Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-04-02
agricultural, Or.
By our Agricultural Editor
Neat Cattle i'm yermOnt-ye. 3.
FRANKLIN COUNTY.

NtN-'AAs
III is proper to remark here, that our person.
al inspection Of the cattle of Franklin County
has been cut short by the bad state of the roads.
We have. however, taken much pains to verify
our statements
There were formerly,a few small herds of short
horns in this county, but it is believed that there
are not now, in the whole county over half a
dozen animals of this breed that have reliable
pedigree. Fifteen or twenty years ago Devons
became quite popular and there were some thor
ough bred animals, and large number Of high
grades; and it was not uncommon to see dairy
Of COWS in which a large proportion afforded IN
mistakable evidence of their Devon origin. At
that time many work oxen were kept, and many
two and three years old steers were raised for
market; and for steers and oxen the Deyons are
uurivaled.
The want Of care in breeding and particularly
the use of grade bulls has, however, had its in
evitable effect, and pretty nearly every trace Of
the bre. has disappeared. We attended the
County F. IL at Sheldon in the fall of 1867 and
saw on exhibition there, devon bull that
had quite as little resemblance to a true Devon,
as to buffalo bull running wild on::our western
plains.
Some ten or twelve years ago, Mr. Alexander
Fisher, Of Fairfield, near St. Adams. introduced
small number Of pure Ayrshires, and has con-
tinued to breed them in considerable numbers
Cattle of his breeding have been considerably
distributed in this state, Canada, and Rhode
Island, and perhaps elsewhere He has now ten
head. Others have become interested in the
breed and there are now some GO or more thor
ough bred animals besides many that are not
quite to be depended upon as pure.
The following is very nearly a complete list
Hon. R. J. SAKE of Sheldon, owns :; Benz.
Fish, jr.. North Sheldon, S; II H. Tracy, Shel-
don, /; A. Fisher, 10; Homer T. Bently, ] and
H. 4 Soule, >; all of Fairfield Lyman Hunt,
?; Bradley Buck, l. l. T. Paris, 8; L. D Rob
erts, Z; VIM. G Belius, I; Geo. n. Wells, 8;
all of Fairfax Lawrence Brainerd, jr., Of St.
Adams, 3. We have seen all these animals and
do not hesitate to say that they in the aggre-
gate as valuable as any other ike number that we
have ever seen with possibly one single exception
We have information of two other herds in the
County but as we have not seen them they are
not included in the list. 1t is understood that
it IS contemplated making considerable additions
TO this stock during the coming season, by i'm
portation and otherwise.
Of the qualities and characteristics Of this |
popular milking breed we had occasion to write
not long since, ard we have only room to say
TO these particular animals that their owners in |
every instance, claim that they fully meet their
expectations.
Franklin county has acquired a wide spread |
reputation for its dairy products; but its dairy
stock, so far as our observation extends, is not /
of high order of excellence and very little pains
is taken to improve it
Ordinary scrub bulls are used, and little or
no pains is taken in their selection as a rule, to
which of course there ere some exceptions The |
few calves that are raised are generally those
dropped by the best COWS, but as the qualities of
the grandsre, or some more remote ancestor,
most frequently crop out, not one half Of those
raised make good the place Of the dam. But the
introduction of the thorough bred bulls of late,
is a sign Of promise if they do not revert to the
use of grades, which is too apt to be the case
No grade or scrub bull should ever be used on
any pretext whatever, but rather a constant
grading up in the use of none but throrough
bulls should be pursued.