progeny inherited increased size and symmetry
of form, more quiet dispositions, greater aptitude to feed and earlier
maturity. Notwithstanding the prejudices with which they were at first
received, they gradually rose in estimation, more of them have been
introduced than of any other breed, and probably more of the
improvement which has taken place in cattle for the last forty years
is due to them than to any other; yet _as a pure breed they are not
adapted to New England wants_. Their size is beyond the ability of
most farms to support profitably: crossed upon such as through neglect
in breeding, scanty fare and exposure were bad feeders, too small in
size, and too slow in growth, they effected great improvement in all
these respects; and this improvement demanded and encouraged the
bestowal of more food and better treatment, and so they
prospered;--inheriting their constitutions chiefly from the hardy and
acclimated dams, the grades were by no means so delicate and sensitive
as the pure bred animals to the cold and changes of a climate very
unlike that of the mild and fertile region where they originated.
The lethargic temperament characteristic of the Short-horn and which
in the grades results in the greater quietness and docility so highly
valued, necessarily unfits them for active work; pure bred animals
being altogether too sluggish for profitable labor. This temperament
is inseparably connected with their aptitude to fatten and early
maturity, and these both demand abundant and nutritious food beyond
the ability of many to supply and at the same time are incompatible
with the activity of habit and hard service demanded of the working
ox.
The NORTH DEVONS are deemed to be of longer standing than any other of
the distinct breeds of England, and they have been esteemed for their
good qualities for several centuries. Mr. George Turner, a noted
breeder of Devons, describes them as follows:--"Their color is
generally a bright red, but varying a little either darker or more
yellow; they have seldom any white except about the udder of the cow
or belly of the bull, and this is but little seen. They have long
yellowish horns, beautifully and gracefully curved, noses or muzzles
white, with expanded nostrils, eyes full and prominent, but calm, ears
of moderate size and yellowish inside, necks rather long, with but
little dewlap, and the head well set on, shoulders oblique with small
points or marrow bones, legs small and straight and feet in
proportion. The chest is of moderate width, and the ribs round and
well expanded, except in some instances, where too great attention has
been paid to the hind quarters at the expense of the fore, and which
has caused a falling off, or flatness, behind the shoulders. The loins
are first rate, wide, long and full of flesh, hips round and of
moderate width; rumps level and well filled at the bed; tail full near
the rump and tapering much at the top. The thighs of the cows are
occasionally light, but the bull and ox are full of muscle, with a
deep and rich flank. On the whole there is scarcely any breed of
cattle so rich and mellow in its touch, so silky and fine in its hair,
and altogether so handsome in its appearance, as the North Devon,
added to which they have a greater proportion of weight in the most
valuable joints and less in the coarse, than any other breed, and also
consume less food in its production.
As milkers they are about the same as most other breeds;--the general
average of a dairy of cows being about one pound of butter per day
from each cow during the summer months, although in some instances the
very best bred cows give a great deal more.
As working oxen they greatly surpass any other breed. They are
perfectly docile and excellent walkers, are generally worked until
five or six years old, and then fattened at less expense than most
other oxen."
The author of the report on the live stock shown at the exhibition of
the Royal Agricultural Society at Warwick in 1859 (Mr. Robert Smith)
says:
"Although little has been written on it, the improvement of the Devon
has not been neglected; on the contrary, its breeding has been studied
like a science, and carried into execution with the most sedulous
attention and dexterity for upwards of two hundred years. The object
of the Devon breeder has been to lessen those parts of the animal
frame which are least useful to man, such as the bone and offal, and
at the same time to increase such other parts (flesh and fat) as
furnish man with food. These ends have been accomplished by a
judicious selection of individual animals possessing the wished for
form and qualities in the highest degree, which being perpetuated in
their progeny in various proportions, and the selection being
continued from the most approved specimens among these, enabled the
late Mr. Francis Quartly at length to fully establish the breed with
the desired properties. This result is substantially confirmed by the
statistics contained in Davy's 'Devon Herd-Book.' We have been curious
enough to examine these pedigrees, and find that nine-tenths of the
present herds of these truly beautiful animals are directly descended
(especially in their early parentage) from the old Quartly stock.
