The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-30


est and hardies ofall the breeds which have
been imported into this State. Our ma.
tive or scrub breeds of cattle, sheep and
hogs are of European origin and varied
crosses.
They have been acclimated through
length of time, and are hardy and heal.
thy but originating in the unimproved.
breeds of Europe existing at the time Of
their importation, and neglected in thler
breeding here, are inferior in many res
poets. Individuals among them have
sometimes rare merit. The trouble with
them is that of all conglomorate breeds,
the progeny is as apt to breed back to
some inferior ancestor as to inherit the
merits of the parent. Prepotency-the
power to impress itself with certainty
upon offspring-exists only with breeds
long established and purely bred. The
Brahmin cattle, from their association
with the religion of India, have been
kept as a pure breed longer than any
other now known; and they exhibit this
power of prepotency TO marked degree.
I have seen the pendant ears, the straight
hind legs and general form conspicuous
ly shown in an OK, which knew had
but one thirty.second part of the blood
in him. The broad tailed sheep which
was the sheep of the Patriarchs, and the
thoroughbred horse, going back of the
Crusades in his history, possess q like
power of making their progeny. There
is not q doubt of the superiority for
many purposes of some of the modem
European breeds. The difficulty is that
in our climate they loose thrift aud
hardihood. The problem is to appropri-
ate their good quality without the care
and long years required for thorough
climatization. This can be measurably
done by crossing the imported male upon
selected females of our native breeds;
but can be far better done by an infusion
into the European breed of the hot blood
of the long descended and pure bred
tropical races. The grade is at once eli
matized, and renewed crosses upon the
European stock and careful attention
will soon give you an animal equal to
his European ancestor in all desirable
qualities, and at the same time one nat
uralized to his new home. These re-
marks apply more particularly to cattle.
The Spanish Merino sheep for fine wool
is unequalled by any breed here or
abroad, and it is at home with US with
out cross. The broad-tailed is regard
ed by many as the superior of all Others
for mutton, and is good coarse wool
sheep; if, however, toste prefers one of
the English mutton and coarse wool
breeds, the cross of the broad.tailed
will accomplish the purpose of climati-
cation without depreciating the mutton
or wool quality. We all remember what
valuable hog for plantation purposes
the cross of the Guinea upon our native
stock made thirty years or more ago. I
am satisfied now the best hog for US
would be from new and direct infusion
of tropical blood into some of the modern
improved breeds. This cross comes to us
through the Essex and Berkshire; but
there is too much of the native English
blood in these hogs. Long residence in
a northern climate has toned down the
tropical blood too much and the cross
itself for our use needs climatizing to
some extent. T have for many years
made my bacon economically, and with
due certainty, by breeding Essex or
Berkshire boars to native sows. The
half breed was thrifty and healthy, a
good plantation hog; fit for slaughter
without extra care or attention at II to
1S months old. In my experience a
higher grade was no improvement. Once
I relied upon the pure bred Prince AL.
bert Berkshire, giving $S6 for my boar at
6 months old. The sows kept fat, bred
freely, and the pig looked like the orig
inals of agricultural fairs. When I be-
gan to feed them for slaughter, first one,
then another, was found dead, until in q
short time nearly the last one was gone.
The disease was as mysterious as the ex-
pertinent of pure breeds for bacon was
novel with me, and I returned to my
old grades.
There are probably very few, if any,
pure bred Brahmin cattle in this State,
although very high grades may be found.
DR.. Davis imported COW and bull into
South Carolina in 1850, which he after
wards sold into Kentucky. I have seen
in the columns of the old Farmer and
Planter a statement from Mr.. Fades, the
Kentucky purchaser, that after six years
of successful breeding, in which he sold
nearly $4,000 worth of calves from the
bull, he sold the original pair to MIR. Nc
Hatton, of Louisiana, for 81, 200, some
thing more than he gave DR.. Davis for
them. he claimed for the grades not
only the superiority for beef and work
which is generally conceded, but also
high milking qualities and increased size.
I am aware that the claim to milling
qualities is sometimes contested, but in
my observation he is right. l once took
from twelve-year-old COW in one day,
without extra feed, twenty-five quarts of
rich milk. She was half Brahmin and
half Alderney, and would have weighed
fat fully 1000 pounds. This same COW
bred to an imported Alderney bull, pro-
duced a COW that approximated the AL
derney nearer in reduced size and small
er quantities of milk. The Brahmin
blood in that case certainly did no dam
age to the milking qualities of Alderney,
while it greatly added to in size, symme-
try of form and thrift in the grade. There
is also an opinion entertained in some
quarters that the Brahmin grades are
vicious and jumpers. I have not found
them to be either.
Bulls of all breeds, we'll kept like stall
liono and boars, are apt to become vi
cious with age. Ifkeptin large enclosures
with as many COWS as they desire, or
broken to the yoke and worked, this trouble
is decreased. As Jumpers, if the habit is
once acquired, the Brahmin is apt toexcel,
because of his superior form and activity.
He has, however, no more predisposition
to the vice than other cattle. Starting
with herd of any breed, in which there
is no individual that has acquired the
habit, if planter will put gates to all
his enclosures and never let down a gap
or a slip bar to drive his cattle through,
he will not be troubled with jumpers.
The English people in training the colt
that is intended for a hunter, place a
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