Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-03-22
THoRouGH-sRfDs IN the SOUTH.
Experience of a Veteran Breedsr.
Imperial south.

y
Mr.. Pry the distinguished editor of
the Boston Manufacturers Gazette
gave his experience as a breeder of
Improved stock AS follows:
81 started with Durham cattle,
White Chester hogs and Southdown
sheep; and / may add now, after
many years experience, that / star
ted with three of the most positive
Iy useless breeds that any poor fell
low was ever pestered with, and it
cost me great deal of money. L
lost them over and over again, and
finally had to give them all up. L
bought all the best Durhams l could
buy. 1t was not long before | was
satisfied that they were quite insult
ed to our climate; we could not fat
one in summer, they grew bony
large-framed, but would not fat and
to top off with they died with the
murrain by the wholesale. Many
OF these creatures that / had sold
died of the murraln after they had
left me, and / chose in every case
to pay back the money. My own
selections were the best from differ
ent droves, but in spite OF any
judgement | may have had in Ca
pacity of selection, my Durhams
were growing constantly smaller
and more bone" Other little in
stances drawn from his many years
work were related and he cOntin-
ued: sin allthe experience | have
had, l never yet saw a single Dur
ham calf born of good parents south
- hat q M
as we usually speak OF it, grown
up was not much inferior to its
parents. / cannot recall single
exception to this rule. OF late l
have noticed that they were impor-
ting Durhams largely into Missis-
sippi now and they are making up
Durham and Holstein clubs. /
shall watch the experiment with a
great deal of interest, but really i
am fearful it will only be a repeti-
ton of my own, it will end in mis-
fortune. After becoming thorough
ly satisfied as to the Durhams, L
then tried the Devons. This breed
was said to combine beef and milk
qualities. To be sure, they grew
proved very liable to a murrain
known as Texas fever. The slight
est change in the climate was fatal,
and disease took them off rapidly.
The Devon and Durham can not
thrive in this climate; and when /
speak of these two breeds of animals
let il be understood that / bought
only the best animals money could
buy.
III have kept careful accounts of
all my different stock ventures for
many years, and my books show
that / paid upwards of $4,000 cash
for DeVons alone, and fully as much
for Durhams.
"AfterI was satisfied as to the
DeyOns, a DIR. Bachman of Charles
ton urged me very decidedly to try
the Brahmin cattle, the sacred
bulls of India. The doctor held
that they would thrive we'll in our
climate. Well, / bought a Brah-
min BULL. paying $1,000, in gold
and expenses of importation, Ian
ded on my farm was a trifie over
So, 500 in gold. They did excellen-
thy, and for time really tiattered
myself that 1 had solved the prob
lem. They are fine beef creatures,
mixers, really Won
derful. | had one Brahmin COW
that yielded me thirty-siX quarts of
of milk per day. l travelled with
that creature to fair after fair, took
premiums everywhere, made quite
a sensation, and then L discovered
that the milk had not the butter
making quality. In some respects
they were like the Holsteins and
all Dutch cattle where milk or
cheese was a desideratum there
was marvellous flow of milk very
small yield of butter, and that of
a poor quality. But there was one
more feature which negatived all
results, The Bhramins were the
most malevOlent animals in the
world with which am acquainted,
and with a most decided aversion
to woman. never saw Brah-
min COW that a woman could milk.
| thought / might improve the
quality of the milk as regards but
ter, perhaps soften the vicious tenn
per of the Brahmins by crossing
them with Devons, Alderneys or
Guernseys. The cross was perfectly
healthy; l never knew a single one
to die of the murrain; they were
the best working oxen that l ever
owned or raised /; but the milk re-
manned thin and the temper most
vicious, and you cannot sell a vic
ious COW, for the women get against
them and that ends it. So, after
long and hopeful experiment, costly
= tn 10
"My next experiment was
brought about by this same Brah-
min experiment. l bought some
very fine Guernseys and Ayrshires
in order to cross the Brahmins with
them, and the Guernseys and Ayr
shires were both brought from the
original Nick Biddle Herd, at
cost slightly exceeding $4,000. /
fell in love with these creatures be-
cause of their rich milk, gentle dis
position, and their suitability to our
climate. There was really no OBJ
lection to them. But the Jerseys,
however, of similar build and dis
position, and in every respect equal
to them, became fashionable. A
Jersey herd book was established,
and, by lavish outlay of money
and careful breeding, the Jerseys
were improved, until as cows, they
stood without equals. Had the
or Attorneys been taken
up they would probably have done
as well, but you know we must
follow the fashion, and as Jerseys
were the fashion, l drifted into
them. l have now herd of eighty
four registered Jerseys and / am
by purchase and increase
since 1876. 1 have paid almost 3d.
900 for Jerseys alone. do not sell
any cows, and have more demands
for males than / can supply. / am
by every method to
perfect my herd by breeding up to
good families. l have now two
sons of Signal, to which l am now
breeding my cows. Signal had
thirteen daughters, and every one
became famous the world over as
butter makers. Tenella and Optima
are two of the thirteen and are
both owned in Georgia. My herd
is distinctly a Signal herd, with out
crops to the Darlington, Cohmassie,
st. Heller and Rioter families.
These Rioters have become famous
through Mary Ann, a Canadian
cow that has made ninety pounds
of butter per month for four months,
getting above ninety pounds some
ooontbS Tho TarSnxy cow 10 6aoi6