Later improvements have been engrafted on these by the Messrs. Quartly
of the present day. The example of various opulent breeders and
farmers in all parts of the country has tended to spread this
improvement, by which the North Devon cattle have become more general
and fashionable. The leading characteristics of the North Devon breed
are such as qualify them for every hardship. They are cast in a
peculiar mold, with a degree of elegance in their movement which is
not to be excelled. Their hardihood, resulting from compactness of
frame and lightness of offal, enables them (when wanted) to perform
the operations of the farm with a lively step and great endurance. For
the production of animal food they are not to be surpassed, and in
conjunction with the Highland Scot of similar pretension, they are the
first to receive the attention of the London West-end butcher. In the
show-yard, again, the form of the Devon and its rich quality of flesh
serve as the leading guide to all decisions. He has a prominent eye,
with a placid face, small nose and elegantly turned horns, which have
an upward tendency (and cast outward at the end) as if to put the last
finish upon his symmetrical form and carriage. These animals are
beautifully covered with silken coats of a medium red color. The
shoulder points, sides, and foreflanks are well covered with rich
meat, which, when blended with their peculiar property of producing
meat of first-rate quality along their tops, makes them what they
are--'models of perfection.' Of course, we here speak of the best-bred
animals. Some object to the North Devon, and class him as a small
animal, with the remark, 'He is too small for the grazier.' In saying
this it should ever be remembered that the Devon has its particular
mission to perform, viz., that of converting the produce of cold and
hilly pastures into meat, which could not be done to advantage by
large-framed animals, however good their parentage."
The Devons have been less extensively, and more recently, introduced
than the Short-horn, but the experience of those who have fairly tried
them fully sustains the opinions given above, and they promise to
become a favorite and prevailing breed. The usual objection made to
them by those who have been accustomed to consider improvement in
cattle to be necessarily connected with enlargement of size, is, that
they are too small. But their size instead of being a valid objection,
is believed to be a recommendation, the Devons being as large as the
fertility of New England soils generally are _capable of feeding fully
and profitably_.
Their qualities as working oxen are unrivalled, no other breed so
uniformly furnishing such active, docile, strong and hardy workers as
the Devons, and their uniformity is such as to render it very easy to
match them. Without possessing so early maturity as the Short-horns,
they fatten readily and easily at from four to six years old, and from
their compact build and well balanced proportions usually weigh more
than one accustomed to common cattle would anticipate.
The Devons are not generally deep milkers but the milk is richer than
that of most other breeds, and some families, where proper care and
attention have been given to this quality in breeding, yield largely.
It is, however, as a breed for general use, combining beef, labor and
milk, in fair proportion, that the Devons will generally give best
satisfaction, as they are hardy enough to suit the climate, and
cheaply furnish efficient labor and valuable meat.
Farmers, whose ideas upon stock have been formed wholly from their
experience with Short-horns and their grades, have often been
surprised at witnessing the facility with which Devons sustain
themselves upon scanty pasturage, and not a few when first critically
examining well bred specimens, sympathize with the feeling which
prompted the remark made to the reporter of the great English
Exhibition at Chester, after examining with him fine specimens of the
Devons--"I am delighted; I find we Short-horn men have yet much to
learn of the true formation of animals; their beautiful contour and
extreme quality of flesh surprise me."
The HEREFORDS are an ancient and well established breed, and are
probably entitled to be called a race. Little is known with certainty
of their origin beyond the fact that for many generations they can be
traced as the peculiar breed of the county whence they derive their
name. Youatt says that "Mr. Culley, although an excellent judge of
cattle, formed a very erroneous opinion of the Herefords when he
pronounced them to be nothing but a mixture of the Welsh with a
bastard race of Long Horns. They are evidently an aboriginal breed,
and descended from the same stock as the Devon. If it were not for the
white face and somewhat larger head and thicker neck it would not at
all times be easy to distinguish between a heavy Devon and a light
Hereford."
