Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-05-07
Tame Bufaloes.
BRIrorNs UP THREE THAT WERE
TAKEN YOUNG ON THE PLAINS.

Colonel Ezra Miller. of Mahwah, n.
j.. brought up three buffaloes that were
sent to him from the plains Of the West.
and gives his experience with them a'
follows in an interview with New
York reporter:
L have proved to nay own sati'fac'
tion.' the colonel said, several import
ant points. First, that buffasoes can
be tanned. Second. that it doesn't cost
one.half ss much TO keep buffalo as to
keep an ordinary COW. Third, they eau
be fsttened as quickly as ordinary
beeyes. and on hall the food. and their
meat 10 ,ust as good. Fourth. they are
as good mixers a. cur Alderneys and
fifth, they are as good butter makers.
The milk of the buffalo Is little vel.
lower than that of the Alde,ney. but
very sweet and rich and there is more
cream than in the Alderney milk. As
10 the quantity of milk gwen BY buffalo
cows, they will average with the aver
AGE mixer. The udder of the buialo
COW m very ANAL indeed, hut the milk
| reirs are immense. This 10 a provision
whereby nature enables them 10 run
faster than ifcnmbered by a large udder.
am Of the opinion that the most desir-
able cross il with the big Dutch cattle
TINT have such big udders. / think that
crossing them with our short horns will
give remarkably good beef. But the
beef frsm osr buffaloes more than met
nv expectations. 1t was sweet and
iuicy, and tender, not at all like the
meat OF the buffalo OF the plains.
Nov. in drawing the balance be-
tween the buffalo and the ordinary cow.
I fnd these facts: The buffalo can be
kent at one-half the cost Of the COW I;
that's one point for the buffalo. We
will assume, IN give the COW fair show.
that she Yields more milk and butter.
That balances the account so Tar. The
buffalo is fully equal to our stock in the
quality Of meat. So they are still on
even terms; hut its hide is worth four
times as much. 20 it comes ou. far ahead
in the last heat, as horsemen say. The
hide from my bull was beautiful SPEC
ime,. II WAS better than t25 robe
bought. to compare with il. The fur
uas Longer and finer, the result of good
feed, 1 think
Tn. colonel leo, the way to the barn
yard where the buffalo cow and heher
were kept. A .avory sEell was ex-
hailed from the kitchen as he passed.
Come in here . minute he sald'
suddenly. Three or four farm handS
we're eating dinner. and large platter
of what seemed to be beetsteak stood on
the table. The colonel seized . knife
and cut int it. 1t was sweet, iuicv,
and tender. and we'll favored. That
ia from the rOund,' the colonel said.-
Not the beat cut by any means, ~ you
know but our women say the buffalo
meat 70 all tenderloin. The hump is
very fine, being rich and juicy. The
heart is immense in size. and the liver
beats any beef liver ever tasted
A Qcod.looking colOred man went to
the COW stables, and from among a
number Of ordlnarv-looking animals
turned out the buffalo cow. Her black
horns curved upward and were tipped
With brass knobs. Otherwise she Was
the ordinary buffalo. Her cali, the
yesrling heifer, Was her counterpart
without the horns. Both were very
gentle. and the heifer answered readily
10 the name of Nancy
We have had no trouble in raising
th.m., the colonel said. and they herd
With the other cattle on the best oi
terms. What surprises me is their
weakness. I supposed they were very
powerful but they are not. / have
seen o yearling Aldeney bull push Bill,
the buffalo bull. when he was three
years old, right up hill. They are fast
but they are not strong. They are also
very cowsrdly. very playful aud very
GINNING. I have studied their habits
, and have been greatly amused. If one
of them sees you shut gate. he'll 20
t up and open it Immediately after you
/ bu, he won't 60 out Of the gate. had
them in that lot there, and noticed that
t length oi the fence that separated the
nasture from field Of rye was down.
,ent man to nail it up. Bill stood
i inst behind him and watched him close
, lv The man had not got back to the
' house before Bill gravely walked up Il
e the fence. put his horns under the love-
# oard. and ripped the whele Length
;. down. and then quietly turned rount
E and walked sG. One day the mea wer'
/ working on that side hill With barrows
G At noon, while they were eating Dime
ii under that shed. they heard rattle
;. and down came Bill. a handle Of tn
e vbeelbarrow on each hern, wheeling II
n. vbeeled 1t to the foot OF that hi
!. there, when It turned over. Thrn n
III tred to get it back. l have seen hin
h rell A barrel halt way up the hill AM
Q then let 1t roll down. aud every TIM
ths barrel bounced over stone bil
q rrunted and jerked up HE ridlculou
b tail. rney don't below like our cattle
Z they grunt ..f., !.
{ lhere from New Yerk went on the hi
lsor blackberies. carrying small I'll
/, pail, such a. the men use 10 cary'n
j .ait vhen they salt the cattle. Bills