Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1857-04-10
agricultural.
Breeds of CattIe-Experimcnts.

bfeeuS OF attie-EXpefimcnts
We know not how we can better aid
our readers in judging of the compare
tive merits of the various breeds of cat
tie, than by publishing the candidly eX-
pressed opinions of practical men. Such
is the following, from a correspondent Of
the Mark Lane Express. twill be seen
that the writer has had a strong prefer
ence for the Durbams, ana that he still
prefers them, but doubts whether all that
has been ascribed to them holds good
His suggestions about experiments could
be carried out in this country so as to
reach certain results, is perhaps doubt
full
We know practical instance, bearing
nearly on the point, of gentleman who
for several years was successful breeder
(for competition) of Short-horns, and
himself crack judge of the breed, and
whose services in that capacity are often
had in requisition, but who sold his herd,
and is now, for the purpose of fattening
on his farm, crossing-and we under
stand much to his satisfactioa-with the
polled Augur or Galloway Now, I'M
less this gentleman's practice bellies his
opinion, he evidently considers some
other breed than the short-horn, better
adapted for the profitable production of
fat. But this may be mere individual
caprice. True it may; but can any re-
fable authority be cited to prove that it
is y? Had the results of train of ex-
perlments commencing with the births of
number of animals Of pure and cross
breeds, the amount and cost of food by
each consumed, their progressive values
with progressive years, and ultimate val
ne at certain age-had such been care
fully made and duly recorded, we should
now have been in position to applaud
the judgment or deplore the folly of pay
b, g, 10 or II hundred guineas for an
oyer-fed short horn bull. At the same
time We do not wish to be understood for
moment as traducing the estimable
qualities of the short horn. We regard
the breed with favorable eye but what
we want is to be shown a particle of proof
Of their decided superiority, if that can
be done, well aud good if not, their
present extraordinary high prices are
only another proof that man is evidently
"gullible" animal And again we re-
peat that nothing so likely as experiment
would bring out the truths of the matter,
and in the long run (to use a rather home
ly phrase would fail to give us the fright
SOW by the ear" And what, we ask,
would be more in consonance with the
self-imposod duties of the Royal Agri-
cultural Society, than the institutng and
carrying on experiments tending to estab-
fish on firm grounds matters hitherto
deemed doubtful, and which in time would
be OF such immense advantage to the
farmer? 1t would indeed then blend
practice with SCIENCE" and impart to
husbandry in detail the stamp of indeli-
Bile certainty. Our progress then, if
slow, would at least be sure; and al
though to "hail milestone in its path"
required vast amount of perseverance,
yet the fact would be consolng that we
had not arrived there by taking things
for granted that we had not formed our
conclusions "ata jump" but that we had
stridden on with laborious precision, and
at every step confirming our present
practice or exposing its fallacies, denu-
ding our most favorito theories of all sup
positions matter and exhibiting facts as
they really are (however much at vari-
anoe with present practiee) in the broad
light of day.-An,er. Ftumer.