Middletown transcript., 1869-01-23

raising cattle that should give the greatest
amount of meat for the food consumed.
He was seconded by other breeders, and
so carefully and scientifically did they
proceed that their efforts were successful
In 1910 Comet, one of their improved
bulls was sold for one thousand guineas.
And at their great sale seventeen cows
were sold at auction at a price averaging
seven hundred and forty dollars per head.
In 1766 Tomkins commenced to breed the
Herefords, and with so much success, that
at the auction sale of his stock in 1919,
the average price received for them was
four hundred and forty-five dollars. The
prices we're not fictitious, but were for
value received, for the markets of those
later years showed that the average weight
of the slaughtered beef in England had
risen from four hundred to eight hundred
pounds, and at the same time the age had
bsen reduced one year-from FIVE to four
Our breeders, instead of taking our hete
rogeneous stock to breed from, availed
themselves of this advantage, and when
they really commenced to improve their
cattle imported the foreign breeds. There
are two modes by which this Improvement
in cattle can be attained and there is a
wide difference between breed and a race.
A race of cattle is one that is distinctive
to the country which it inhabits, and
where it has been kept for long series of
years. By proper and persistent effort
whole race may be improved. The De-
vons are sample of an improved race
Breeds of cattle are made by selecting in
dlviduals of race that are remarkable for
certain qualities, and then to breed them
distinct with great care for years, The
Durhams and Ayrshires are specimens of
breeds of cattle. Such animals, whether
they belong to race or breed, possess
certain fixed and distinct qualities, and the
power to transmit those qualities to their
progeny. To build up breed requires
the most exact care and scientific know
ledge, and more time than the life of one
man.. From this it follows, that a grade
or scrub does not belong to any fixed
breed, and will not with certainty transmit
the qualities of a breed though there may
be individual grades that have most ex-
cellent qualities. H
Milking qualities do not belong to any
special breed all possess them, but indi-
viduals of the different breeds may be re-
markable for these qualities as is the case
with specimens of our native cattle, though |
it is not well to breed from exceptions.
Efforts to improve our native stock have
resulted in great good, especially in the
matter of our working cattle, which are as
good as anything in the world; and our
native cows are MANY of them excellent, !
but our beef cattle are not what they
should be. This remark applies more par
ticularly to the Eastern States, for the fat
steers of Kentucky, illinois and Ohio, are
as good as can be found abroad Our ma
tive cattle have improved much in the last
half century, but this improvement, I
think, is owing more to better care, feed
and shelter, than to principles of breeding.
Be that as it may, it is matter of nation
al importance, for the average increased
weight of our cattle slaughtered already
an invested capital Of moro than
thirty millions of dollars. / have spoken
to you of the origin of our native stock,
and it must be apparent that it was such
that 1T can have no uniformity in any of
its qualities, and cannot therefore be relied
on. Cattle are animals reclaimed from a
wild state, improved by domestioation,
but with tendency to revert to their orig
inal condition. The wild COW has no dai-
ry qualities she gives milk but few
weeks, then barely enough to support her
offspring, and the flow soon ceases.
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