, 1869-01-15
The Dutch Race OF Cat,ls.

An enthusiastic correspondent of the
Massachusetts, P5oaghman, has this to say Of
the Dutch race of cattle:
The antiquity of the Ouch race of cattle
may be inferred from the fact stated BY a
French historian, who, writing 10 1850, says
that at cerain siege the besieged could
only receive their supply of butter from
Holland, which had been famous for its
dairy products for FIVE hundred years aud
a description Of Holland in the last volume
Of Motley's History of the United Neither.
lands" gives aO interesting account of the
thrifty condition of cattle husbandry iu that
province, during the 18th century. He
says, on that strip of solid ground rescued
by human energy from the ocean, were the
most fertile pastures in the world. On
those pastures grazed the most famous cattle
in the world. An OK often weighed more
than two thousand pounds The cows pro.
duced two and three calves at 4 time, and
the sheep four and five lambs. In a single
village four thousand kline we're counted.
Butter aud cheese were exported to the an
nual value of a million. Sailed provisions
to an incredible extent
English cattle writers have uniformly
ignored the existence of any race or breed of
cattle except those known as the British
Breeds and American authors have in gen,
eral, blindly followed the English; we are
therefore, left to learn incidentally such facts
as may be thus obtained 10 regard to the
modern Dutch or Holsteih cattle, and present
condition of the dairy interest in Holland,
and we ind that at this time there is prob.
ably no community of equal extent in the
world that exhibits more uniform appear
ance of contentment, thrift and wealth than
the population of Holland, and this prosper,
ily and wealth being the direct result OF their
dairy hasbandry, it may be readily under
stood why the Dutch dairy farmer is a per-
son Of the highest respectability and more
over, his success 10 his calling depending
altogether upon bis judgment 10 breeding,
or selection and care of mich COWS, it is
easy to comprehend how it has come to pass
that the dairy stock of Holland has attained
pTe eminence over any other race or breed.
In view of the superiority Of the Dutch
race Of cattle, it is much to be regretted that
American breeders, in their efforts at im.
provement, have not extensively imported
and bred them 10 this country. In the con
tinental countries of Europe they are appre-
ciated, and have been widely disseminated.
1t would be difficult to overestimate the
value of an infusion of blood into those dairy
districts in this country where cheese fac,
tories have been established, and cheese
making has become speciality. In proof of
this, we have only to compare the average
quantity of a little over three hundred
pounds of cheese per COW, as shown by the
cheese factory reports of New England and
New York, with the result of recen. ex
pertinent in Europe, showing the average
quantity made from the best class of Dutch
cows, to be over eight hundred and forty
pounds.
10 this connection, it may be well to refer
to well known principle iD breeding, viz:
That blood exerts an influence n direct ratio
with the antiquity of race or breed, and to
state that the Holstein bulls possess the
power (when crossed upon cows of other
breeds). Of transmitting to their progeny the
peculiar characteristics of the Dutch race, to
a very extraordinary extent.