Mr. Gisborne says "The Hereford brings good evidence that he is the
British representative of a widely diffused and ancient race. The most
uniform drove of oxen which we ever saw, consisted of five hundred
from the Ukraine. They had white faces, upward horns and tawny bodies.
Placed in Hereford, Leicester or Northampton markets, they would have
puzzled the graziers as to the land of their nativity; but no one
would have hesitated to pronounce that they were rough Herefords."
Mr. Rowlandson, in his prize report on the farming of Herefordshire,
says "The Herefords, or as they have sometimes been termed, the middle
horned cattle have ever been esteemed a most valuable breed, and when
housed from the inclemency of the weather, probably put on more meat
and fat in proportion to the food consumed, than any other variety.
They are not so hardy as the North Devon cattle, to which they bear a
general resemblance; they however are larger than the Devons,
especially the males. On the other hand, the Herefords are larger
boned, to compensate for which defect, may be cast in the opposite
scale the fact that the flesh of the Hereford ox surpasses all other
breeds for that beautiful marbled appearance caused by the
intermixture of fat and lean which is so much prized by the epicure.
The Hereford is usually deeper in the chine, and the shoulders are
larger and coarser than the Devon. They are worse milkers than the
Devon, or than, perhaps, any other breed, for the Hereford grazier has
neglected the female and paid the whole of his attention to the male."
It is said that formerly they were of a brown or reddish brown color,
and some had grey or mottled faces. Mr. P. Tully states that the white
face originated accidentally on a farm belonging to one of his
ancestors. "That about the middle of the last century the cow-man came
to the house announcing as a remarkable fact that the favorite cow had
produced a white faced bull calf. This had never been known to have
occurred before, and, as a curiosity it was agreed that the animal
should be kept and reared as a future sire. Such, in a few words, is
the origin of a fact that has since prevailed through the country, for
the progeny of this very bull became celebrated for white faces." Of
late years there has been much uniformity of color; the face, throat,
the under portion of the body, the inside and lower part of the leg's
and the tip of the tail being white, and the other parts of the body a
rich deep red.
Compared with the Short-horn the Hereford is nearly as large, of
rather less early maturity, but a better animal for grazing, and
hardier. The competition between these breeds in England is very close
and warm, and taking many facts together it would seem probable that
the Hereford is in some instances rather more profitable, and the
Short-horn generally more fashionable. Challenges have been repeatedly
offered by Hereford men to Shorthorn men to feed an equal number of
each in order to test their respective merits, and have usually been
declined, perhaps because if the decision was against them, the loss
might be serious, and if they won, the gain would be little or
nothing, the Short-horns being more popular already and commanding
higher prices.
As working oxen the Herefords are preferable to the Short-horns, being
more hardy and active. Some complaint is made of their being
"breachy." Their large frames demand food, and if enough be furnished
they are content, but if not, they have intelligence and activity
enough to help themselves if food be within reach. Their chief merit
is as large oxen, for heavy labor, and for beef. Some grade cows from
good milking dams give a fair quantity of milk, and what they give is
always rich, but wherever they have been introduced, milking qualities
generally deteriorate very much.
The AYRSHIRES are a breed especially valuable for dairy purposes.
Regarding its origin, Mr. Aiton who felt much interest in the subject,
and whose opportunities for knowing the facts were second to those of
no other, writing about forty years since, says, "The dairy breed of
cows in the county of Ayr now so much and so deservedly esteemed, is
not, in their present form, an ancient or indigenous race, but a breed
formed during the memory of living individuals and which have been
gradually improving for more than fifty years past, till now they are
brought to a degree of perfection that has never been surpassed as
dairy stock in any part of Britain, or probably in the world. They
have increased to double their former size, and they yield about four
and some of them five times as much milk as formerly. By greater
attention to breeding and feeding, they have been changed from an
ill-shaped, puny, mongrel race of cattle to a fixed and specific breed
of excellent color and quality. So gradually and imperceptibly were
improvements in the breed and condition of the cattle introduced,
that although I lived in Ayrshire from 1760 to 1785, and have
traversed it every year since, I have difficulty in stating from my
own observation or what I have learned from others, either the precise
period when improvement began, or the exact means by which a change so
important was wrought." He then relates several instances in which
between 1760 and 1770 some larger cows were brought in of the English
or Dutch breeds, and of their effect he says, "I am disposed to
believe that although they rendered the red color with white patches
fashionable in Ayr, they could not have had much effect in changing
the breed into their present highly improved condition," and thinks it
mainly due to careful selections and better treatment.
