Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-07-04
WOODSTOCK, VIRGINIA.
Wednesday, July 4. 1877
UCIos dtcs w Of Amoricaus

Delegates e e Of Amori scsssn.
Next Mona of the fifth century
county will Of the Brltons, driven
sent therasular homes by the Anglo
asser,vasion, crossed the Channel
Established an indepen dent colony
IN the land to which, in remembrance
of their former residence, they gave the
name that still clings to it. Although
temporarily subjected to the yoke of
the Franks by the Great CHARLEMAaNE
the princes of the couht taking adj
vantage of the meaknessef his success
sors, soon reasserted their indepen-
dence, which they maintained, with
brief intervals of subsection either to
English or French domination, down to
the reign of FRANCIS I, when, in 1882,
the province was declared to form an
integral part of the French Kingdom.
The interior ofthe country is largely
intersected with broken hills, narrow
valleys and vast, thinly-populated
heaths, while old castles, with dilapi-
dated walls and dismantled towers,
crown many a solitary hillock-ggrim
mementoes of the days of feudalism,
which here flourished vigorously, long
after the centralizing policy of the
Kings of France had crippled or destroy
ed it elsewhere throughout the land
The inhabitants, even nowadays, re-
tain many distinctive pecullarities Of
dress and manners, while their harsh
Celtic language still testifes to their de-
scent. Among them agriculture is of a
comparatively primitive order, but the
richness of the soil, the geniality of the
the climate and the plodding industry
of the people compensate for the lack Of
modern improvements in methods and
appliances of culture.
The common breed of cows in this
region are remarkable for their diminu-
tive size, their hight among pure-bred
stock varying from 80 to 40 inches; the
comparative richness of their pasture
and the care they receive being the
chief causes of the differences in their
growth. They are extremely docile,
easily managed and free from vices of
every kind. Their great hardness of
constitution and the small amount of
feed on which they will thrive, render
them invaluable to any one having only
a small grass plot. An acre and three
quarters IS quite sufficient pasture for
each, and during winter they are
generally fed economically on mangel-
wurzel, turnips, parsnips and hay. In
proportion TO their size and the ex-
pense of their keep, their yield of milk
exceeds, in quality and quantity, that
of any other breed. Each cow gives
from four to, six quarts with her first
calf, from six to eight with her second,
and from eight to..twelve after she has
calved the third time. The milk is
rich in quality, six quarts of it yielding,
on an average, one quart of cream,
while in some cases from sixteen to
seventeen pounds of butter have been
made, each week, from the milk of a
single COW. The COWS are so small
that it would be unsafe to cross one of
them with bull of any other breed,
SO that to perpetutae the race, when ex-
ported, it is necessary that both sexes
should be kept. This requirement has
prevented,in great measure, the intro
duction of this useful little animal into
other countries, where it might become
emphatically 'the poor mans cow."-
About fifteen years ago considerable
number of them were imported into
England, where they gave very general
satisfaction, but owing to the dread of
introducing the cattle plague Or some
other continental disease with them the
enterprise was not continued.
1t Is generally supposed that this
herd are the progenitors of the Alder
neys. Richer pastures, greater va
riety of food and better attention have
rendered the latter proportionately
more valuable, although their size has
not been much increased. The cost of
keeping them, however, is considerably
heavier, as it has been found by ex-
pertinent that four Breton COWS will
thrive finely on the amount of food re-
quired to support single Attorney.
All American farmers Will condemn
such Improbable experiments, and
justly stigmatize those who practice
them as behind the age. They know
that the kind treatment and liberal
feeding of all domestic animals is not
only humane, but is also amply re.
warded by an increased return of dollars
and cents. They would also by judici-
GUS selection and crossing, have i'm
proved the size and form of of these
little animals more in a quarter of a
century than those rude Breton peas
ants have done in four hundred years,
FRUIT CAKE.-Three eggs; one
pound of sugar three .fourths pound
butter; two teaspoons soda in two cups