Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-02-04
Agricultural.


BREEDS AND THoRoUeHBRRDs.-Thor-
oughbred is a term given an animal
descended from parents which both be-
long to the sane recognized breed. A
breed is a gradual growth, during many
years. often centuries, of class OF ami
mails which possess some marked dis
tinguishing points or characteristics.
Its perfection is arrived at by course
of skillful breeding of selected animals,
each one chosen for the especial purpose
of marking more distinctly some desired
characteristic. This courseis persevered
in until each animal is able TO reproduce
itself exactly and infallibly, and the
chief characteristics of the class Of ami
mails are indeibly fixed, so that each
young animal produced is type of its
class. Such class of animals is then
reorganized as breed or as thorough
bred animals, and its descendants with
out admixture of foreign blood are
"pure bred" or thoroughbred" There
are very few really pure breeds however;
that is, races of animals which repro
duce themselves exactly in color and
form. The Devon cattle are one of
these pure breeds, having been from
time immemorial exactly what they are
now, and reproducing themselves ex-
actly in form, color, and every other
Characteristic without failure. Our ma
tive buffalo is another pure breed OF
cattle, as are also the wild cattle Of
Chillingham, England, and the dun
cattle and the buffalo Of Italy. The
. 10 hn
Jersey, or Shorthorn, because although
they do not reproduce themselves ex-
actly, yet they do so with sufficient
closeness to preserve their distinguish
ing traits of character. As they are
recognized as breeds their unmixed des-
cendants are called thoroughbred. If
their blood is mingled with that of
another class, whether that be thorough
bred or not, the "thoroughness" is lost
and the produce is a grade. That pro-
duce can never be brought back to
thoroughbred really. There will always
be a stain, and although that stain may
be continually diluted with each genera
tion, the point when it is supposed to
finally disappear has never been salts
factorily fixed upon. The starting point
from whence either of these breeds
sprang is not known. The original
sources are like those of river, issuing
from many springs. In course of time
all these smaller streams gather into
one which contains the elements of each
consolidated. So 1t is with either OF
these races of cattle. Having been first
obtained from some accidental mixture
and exhibiting some strong points of
excellence, the original stock were inter
bred one with another.
KEEP Cow.-People generally be-
heye that there is but one kind of cows
milk, always supposing there is no adul-
teration, but no mistake can be greater.
The milk sold from wagons has the fol-
lowing characteristics: 1t is of uncertain
quality, and it is almost always poor on
account of the feed, such as bran,
steamed hay, and brewers grains. It
is injured during the journey from the
farm OF by the various transits to the
consumer, and it rapidly changes. Many
of the COWS are unhealthy; little care
is taken by those who milk to secure
perfectly clean milk, and the odors of
the barn-yard and stable where many
cows are kept, where personal super
vision as to details is impossible, i'm
part bad flavor to the milk. Such
milk is certainly unfit for infants. All
this is said in the supposition that there
Is no kind of adulteration. Condensed
milk is not open to some of these evils.
There is really no way for families to
get good milk but to keep COWS them
selves. In cities and towns it would be
a good plan for several families to unite
and keep one frst-rate COW. But, gen
orally, one family should keep a COW,
and this can often be done in a city as
well as in village, providing a stable
is on the premises, for where carriage
horses are kept a COW can be. L am
informed that many families keep cows
as much as they keep servants, and they
find it a great advantage. - Country
Physician.
MANY of the failures in the attempt
to raise our more common forest trees
from the seed, are caused by improper
care of the seed previous to planting.
IL such seeds as the chestnut and the
horse chestnut are allowed to become
dry, their hard vanished shell is imper-
vious to moisture, and this alone causes
q majority of the attempts at raising
such trees from the seed. If they can
be planted so as to be secure from mice,
it is much safer to plant them in the
autumn soon after they fall from the
trees. If they cannot be planted iu
their proper position, they may be
mixed with earth and kept moist until
spring. Freezing will not hurt them.
II
mature their seeds so early IN the season,
that they may be plaHted Immediately,
and will make considerable growth be-
fore winter sets in. In all cases where |
the seed-bed is SO situated that it can
not be worked up in the spring, it will |
usually be found best to plant all kinds |
in the fall, as they will sprout very early |
in the spring, and will make root and |
growth much in advance of those not |
planted until late in the spring. Almost |
any kind of forest trees may be success |
fully transplanted by cutting the tap
root a year before the attempt is made. |
If one or two of the larger roots are cut |
at the same time, it viii be more certain |
to prove successful.
The CATTLE OF EURoPE.-According
to the report lately read at a scientific |
meeting at Seeberzig, in Switzerland,
all the cattle in Europe amount to
81, 700, 900 head. OF these Germany
owns 100000; Austria. 1900, 900;
France, 100000; Great Britain,
100000; Turkey, 100000; Spain
and Portugal, 4,5CO,OOO Denmark,
4, 100000; Italy, 3.500,O0O; Sweden
and Norway, 100000; Holland and
Belgium, 2, 900, 900; Greece, 1000, 900;
and Switzerland, 10000 The little
Republic of Switzerland figures at the
head of the list in proportion to its
extent and population, owning POS head
Of cattle for each thousand acres, and
j67 head for each thousand inhabitants.
Spain has only 80 head for each thous-
and acres of its superfcies.
WHAT AN EAR OF CoRS WILL YIELD
An ear of corn has been sent to this
office, grown in Cleveland, East Ten
nessee, which measures 101 inches in