Mr. Aiton says "the chief qualities of a dairy cow are that she gives
a copious draught of milk, that she fattens readily and turns out well
in the shambles. In all these respects combined the Ayrshire breed
excels all others in Scotland, and is probably superior to any in
Britain. They certainly yield more milk than any other breed in
Europe. No other breed fatten faster, and none cut up better in the
shambles, and the fat is as well mixed with the lean flesh, or
marbled, as the butchers say, as any other. They always turn out
better than the most skillful grazier or butcher who are strangers to
the breed could expect on handling them. They are tame, quiet, and
feed at ease without roaming, breaking over fences, or goring each
other. They are very hardy and active, and are not injured but rather
improved by lying out all night during summer and autumn."
Since Mr. Aiton wrote, even greater care and attention has been paid
to this breed than before, and it is now well entitled to rank as the
first dairy breed in the world, quantity and quality of yield and the
amount of food required being all considered. Compared with the
Jersey, its only rival as a dairy breed, the milk of the Ayrshire is
much more abundant, and richer in caseine, but not so rich in oily
matter, although better in this respect than the average of cows.
Experience of their qualities in this country shows that if they do
not here fully sustain their reputation in Scotland, they come near to
it, as near as the difference in our drier climate allows, giving more
good milk upon a given amount of food than any other. Upon ordinarily
fertile pastures they yield largely and prove very hardy and docile.
The oxen too are good workers, fatten well, and yield juicy, fine
flavored meat.
The JERSEY race, formerly known as the Aldernay, is almost exclusively
employed for dairy purposes, and may not be expected to give
satisfaction for other uses. Their milk is richer than that of any
other cows, and the butter made from it possesses a superior flavor
and a deep rich color, and consequently commands an extraordinary
price in all markets where good butter is appreciated.
The Jersey cattle are of Norman origin, and until within about twenty
or thirty years were far more uninviting in appearance than now, great
improvement having been effected in their symmetry and general
appearance by means of careful selections in breeding, and this
without loss of milking properties. The cows are generally very docile
and gentle, but the males when past two or three years of age often
become vicious and unmanageable. It is said that the cows fatten
readily when dry, and make good beef.
There is no branch of cattle husbandry which promises better returns
than the breeding and rearing of milch cows. Here and there are to be
found some good enough. In the vicinity of large towns and cities are
many which having been culled from many miles around, on account of
dairy properties, are considerably above the average, but taking the
cows of the country together they do not compare favorably with the
oxen. Farmers generally take more pride in their oxen, and strive to
have as good or better than any of their neighbors, while if a cow
will give milk enough to rear a large steer calf and a little besides,
it is often deemed satisfactory.
SHEEP.--The sheep first introduced into this country were of English
origin, and generally not very dissimilar to the ancient unimproved
Down sheep. Probably some were these--as many of the first cattle were
the Devons of that day. More than fifty years since the Merinos were
introduced and extensively bred. At various periods other choice
breeds have been introduced. The number kept has fluctuated very much,
depending mainly on the market value of wool. When it was high many
kept sheep, and when it fell the flocks were neglected.
The true mission of the sheep in fulfilling the threefold purpose of
furnishing _food, and raiment, and the means of fertilization_, seems
not yet to be generally apprehended. One of the most serious defects
in the husbandry of New England at the present time, is the prevalent
neglect of sheep. Ten times the present number might be easily fed,
and they would give in meat, wool and progeny, more direct profit than
any other domestic animal, and at the same time the food they consume
would do more towards fertilizing the farms than an equal amount
consumed by any other animal.
