, 1876-11-25
CATTLE BREEDING.
CONCERNING OUR FRIENDS
WITH HORNS.
PROFITS OF DAIRY AND sHAMB' ES.

PROFITS OF DAIRY AND sHAMB' ES.
There is Groom at the top" Of every avo-
cation. This trite motto applies not merely
to the law, theology or journalism, but to
every pursuit in life by which men hope to
a.nass a sufficient competency to enable
them to live without labor in their twilight
years. And while we concede that the un-
progressive stock-breeder, who lives in a
dirty hut and has no higher ambition than
to make bare living from the spontaneous
increase of brute beasts, is but one degree
removed from the Bedouins of Arabia or
the Tartars Of the Russian steppes, we also
claim that the intelligent and economical
stock breeder is at all times entitled to our
respect as
PUBLIC BENEFACToR.
The former of these is happiest when
asleep and regards business as curse afflic-
ting the entire human race, while the other
is happiest when attending to the wants of
the dumb but patient creatures from whose
increase he hopes to amasS wealth. The
great fame Of the Thornes, Alexanders
Grigsbys and Pattersons, is by no means
confined to the States of New York, Illinois,
and Kentucky, where they reside but has
long since become portion of the nations
pride and wealth. Nearly all these men
began in a small way butworked their dair-
les and bred their herds, upon a progress
i've principle. Their motto was, pay cash
for nothing that will grow upon a farm
and never buy poor animal because his
owner asks a low price for him. They also
made it rule never to hold for fancy prices
but always to sell for o fair compensation.
Wealth therefore followed legitimately in
the path of thrift and enterprise begat pow
er. The late and always-to-be-lamented.
ROBERT AITcHEsoN ALEXANDER,
Of Woodford county, Kentucky, was rep
resentative man of this class. By careful
trading and judicious economy in stock
breeding he had got together few thous-
and dollars and was ca rrying on the busi-
ness of a drover when the death of rela-
tive in Scotland made him the possessor of
several millions. Many men would have,
at this juncture, betaken themselves to
some great city and invested their wealth
in bank stocks and railroad bonds; but the
Master of Woodburn had nobler mission.
He preferred to spend his days in peace
among the people who had known him in
his poverty, and add to the prosperity Of
the region where his struggles with early
hardship, were so well known. And with
this view he returned to the land Of his an
cestors, to select stock for the rich blue
grass pastures of Kentucky. When it be-
came knownat Lexington that he had paid
S15, 600 for bull,
s'THE DUKE OF tIEDRIE,
More than one shrewd man proclaimed lin
insane. But his saSacity was evinced 10y
the stubborn fact that, in the year 1859, Le
received over $500 in premiums at fairs
held in the valley of the Mississippi. The
prices realized from this investment were
enormous, as he always sold annually at
auction. a system of which he was the mat
curator i'll America. heifer, daughter OF
tho Duke aforesaid, brought him 81 900 in
1868 and was taken back to England. An
offer to buy back the old bull at $4,000
met with the answer, "a principality should
not touch him." So it was in all this gem
tleman's operations. He bought good ami
mails only and it was alone in the case of
his imported stallion Scythian, that his
Judgment went amiss. He gave $4,000
for Lexington when '.stone blind" and
eight years later, sold one O. his colts
NOrtolk-for Sl5,001 to an enterprising
Californian, who knew that poor article
was never cheap. But you ask, what bear
ing has such case upon
WASHINGTON TERRITORY?
We answer you, it will teach You to study
the value of quality rather than quantity.
Invest your earnings in what will surely
reimburse you and be not content with
,,,.-..L;r., po,,o,,ba, tb.t q ooo1 n;voa1
eats no more fodder than poor one and is
always twice as salcabie. You musSnot go
blindly into breeding any particular stock
or race of cattle, without first consulting
the geographical questions involved. To
begin with, the Durhams OF short horns,
are very thrifty in Kentucky where the
ground is but seldom hilly and never noun
famous. Will such cattle thrive on our
precipitous hillsides, and amass fat while
Struggling through our dense forests? A
moments reflection will tell you better.
You must first inspect your farm before
YOU can determine its future products.
You mHst remember that it is therich blue
grass that makes the great Durham cattle
OF Kentucky. That grass grows on lime
stone soil only and Of that you have the
islands of
SAN JUAN AND ORcAS,
Where it will grow SO luxuriantly that 1t
will slodgc' in the storms of April and o.
tober, if not!pastured closely. Wherever
YOU find limestone, there it will. grow.
Think of that, YOU poor struggling fellows
who go about those islands every day,
trampling fortunes under your feet. A lit
tie enterprise ON your part, to clear away
brush and make that grass grow, will make
that land worth hundred and fifty dollars
per acre. Nature has provided one fence
The great sounding sea-and all you have to
do is to erect partitions between nelghbors.
The Durhams are OF but little value save
for beef and it takes the revenue OF bank
to feed herd Of them. Being sluggish
and lazy they are no extra logging cattle,
which should be of fair size and quick on
their feet. In this respect they are vastly
inferior to
THE DEvONsHIRES,
Which are smaller and more active. These
beaf the same relation to other horned beasts
that thoroughbred racers maintain among
horses. Take the pure-bred Devon COW,
anc Won will find her beautiful red with
waxy horns and white tassel on her tail,
while her udder is of a creamy yellow tint,
and about her eyes are rings of like hue.
Cows of this breed rarely weigh over eight
hundred pounds and the largest steers sell
dom reach thousand but they are hardy
and active, and will keep fat where short
horns would starve to death. Steephills
are no obstacles to them and they give rich
milk on almost any sort of pasture. 1t is
nothing uncommon to see steers of this
breed pull an empty wagon three miles in
side the hour. They are generally good
dispositioned and we can recommend those
who seek to breed Tor the block, in this sec
ton, to make their first purchase Devon