The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-12-09
agrituIturaI NM 1umestit.
From the R1rai New Yorker
ABOUT sTOCK-SATIVE BREEDS.

EDITORS Rural NEW YoRKER :-Has The
eountry recsived a fair equivalent for The large
sxDend.tures Of Dsoney cent to Europe IN ez-
clsaage for neat st0ck Il nav seem passing
strange at this late day that such q question
should be seriously considered much more that
there should be found those daring enough 70
Fentilate il. Public sentiment Is doubtless very
strongly fayorng HBpOrtations-and gentlemen
o. large intelligence and varied experiences are
lot waiting who believe that the native stock Of
tbs tosutry is scarcely worth the care and aten-
ion 81 the hgsbandman. II the OF Ia valuable
mostly for size or beauty, the sbort-hOrn or the
devon would, as the case nov stands, be the
more highly priced and where these qualities
can be had, in combination with strength, endur
aDce, economy Of keeping, and without paving
to extravagantly for them, Il i., most certainly
desirable to possess them. And yet there Is
growing opinion that the natiYe-bred OF Is not
only quite equal ia working qualities, - readily
subdued 20 the yoke, and more enduring Tran
the average Of Durham and Devon steers; but
By little attention 70 the selection Of stock for
breeding they will not fall very far below these
10 size and smoothness Of build. II itbe-ii
even a hundredih part Of the care and attention
had been besfOEed upon our native breeds that
there has been upon the imported, there can
scarcely be dOubt that a very perceptiD.e
change for the better would be manifest In
stances can be pointed out where farmers have
added more than twenty-five per cent. - the
SIZE OF their herds breeding from their old stock,
within the space Of I've years. This, too, has
been accomplished without much extra care or
expense beyond that Of providing warm stablng
il winter, occasionally changing and varying the
TODD. and by due regard to the cleanliness Of the
stalls and Of the animals themselves.
IL however ha remeul l-red that great
care IS necessary in selecting animals from which
20 breed IL such favorable results are 20 be an
ticipated. And this, too, requires good Judge
ment. There is no branch OF the calling Of the
husbandman requiring more study, careful inyss-
tigatiou, and thoughtful attention, than in the
selection Of his breeding animals. But this be-
ing properly done, and With the careful manage
ment above described, farmers may 20 improve
their herds 10 a few years az 10 present fzvora-
bic comparisons with the average imported
stock IL i not supposed that such attempts
will at once raise up samples that will rival
ThorDes, OF Alexanders, or COnger's Durbams
and for this very reason, these have not only
bad the advantage Of being taken from the very
best herds in Europe and IN this country, where
the most careful attention mas, for a century
past been giving 10 all the above details togeth-
er with extra feeding aud grooming, that finds
IT. compensation only in the extravagant prices
which breeders alone obtain when they f.
nally succeed In maturing what they conceive to
be perfect animal Then it IS only for repro
duction that such animals can possibly be made
to compensate for the expense of raising
But the agriculsurists want more than this
They want the 90 for his working qualities as
well as for the slaughter, and they want the COW
for the dairy well a. for reproduction, and the
question returns, may not these be found Of the
native breeds quite good in any respect a.
from among the imported herds, and at one halt
the cost? If the native OK will perform the same
amount Of labor az the Devon, at the same ex-
pense Of keeping, and, finally, when no longer
profitable for the yoke, will bring equal returns
when slaughtered, then is be not the more val
uables Other things being equal, the first cost
Is largely in favor vi the native OK. Aud this j.
more apparent as between the TWO breeds Tor the
dairy. The native COW is not surpassed in this
particular. Some possibly may produce larger
How of milk, others may produce that of a richer
quality but for all the purposes Of the daitv, is
IL not generally conceded that the native COW
eXcels9 II this be so, then why is she not the
more valuable OF the two? The COW is desirable
mostly tor this purpose, aud as she exces in this
particular just in that proportion is her value
enhanced % the husbandman, and thus repre-
sents the valve of her breed. A COW may re.
tam heF hlhlh1 properties Tor at least SIX years,
and during these years the product is worth at
least one hundred dollars. At the expiration OF
this period she is worth twenty dollars. Deduc-
ing first cost at three years od-forty dollars |
and we have two hundred and eighty dollars as
the result. Now, allowing pure booded Dur
ham COW TO be in every respect as good in quail |
ity, as eheaply fed. and as little subject TO acct
dent and disease (which is not true in most casesl
and the result must show large balance in ia
vor Of the native COW, or at least difference
equal to the difference OF the purchase price
which taxing the breeders terms) would be not
less than sixty dollars, and more nearly one hun
dred dollars than the former SUNG
Why, then, brother farmers, do YOU continue
thus to depete your hard-earned purses for that
which in reality is not so valuable for the pur-
poses you require IL is said that it is not our
own eyes that so much taxes our resources, but
that il IS the eyes Of those around us that force
US into our many ioibles. In this We would en-
courage no penury, nor the relaxation in raising
the standard Of our herds On the contrary, |
would say go on improving. But improve upon
that which IS capable of being so much improved,
and when so increased, will be more permanently
valuable. MG L.
ROckland Lake, y. Y, 1868.