It is notorious that our pastures have seriously deteriorated in
fertility and become overrun with worthless weeds and bushes to the
exclusion of nutritious grasses. Sheep husbandry has declined. If
these two facts as uniformly stand to each other in the relation of
cause and effect, as they certainly do in many instances, the remedy
is suggested at once--replace the animal with "golden feet." After
devoting the best land to cultivation and the poorest to wood, we have
thousands upon thousands of acres evidently intended by the Creator
for sheep walks, because better adapted for this purpose than for any
other. An indication of Providence so unmistakable as this should not
be unheeded.
The MERINOS are perhaps the most ancient race of sheep extant. They
originated in Spain, and were for ages bred there alone. In 1765 they
were introduced into Saxony, where they were bred with care and with
special reference to increasing the fineness of the wool, little
regard being paid to other considerations. They were also taken to
France and to Silesia, and from all these sources importations have
been made into the United States. The Spanish Merino has proved the
most successful, and by skill and care in breeding has been greatly
improved, insomuch that intelligent judges are of opinion that some of
the Vermont flocks are superior to the best in Europe, both in form,
hardiness, quantity of fleece and staple. They are too well known to
require a detailed description here. Suffice it to say that they are
below rather than above medium size, possessing a good constitution,
and are thrifty, and cheaply kept. Their chief merit is as fine wooled
sheep, and as such they excel all others. As mutton sheep they are
constitutionally and anatomically deficient, being of late maturity
and great longevity, (a recommendation as fine wooled sheep,) having
too flat sides, too narrow chests, too little meat in the best parts,
and too great a percentage of offal when slaughtered. Their mutton,
however, is of fair quality when mature and well fatted. As nurses
they are inferior to many other breeds. Many careful, extensive and
protracted attempts have been made to produce a breed combining the
fleece of the Merino with the carcass of the Leicester or other long
wooled sheep. They have all signally failed. The forms,
characteristics and qualities of breeds so unlike seem to be
incompatible with one another. A cross of the Merino buck and
Leicester ewe gives progeny which is of more rapid growth than the
Merino alone, and is hardier than the Leicester. It is a good cross
for the butchers' use, but not to be perpetuated. Improvement in the
Merino should be sought by skillful selection and pairing the parents
in view of their relative fitness to one another.
The LEICESTER, or more properly the New Leicester, is the breed which
Bakewell established, and is repeatedly referred to in the preceding
pages. It has quite superseded the old breed of this name. His aim was
to produce sheep which would give the greatest amount of meat in the
shortest time on a given amount of food, and for early maturity and
disposition to fatten, it still ranks among the highest. The
objections to the breed for New England are, that they are not hardy
enough for the climate, and require richer pastures and more abundant
food than most farmers can supply. Its chief value in such locations
is for crossing upon ordinary sheep for lambs and mutton.
The COTSWOLDS derive their name from a low range of hills in
Gloucestershire. These have long been noted for the numbers and
excellence of the sheep there maintained, and are so called from Cote,
a sheepfold, and Would, a naked hill. An old writer says:--"In these
woulds they feed in great numbers flocks of sheep, long necked and
square of bulk and bone, by reason (as is commonly thought) of the
weally and hilly situation of their pastures, whose wool, being most
fine and soft, is held in passing great account amongst all nations."
Since his time, however, great changes have passed both upon the sheep
and the district they inhabit. The improved Cotswolds are among the
largest British breeds, long wooled, prolific, good nurses, and of
early maturity. More robust, and less liable to disease than the
Leicesters, of fine symmetry and carrying great weight and light
offal, they are among the most popular of large mutton sheep.
