Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1843-04-01

mentioned tina: their SOIL 10 of the richest des
crip,ion---that they can, without manure, raiss
wheat and indian corn, crop after crop al
ir;faitsn,, but, being 1000 miles from mar
bets. chiefly overland. grain, beyond what i:
required for their own consumption, is TO them
nearly valueless, so much so, that they drive
large herds of cattle into their fields of Indian
corn, 10 feed upon it and beat it down as they
may; after which the land is ploughed for q
wheat crop.
In these circumstances, the Kentucky farm.
ers confne their attention chiefly TO grazing
cattle. and for this purpose have adopted the
Durham breed; but haviw, after they are fed,
to drive them so grea, dfs.ance as 1000 miles
to market, they find the cattle of that heavy
breed reduced TO mere shadows al the end OF
their journey; consequently, the animals which
leave Kentucky perfectly fat. must when they
reach New York, be sold as lean stock, prob.
ably of the worst description.
The farmers of kentucky, therefore. now
think Of changing to breed of cattle that ,ciL
carry their Jeefalong ,oitA them, and this quail
iiy they expect 10 find in the Herefords. With
that impression they gave Mr.. Souiham price
equal TO 100 guineas for one Of his cows, and,
by the by, at the same time, paid him as much
as sixty guneas for Berkshise sow.
fear they will find themselves mistaken
and disappointed in the Herefords, and | am
convinced that in their circumstances they
would reap great advantage by importing An.
gus or Aberdeenshire. Doddies, which are kin.
dred breeds of well-formed, moderate sized,
active animals---or perhaps still better, the
small and peculiarly symelrical West-High.
land cow-.-and TO cross these with short.
horn or Durham bull.
The West-Highlander possesses all the
points ola good feeder. and being hardy and
active as deer. would suffer little from be-
ing driven even 1000 miles. In its native
glens il may feed TO twenty or twenty. five
stones Amsterdam. but the heifers on being
lransplanted to a rich and shelieredIpasture at.
tain TO nearly double that weight. / have
proved this by introducing herd OF
forty West-Highand heifers on my own farm
at Try, mot the american Ury,) where they
had been crossed with my short horned bulls,
and the experiment on repeated trials has been
attended with great success; for while the moth
er by removal to more nutritious pasture has
greatly sincressed in size, 1.-The cross has produ.
ced strong and handsome animals. kindly feed
ers. rising 10 great weight and fetching high
prices.
The kentucky graizer, occupying pastures
of the richest kind and enjoying mild winters,
would think be weIl-advised in adopting The
same pan.--of course observing that if il can
be avoided. the produce Of the cross should
not be bred from, il beisg well.known tina,
the progeny of by birds turn out 10 be coarse
and Improbable stock. There is no reason
to doubt that such cross ,could carry their
beef along ,oith them, from Kentucky to New
York. in the same way that, before steam nav.
iga,ion was invented, fat cattle were often
driven from Scotland to London, distance of
5 or 600 miles. with no perceplibe loss of
weight or condition.