Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-11-30
DAIRY Mt.
HALF.BRED BUFFALOEs FOB THE
DAIRY

buffalo cannot be successfully utilized for
dairy purposes is now in a fair way of being
satisfactorily settled. The apprehensions
hitherto entertained regarding the untama-
BILE nature of the buffalo, and that the char
acteristics of this branch of the bovine fami-
ly would be certain to crop out through in
definite crossings, appear to be totally
g%roundless. AS will be seen under the head
Of stock items, in this days issue, the buffa-
10, or more properly American Bison Dos
An,ericanus), il being used extensively in
portions OF the State of Nebraska bordering
on the wild prairies of the far West for
stock purposes, and that half and quarter
bred females OF the bison family yield an
abundant supply of rich milk. A remarka-
BILE feature connected with this cross of the
bison with domestic cattle is the fact that
the color of the bison and the majority of
It's distinguishing characters disappear after
successive crossings. Its outword confor-
motion is also in process of time in a great
degree lost sight of. The bunch, or lump
of flesh covering the long spinous processes
of the dorsal vertebrn, becomes diminished
with each successive cross, and will doubt
less also disappear entirely as the original
type becomes merged in the domestic an
imal.
Mr.. j. W.. Cunningham, now living at
Erie, Pa, formerly Of Howard county, Ne
braska, in q recent letter presents many in
teresting facts in connection with this sub
ject, based upon his own experience, which
renders them of great Importance to the
farmers and breeders of the western country.
He writes: "The buffaloes IN my ranch
consisted of two young cows and one bull.
! fed them carefully with the cows, but kept
them confined at night. In the spring it
was discovered that two of my cows were
with calf by the buffalo bull. The calves
proved to be both heiters. When three years
old they became mothers, the sire being of
Shorthorn stock. The calves were weaned,
and the mothers, although showing some
of the buffalo characteristics, proved to be
very good mixers, quite gentle, giving ar
average of fourteen quarts of milk per day
for at least five months, and such rich milk
| never saw. This strain of buffllo stock
extends through a considerable section of
Howard county. / have a half-breed bull
Of this stock which proves to be both useful
In other sections of Nebraska who own half
and quarter-breeds that prove to be very
hardy" From other sources in the West
we learn that the cross of the American BIZ
son with native and grade Shorthorn cattle
has proved completely successful, expert
ments having been tried on a sufficiently
large scale to satisfy the most skeptical peo-
pie. Utilizing the buffalo for dairy pur-
poses is an old custom in the hot countries
of the Eastern Continent, where almost all
the cheese is made OF buffalo milk. The
business in this country is comparatively
new and not yet fully developed, but we
may reasonably hope to see it spread like
wildtlre in the course of a few years through
out the entire Western country.-Thrf, Field
end Farm.
The following is the stock item alluded to
in the above:
It has been fully demonstrated, and may
be now set down as an established fact, that
the cross of the buffalo with mich COWS are
of a gentle disposition. and yield IL fair
amount Of very rich milk. The male pro-
dnce of this cross make excellent bulls. and
when crossed with good mixers of any OF
the mich families, yield largely of rich
quality of milk, from which the finest but
Ter can be made. In certain sections of Ne
braska. especially in Howard, county, half
ind quarter-bred buffalo stock is quite COM
mon. Notwithstanding the dairy stock In