The SOUTH DOWN is an ancient British breed, taking its name from a
chalky range of hills in Sussex and other counties in England about
sixty miles in length, known as the South Downs, by the side of which
is a tract of land of ordinary fertility and well calculated for sheep
walks, and on which probably more than a million of this breed of
sheep are pastured. The flock tended by the "Shepherd of Salisbury
Plain," of whose earnest piety and simple faith Hannah More has told
us in her widely circulated tract, were South Downs. Formerly these
sheep possessed few of the attractions they now present. About the
year 1782 Mr. John Ellman of Glynde turned his attention to their
improvement. Unlike his cotemporary Bakewell, he did not attempt to
make a new breed by crossing, but by attention to the principles of
breeding, by skillful selections for coupling and continued
perseverance for fifty years, he obtained what he sought--health,
soundness of constitution, symmetry of form, early maturity, and
facility of fattening, and thus brought his flock to a high state of
perfection. Before he began we are told that the South Downs were of
"small size and ill shape, long and thin in the neck, high on the
shoulders, low behind, high on the loins, down on the rumps, the tail
set on very low, sharp on the back, the ribs flat," &c., &c., and were
not mature enough to fatten until three years old or past. Of his
flock in 1794, Arthur Young[25] says: "Mr. Ellman's flock of sheep, I
must observe in this place, is unquestionably the first in the
country; there is nothing that can be compared with it; the wool is
the finest and the carcass the best proportioned; although I saw
several noble flocks afterwards which I examined with a great degree
of attention; some few had very fine wool, which might be equal to
his, but then the carcass was ill-shaped, and many had a good carcass
with coarse wool; but this incomparable farmer had eminently united
both these circumstances in his flock at Glynde. I affirm this with
the greater degree of certainty, since the eye of prejudice has been
at work in this country to disparage and call in question the quality
of his flock, merely because he has raised the merit of it by
unremitted attention above the rest of the neighboring farmers, and it
now stands unrivalled." This, it will be noticed, was only twelve
years after he began his improvements. To Mr. Ellman's credit be it
said that he exhibited none of the selfishness which characterized Mr.
Bakewell's career, but was always ready to impart information to
those desirous to learn, and labored zealously to encourage general
improvement. That he was pecuniarily successful is evident from the
continued rise in the price of his sheep. The Duke of Richmond, Mr.
Jonas Webb, Mr. Grantham, and other cotemporaries and successors of
Mr. Ellman have carried successfully forward the work so well begun by
him. The Improved South Downs now rank first among British breeds in
hardiness, constitution, early maturity, symmetry, and quality of
mutton and of wool combined. The meat usually brings one to two cents
per pound more than that of most other breeds in Smithfield market. It
is of fine flavor, juicy, and well marbled. The South Downs are of
medium size, (although Mr. Webb has in some cases attained a live
weight in breeding rams of 250 pounds, and a dressed weight of 200
pounds in fattened wethers,) hardy, prolific, and easily kept,
succeeding on short pastures, although they pay well for liberal
feeding.
The OXFORD DOWNS may be named as an instance of successful
cross-breeding. They originated in a cross between the Improved
Cotswolds and the Hampshire Downs.[26] Having been perpetuated now for
more than twenty years, they possess so good a degree of uniformity
as to be entitled to the designation of a distinct breed, and have
lately been formally recognized as such in England. They were first
introduced into Massachusetts by R.S. Fay, Esq., of Lynn, and into
Maine by Mr. Sears, both in 1854. They were first bred with a view to
unite increased size with the superiority of flesh and patience of
short keep which characterize the Downs. It is understood that they
inherit from the Cotswold a carcass exceeding in weight that of the
Downs from a fifth to a quarter; a fleece somewhat coarser but heavier
than that of the Downs by one-third to one-half; and from the latter
they inherit rotundity of form and fullness of muscle in the more
valuable parts, together with the brown face and leg.
