Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-11-09
a NJ, L0uis Fair,

J. W. Sanborn, formerly of the New Hamp-
shire Agricultural college, now Dean of the
Missouri Agricultural college, reports for the
Mirror and Farmer some of the features of a
great fair and cattle show lately held at st.
Louis. We give below the concluding por-
ton of his report, relating to live stock
81 devoted a day to this section of the fair
prohtaby. Let me here say to old friends of
the Mirror family that it will require brains
and capital to excel the western breeder,-
moro l think than is now being applied in
New England. New England cannot look to
the character of her stock too closely. l no.
ticed in the swine department the Victoras, a
breed from the hands of one of the Mirrors
contributors, Col f. d. Curtis good beasts,
but our people call for a black hog. Strange
ly, however the whites were out in strong
force, although one rides far, here, to see
white hog The Jersey Reds were there in
numbers and of finer type than those l have
before seem They yet seem little coarse
to me, yet fine pigs were shown. The Po-
land China and the Berkshire, the fayorite
breeds of the west had excellent specimens
on show. The Poland China is undergoing a
change in the hands of present breeders, the
tendency being towards the type of Berk-
shires, in some respects, so much so that care
less observers mistook them for Berkshiros.
The white hairs are nearly bred out and the
hair is nearer the luster and fneness of the
Berkshire than formerly so of the limbs and
type finer limbs and better shape for early
maturity are now bred As the Berkshire en-
tered into the makeup of the breed, it would
seem that, wherever the type of the Berk-
shire has shown itself in the Poland. China
pig, it has been seized upon to refine this
breed Certainly an excellent hog is the prod
uct of recent efforts.
Among the cattle, l noticed prodigy in
q Holstein bull Jumbo, from Michigan, weigh
ing $500 pounds; the heaviest animal on the
ground, although excellent specimens of the
three great beef breeds were there. Wales
Holstein COW, Mercedes, was on exhibition.
She is now the champion COW of the world
having made % pounds, g ounces of butter
in thirty days. In the different breeds. at
tempted to study the marks of a good COW
and especially the escutcheon. Each breed
seemed to have type of escutcheon peculiar
to itself. Mercedes surely might be expect
ed to carry a good escutcheon and milk veins
She certainly was not extra strong in either
of these respects, not strong at all in the es-
cutcheon. The best animal on the ground
was pretty generally agreed to be Hereford,
Rudolph, owned by q Wyoming stock COM
pany. They claim him to be the best animal
on the continent In cups, shoulders loin,
thigh and barrel, he was q marvel in good
breeding Nothing patchy in his fattening,
having an evenness in outline and square.
ness in form that leaves but little to be gain
ed. The Herefords are in high favor among
ranchmen, being good "rustlers" as it is term
ed, hardy, and of disposition and force to get
about for food and water The Polled Argus
are growing fast in favor. Those on exhibit
ton justify their growing popularity. While
the question of horns or no horns does not
excite my interest much, must say that the
animals have seen do. That they are su-
perior breed for the shambles does not admit
of question. We have several heavy import
ers of this breed in this state The Durham
Short horns were represented by several fa-
nous breeders. Two standard herds were
here from Illinois, containing animals worthy
of special notice. However much we may
admire the modern Hereford and the BLACKS"
the Short horn in show assure us that where
high farming on ordinary-sized estates
is carried on under good artificial conditions,
there be viii, for long time to come, be a
hard animal to dethrone"