Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-06-02

WIS, anu secOuuly DecauSe Jne eiiois VI VINO
item may be malicious errors, instead OF
mistakes of ignorance. In 1871 wrote a
historical sketch of the Dutch cattle, which
was published in the report Of the board OF
agriculture for 1879. From that sketch al
low me to quote authorities to prove fully
that at certain recent dates the Jarvis stock
still existed in its purity:
Early in the present century, Hon. William jar
Wis Of weathersfield, Vermont, imported bull
and five cows. They were bred on his farm, pure
from mixture with other stock and remain 80 to
the present day.
In 1864, W, W. Chenery, Esq, writes OF this i'm
portaton These cattle soon acquired an env-
able reputation which has been maintained down
to the present time. A fe,o Jtll-bloods and some
crosses are still remaining on The jarvis farm, and
although they do not compare favorably with the
latest mportations of Dutch cattle, they are re-
garded in that part of the country as very SUI
perior kind Of Shorthorn cattle, remarkably good
for milk, both in quantity and in quality. As
working oxen they have there very high reputa-
ton, being large, strong, well made, quick and
high spirited, and have great endurance OF heat.
They are very muscular, and having great apti-
tude to fatten, the drovers and butchers have al
ways esteemed them very highly. They are also
considered there extremely valuable to cross with
other breeds.
The following extract from letter dated June
%, 1871, written by Russell Jarvis, ESQ.,, OF Clare
mont, New Hampshire sheds some light upon this
stock. Consul Jarvis did not breed from crosses
or importations of other Dutch cattle but bred
exclusively from his own importation and as 1t Is
termed, bred in and in. The only Dutch cattle
that know Of now, in this vicinity, are those be-
longing to myself, with the exception of one COW
owned by his son-in-law, Leavtt Hunt, at Wealth
ersfeld, Vermont"
One of the purchasers Of this stock was c. w.
Bellows, OF Peppere, Massachusetts, who writes
September 49, 1870 :--"Mr Jones of Amherst,
New Hampshire, and bought all of Jarvis full
bloods the year he died. This would not, OF
course, include what might have been owned by
Russell Jarvis, in Claremont, New Hampshire H.
L. j. and then got some seven head OF the Or
ange county milk association importation, and
have bred them carefully together, and have
really the best dairy stock know of. They are
not so large as the Chenery stock, but can beat
them every time for dairy use. At the Manches-
ter fair, with three head, took two first prem-
ums against sixty head Of his and the stock from
Putney. . ! sold Mr.. Carlos Pierce all the
Dutch cattle he had to start with exceptinglone.
You can depend upon their milking and
butter qualities"
w. w. Chenery, importer of Dutch cat
tie, aud president of the Holstein Breeders
Association, christened the Dutch cattle
mil nd o,,rao1 ha
that the Jarvis stock was not kept pure, but
crossed with other cattle. After writing the
sketch gave the letters from my cores
pondence on this subject to Mr.. Thomas
Baker of Barton, who bought of Carlos
Pierce, Esq, of Stanstead, the cattle that C..
w. Bellows refers to. These have been kept
pure, and now herd of probably forty or
fifty pure Dutch or Holstein cattle are on
the Baker farm and owned by Henry Cutler
of West Glover.
Whoever says that Consul Jarvis was
such man as would import sheep, swine
and cattle and lose their purity of blood by
breeding crosses, does not know the man.
He was an enthusiast in breeding and had
faith in his chosen stock. He was man Of
strong mind and will and it made little diff
ference to him whether his stock was popu-
lar or not, he bred it pure. | could refer to
several men in this county who knew him
and his peculiarities.
have visited his farm and talked with
people in that vicinity aud in Claremont,
and, upon the evidence gathered, am
positive that the Jarvis stock was kept pure,
as Mr.. Russell Jarvis declares.
/ believe the so-called Holstein breeders
know that the admission written in their
herd-book by w. w. Chenery in 1864, as
above quoted, was changed so that they
might monopolize that breed of cattle and
sustain extravagantly high prices
With Mr.. Chenery visited his stock and
saw three years-old heifer for which he
said he had been offered $4,000. He priced
bull at $500, and thought l would do
well to take him to Vermont, as it would
take only one year to pay for him, as his
services to hundred cows at $l5 each would
pay for him.
The Jarvis stock were not admitted into
the Holstein herd book, and several other
herds of Dutch cattle were excluded. Mr..
L. L. Whiting of Concord, Massachusetts,,
has had long controversy on this subject,
and has abundant proof that these cattle are
properly Dutch cattle, and have been kept
pure 2OO0 years. See report of Massachu-
sets Agriculture 1873, 1874, pages 100, 100
of abstract.
This defense of the eminent Vermont
consul, William Jarvis, is not longer than
his merits demand. He was national man,
aud in all his political life did not forget
agriculture and its interests. His large and
fertile farm by the Connecticut river, in
Weathersfeld, Vermont, should be remem.
bered by us as the homes of eminent men
in other states are remembered, and Yer
mont papers should claim the credit that is
due to his eminent services to his country
and state. u. +. JAMESON.