In reply to a note of inquiry addressed to Mr. Fay, he says: "I
selected the Oxford Downs with some hesitation as between them and the
Shropshire Downs, after a careful examination of all the various
breeds of sheep in England. My attention was called to them by
observing that they took, (1854,) without any distinct name, all the
prizes as mutton sheep at Birmingham and elsewhere, where they were
admitted to compete. They were only known under the name of half or
cross bred sheep, with name of the breeder. Mr. Rives of Virginia and
myself went into Oxfordshire to look at them, and so little were they
known as a class, that Philip Pusey, Esq., President of the Royal
Agricultural Society, knew nothing about them, although one of his
largest tenants, Mr. Druce, had long bred them. It is only within two
years that they were formally recognized at a meeting, I believe, of
the Smithfield club, and they then received the name which I gave them
years ago, of Oxford Downs. By this name they are now known in
England. I can only add that an experience of six years confirms all
that is claimed for them. Fifty-two ewes produced seventy-three
healthy lambs from February 13th to March 15th, this year. The same
ewes sheared an average of more than seven pounds to the fleece,
unwashed wool, which sold for 34 cents per pound. A good ram should
weigh as a shearling from 180 to 250 pounds; a good ewe from 125 to
160 pounds. They fatten rapidly, and thrive on rough pasture. My
flock, now the older and poorer ones have been disposed of, will
average, I have no doubt, eight pounds of wool to the fleece. The
mutton is exceedingly fine and can be turned into cash in 18 months
from birth."
* * * * *
The kind of sheep most desirable, on the whole, in any given case,
depends chiefly on the surface, character and fertility of the farm
and its location. At too great a distance from a good meat market to
allow of a profitable sale of the carcass, the Spanish Merino is
doubtless to be preferred, but if nearer, the English breeds will pay
better. Mutton can be grown cheaper than any other meat. It is daily
becoming better appreciated, and strange as it may seem, good mutton
brings a higher price in our best markets than the same quality does
in England. Its substitution in a large measure for pork would
contribute materially to the health of the community.
Winter fattening of sheep may often be made very profitable and
deserves greater attention, especially where manure is an object--(and
where is it not?) In England it is considered good policy to fatten
sheep if the increase of weight will pay for the oil cake or grain
consumed; the manure being deemed a fair equivalent for the other
food, that is, as much straw and turnips as they will eat. Lean sheep
there usually command as high a price per pound in the fall as fatted
ones in the spring, while here the latter usually bear a much higher
price, which gives the feeder a great advantage. The difference may be
best illustrated by a simple calculation. Suppose a wether of a good
mutton breed weighing 80 pounds in the fall to cost 6 cents per pound
($4.80) and to require 20 pounds of hay per week, or its equivalent in
other food, and to gain a pound and a half each week, the gain in
weight in four months would be about 25 pounds, which at 6 cents per
pound would be $1.50 or less than $10 per ton for the hay consumed;
but if the same sheep could be bought in fall for 3 cents per pound
and sold in spring for 6 cents, the gain would amount to $3.90 or
upwards of $20 per ton for the hay--the manure being the same in
either case.
For fattening it is well to purchase animals as large and thrifty and
in as good condition as can be done at fair prices; and to feed
liberally so as to secure the most rapid increase which can be had
without waste of food.
The fattening of sheep by the aid of oil cake or grain purchased for
the purpose, may often be made a cheaper and altogether preferable
mode of obtaining manure than by the purchase of artificial
fertilizers, as guano, superphosphate of lime, &c. It is practiced
extensively and advantageously abroad and deserves at least a fair
trial here.
HORSES.--It does not seem necessary in this connection to give
descriptions of the various breeds of horses, as comparatively few of
our animals can fairly be said to be of any pure or distinct
varieties. Names are common enough, but the great majority of the
horses among us are so mixed in their descent from the breeds which
have been introduced at various times from abroad, as to be almost as
near of kin to one as to another. Success in breeding will depend far
more upon attention to selection in regard to structure and endowments
than to names. Although it may be somewhat beyond the scope of an
attempt to treat merely of the principles of breeding to offer remarks
regarding its practice, a few brief hints may be pardoned; and first,
let far more care be taken in respect of breeding mares. Let none be
bred from which are too old, or of feeble constitution, or the
subjects of hereditary disease. No greater mistake can be made than to
suppose that a mare fit for nothing else, is worthy to be bred from.
If fit for this, she is good for much else--gentle, courageous, of
good action, durable and good looking; outward form is perhaps of less
importance than in the male, but serious defect in this greatly
lessens her value. She should be _roomy_, that is the pelvis should be
such that she can well develop and easily carry and deliver the foal.
