The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1853-02-24

In calling attention to the principles
OF breeding, we cannot perhaps do bel
ter than examine the rule followed by
the most successful English breeders
The following are the means by
which Bakewell established the perma,
nent character Of his cattle He first
selected the best animals of their re-
spective kinds, and coupling these, en-.
deavored TO develope in the highest de.
gree those characters which he deemed
good, looking mainly TO those pecu,
liarities of conformation which indi.
cate disposition to fatten. He ar
rived at producing a large cylindrical
body, and smallness of the head,
neck, and extremities, or what is called
fneness of bone; a saying of his, often
quoted, is that all was useless that was
not beef" Hence the principles which
guided him were the most meat from
the least food, the least offal, and the
size Of the best joints; smaIlness of the
bones, apiness 10 fatten, and arrive al
early maturity, he kept constantly in
view. He always bred from his best
animals, making the very best selec.
ton of both male and female. He
thought the production of large guam.
ti,v of milk was inconsistent with the
property of yielding much fat.
Charles and Robert Colling made
many improvements in the Durhams
They, like Bakewell, seem TO have re-
garded size in their animals as quail
ty secondary, and subordinate, TO those
which they wished TO produce, and to
have directed almost exclusive atten-
ton to beanty and utility of form, and
development of the properties of early
fattening. Having by skilful selection,
became possessed of animals with the
properties sought for, they continued TO
breed I" in and in"
C. Ceilings first great improvement
was made by young bull which he
obtained by kind Of chance of a poor
man, from a COW fed by the road side !;
his sagacity led him to perceive the
value of the young animal; he like
wise afterwards obtained the cow,
which, however, on being removed to
superior pasture, became SO fat that
she did not again breed. The calf in-
herited the same property, and as he
grew up became so fat as to be useless
as a bull. This bnll was termed Hub
back; he was the sire of the celebrated
Bolingbroke.
Colling by continually breeding from
his own stock, seems to have pushed
refinement in breeding to It's limits,
having produced that great delicacy
and impairment of constitution which
never fails TO accompany continued
intermixture of blood in limited num-
ber of animals. He now attempted
various crosses with the COWS of other
breeds, but his most fortunate cross was
with beautiful polled Galloway COW,
of a red color, and his shorthorn bull
BoIingbroke. The produce, being a
male calf, was in due time conjoined
with Johanna, fine shorthorn COW :;
the produce being another male calf,
was put to Lady, true breed short
horn. This COW, with her descendants,
at his sale in 1910, forty-eight lots,
brought seven thousand one hundred
and fifteen pounds, or about S716 each.
Michael Dobson, one of the earliest
improver Of Durhams, visited Holland
for the purpose of selecting bulls of the
Dutch breed. His stock were of great
size, coarse, great consumers of food,
fatten very early, produced much in
ternal fat, and were well adapted to
the uses of the dairy. This district,
Holderness, was distinguished beyond
any other part of England for its dairy
stock, and many cows of this variety
are vet to be found more or less mixed
with the Durham blood. The effect
has been to improve their form, but to
impair their milking properties; never
theless, the modern HoIderness still
stand in the first rank of dairy cows,
and the great London dairies are chiefly
supplied by them. 44
The following are the principal char
acters, found in animals possessing the
faculty of fattening readily. The head
small face long from the eyes to the
point of the nose, fronts broad, muzzle
fine, nostrils capaeious, neck short,
light, nearly straight, and small from
the back of the head to the middle; full,
clear, and prominent eye; the back
straight from the top of the shoulders
to the tail, which should fall perpendicu-
larly from the line of the back; the
chest wide and deep; the ribs deep and
circular-this depth of barrel is most
advantageous in proportion as It is
found behind the elbow hips wide
apart loins and back well filled up
with muscle, quarters full and large;
flank deep and we'll filled out; bones
small and fiat, but not SO fine as TO in
dicate too great delicacy of constitu-
ton; the hide-a very important part
rather thin, expansive, and mellow,
we'll covered with fine and soft hair.
These are the principal characters
which indicate the property of Sc
creting the fatty tissue, and they may
be said TO be universal, extending 10
all domesticated animals, The horse, the
sheep, the hog, the dog, and the rabbit.
In breeding always observe the fol-
lowing rules:
|. Breed from sound and healthy ami
mails. .,a aez
= AZ