Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-08-04
Feeding, FattenIng, Etc.

pair Of six-year-old graded Devon oxen, weigh
ing four thousand seven hundred pounds, were
sold recently in Gilmanion, n. H., for SOS.
pair of ordinary native cattle would have cost
just as much to raise, and would have sold for
about half as much.
The above item which was "scissored
into this department some weeks ago, to fill
up column, is still causing trouble. After
being picked up for printing it by Mr.. Chez
yer, Of the New England Farmer, and hay-
ing admitted the justice Of the jerk, we are
now called to order by Mr. Hubbard, of the
Termoni Farmer, for not having stood our
ground on it, and defended the doctrine
which it implies.
Rev. DR.. Woolsey, of Yale College, in re-
cent address upon newspapers, describes two
kinds of editors one, the usual type Of the
political and party hack, and the other, char
acterized as follows:
cor he may rise above all this, may give every
man Of every party his due, make no unfounded
charges, ascertain reports before spreading them,
never descend to the level OF pugilist in dealing
with other editors take back an error without
bubble, ike man never try to make men worse
than they arc, to gain special end show him
self independent of His party II he feels it to be
wrong Such man, with high idea Of what his
duty and honor require will not only serve truth
and righteousness, but will show that he lie in
noble calling"
This is the kind of editor we have always
striven to be, and though we are conscious
of many backslidings, we still hold the
ideal before our eyes as goal worth striving
to attain. We mean to be bold in criticism
where we think it is needed, but never to set
down aught in malice and whenever we
make an error, we mean to "take it back
without bubble"
1t was in that spirit that we repudiated
the soundness of the idea expressed in the
item about the Gilmanton oxen and we did
not even defend what might be defensible
in it, because we desired to avoid the appear
ance of "quibbling" and also because the
opportunity did not admit of it, without tax
ing too much space at that time.
Mr.. Hubbard admitting that the item " is
probably somewhat exaggerated" says
"we entertain the greatest respect for the
opinion of brothers cheeyer and Hosklns, and re-
gard them as among the very ablest and most
careful of agricultural editors, but tho way in
which that unfortunate item in relation to the
yoke Of Gilmanton oxen is treated is in opinion,
calculated to mislead farmers and to convey by
Implication, the notion that native scrub cat
tie are Just as good for converting the forage OF
lima
up with the improved breeds. They appear !,
reason by analogy, that because the soil takes
given amount Of plant food to make pound o
oats, II will, therefore, just thrice that t
make three pounds hence II one animal require
a given amount of nutriment to make pound o
beef another one will produce beef in the sam
proportion to their available nntrimcnt consumed
The proposition OF the WGtclnan is correct il
principle, of course. But DIR. Hoskins is too SCUM
n man TO 60 one step further aud say two plots Q
soil Of different character will each make tn
same number of pounds Of oats Of a given quar-
tity OF plant food And yet this is just what is t
be implied ~ regard to the cattle statement"
There is good deal to all this, and it is
question that can by no means be exhausted
or more than briefly treated in a single al
ticle. No man who knows anything abou
the subject is going TO support the thesis as
signed TO us by Mr.. Hubbard, that nativ
or scrub cattle are just as good for convert
ing the forage of the farm into beef as thos
improved by grading up with the improve
[beef 2 breeds" We should not accept thii
any more than we should accept convers
position TO the effect that cattle of the in
proved beef breeds can make flesh and ia
out of nothing-as some of their injud
cious and impractical advocates substantial
claim.
When forage is consumed by cattle, tn
following things result
lit is digested, more or less perfectly
2-what is digested aud absorbed into II
blood goes to repair the waste OF the body, and
there is any surplus, it contributes TO growth
fattng, or in cows giving milk, TO that seeretio
Now, when the idea of improving bree
of cattle for beef purposes is conceived, Il
first thing in carrying it out is to secure Il
most thorough digestion and assimulatio
of the food consumed that is possible. VIII
is wanted, to begin with, Is TO select " GOO
feeders" This is not very difficult. III
common unimproyed stock of every countr
when they have not been grossly abused al
stinted TO dwarfng, are good feeders. Thu
have good appetites and good digostio
But they have one great fault, and the
food is wasted by this one great fault--A
are too dciire, they lack qideiHess This acti
ity-which uses upa great part Of their FOO
without profit, Gt going to repair the exec
siye waste Of the body consequent upon Il
muscular action required for constant al
rapid motion,)-thi restless activity, we sa
has become habitual TO them from the niece
sity they have been under for generation
upon poor pastures, of going over muc
ground in order 10 fill themselves. The
poor pastures also work injury by givil
poor as well as sedniy food, thus requiring
great development of the digestive organ
or offal," as the butcher says.
In starting, then, for the production Of
improved breed Of beef cattle, the intellige
breeder would seek, not only for ego
feeders" but also for those that had, in {
course of generations, acquired quietude
being reared upon lands that produce ri
and abundant forage. Thus the rich, gre
pastures of the river Tees, dividing the En-
lish counties Of Durham and Yorkshire, ga
the stock from which the improved Sho
horn cattle have been developed. Not on
the abundance of grass, but the mild china
that gives long grazing season, and do
not subject the cattle to the evils OF excessi
heat in summer and excessive cold in winte
fayors the formation Of theright character
tics for beef breed Of cattle. II Is n
difference in climate, perhaps, that gives Il
superiority Of the shorthorns over the equal