Youatt says, "it may, perhaps, be justly affirmed that there is more
difficulty in selecting a good mare to breed from, than a good horse,
because she should possess somewhat opposite qualities. Her carcass
should be long to give room for the growth of the foetus, yet with
this there should be compactness of form and shortness[27] of leg."
The next point is the selection of a stallion. It is easy enough to
say that he should be compactly built, "having as much goodness and
strength as possible condensed in a little space," and rather smaller
relatively than the mare, that he should be of approved descent and
possess the forms, properties and characteristics which are desired to
be perpetuated. It is not very difficult to specify with tolerable
accuracy what forms are best adapted for certain purposes, as an
oblique shoulder, and depth, rather than width, of chest are
indispensable for trotting; that in a draft horse this obliquity of
shoulder is not wanted, one more upright being preferable, and so
forth; but after all, a main point to secure success is _relative
adaptation of the parents to each other_, and here written directions
are necessarily insufficient and cannot supply the place of skill and
judgment to be obtained only by careful study and practical
experience; nor is it always easy, even if fully aware of the
necessary requirements, to find them in the best combination in the
horses nearest at hand. A stallion may be all which can be desired for
one dam and yet be very unsuitable for another. In this aspect we can
perceive how valuable results may accrue from such establishments as
now exist in various sections of the country, where not a single
stallion only is kept, but many, and where no pains nor expense are
spared to secure the presence of superior specimens of the most
approved breeds, and choice strains of blood in various combinations;
so that the necessary requirements in a sire are no sooner fairly
apprehended than they are fully met. On this point therefore, my
suggestion is, that this relative adaptation of the parents to one
another be made the subject of patient and careful study; and a word
of caution is offered lest in the decisions made, too great importance
be attached to speed alone. That speed is an element of value is not
doubted, nor do I intimate that he who breeds horses to sell, may not
aim to adapt his wares to his market as much as the man who breeds
neat cattle and sheep, or the man who manufactures furniture to sell.
But I do say that speed may be, and often has been, sought at too dear
a rate, and that bottom, courage, docility and action are equally
elements of money value and equally worthy of being sought for in
progeny. Nor is it unlikely that an attempt to breed for these last
named qualities, with a proper reference to speed, would result in the
production of as many fast horses as we now get, and in addition to
this, a much higher average degree of merit in the whole number
reared.
Another suggestion may not be out of place. Hitherto (if we except
fast trotting) there has been little attention paid to breeding for
special purposes, as for draft horses, carriage horses, saddle horses,
etc., and the majority of people at the present time undoubtedly
prefer horses of all work. This is well enough so long as it is a fact
that the wants of the masses are thus best met, but it is equally true
that as population increases in density and as division of labor is
carried farther, it will be good policy to allow the horse to share in
this division of labor, and to breed with reference to different uses;
just as it is good policy for one man to prepare himself for one
department of business and another for another. The same principle
holds in either case.
Sufficient attention has never been paid to the breaking and training
of horses. Not one in a thousand receives a proper education. It ought
to be such as to bring him under perfect control, with his powers
fully developed, his virtues strengthened and his vices eradicated.
What usually passes for breaking is but a distant approximation to
this. The methods recently promulgated by Rarey and Baucher are now
attracting attention, and deservedly too, not merely for the immediate
profit resulting from increased value in the subjects, but in view of
the ultimate results which may be anticipated; for, as we have seen
when treating of the law of similarity, acquired habits may in time
become so inbred as to be transmissible by hereditary descent.
FOOTNOTES:
[24] This was commenced by a cross of Coelebs, a Short-horn bull, upon
a common cow of remarkable excellence.
[25] Annals of Agriculture, Vol. 11, p. 224.
[26] The Hampshires are somewhat larger than the South Downs, and quite
as hardy--the fleece a trifle shorter. The Oxford Downs are not to be
confounded with the New Oxfordshires.
[27] Mr. Youatt here probably refers to length below, rather than
above, the knee and hock.
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End of Project Gutenberg's The Principles of Breeding, by S. L. Goodale