The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1882-10-13

An article Is going the rounds OF the
press In praise of the common, or what Is
called the native COW. In this age OF flat
terry of the improved breeds, the native COW
is largely lost sight Of, and her owner, II he
ever hears the praises OF the Short-horn,
Holstein, Hereford or Jersey sung, Is al
most convinced that his cow is not what
she seems, or else the blooded stock is
marvellous indeed. 1t may be however,
that he knows little about the improved
breeds, which furnish comparatively
small part of the cows in the country.
There are two very prominent classes OF
people. One is constituted OF those VINO
know SO little about the progress that has
been made in breeding, that they cannot
realize COW can be worth more than fifty
or sixty dollars, at the utmost, and the 9th
er is comprised of those who recognize no
merit in any COW unless she has some blood
of the improved breeds in her veiLs. Be-
tween these are the practical people VINO
can see merit wherever 1t may exist. 30
far as the dairy is concerned, there are no
better COWS in the world than some OF our
natives are. They are just like the short
horns with reference to dairy merits.
AS to beef they are of course inferior
both in quantity and quality. Nothing
else could be expected when the short horn
has been bred for years with special view
to the production of beef. There are
profitable and inteligently conducted
diaries in the country that never use drop
of milk other than that taken from the COM
mon or native COW, and it is possible to Sc
lect herd of dairy cows from our common
stock which will compare favorably with
any herd Of any breed.
If a common COW has the marks OF q
good mixer, it is wisdom to breed from
her. Whether or not her calf will inherit
her good qualities, time alone can tell. Ii
is right here that the value of improved
stock is greatest. Its characteristics are
fixed, and will be reproduced. 1t is here
too where the value of registered pedigree
is apparent. The tact that a book contains
the brief statement of the ancestors of an
animal is nothing OF itself. But the fact
that it tells that the animal has certainly
come from long line of ancestors, which
have readily transmitted their character
istics, is everything, for it not only shows
that the animal itself possesses the
family characteristics to greater or less
degree, but that it in turn will be able te
transmit them. The common COW may
reproduce herself, and she may not. The
purely bred COW will reproduce herself,
with possibly slight variation, under proper
breeding.
1t is too often the case that the owners Of
common cows get an erroneous impression
when their attention has been called to the
desirability of improving their herds. They
are convinced perhaps that it would be tt
their interest to improve the character O
their herds; but thinking that the only way
to do this is to purchase outright, they may
not feel like gong to the expense. Some
of the best COWS in the country are crosses
of our common stock with the improved
breeds, and if man owns common Gov
tina. has proved herself a valuable dair.
animal, he has excellent encouragement t.
use her for crossing 1t is every man
duty to breed up. 1t is throwing away
money to keep an inferior animal when w
can just as well have better one We
ern Rural.