Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-02-04

original outlay is larger. The price
of full blooded stock is so high, that
the farmers, generally, are not able to
get bloodsd stock. These high priced
full blooded cattle are generally in
troduced by men Of wealth. whose
principal desire is to get the improved
stock into the county they live in.
A few are brought in at first, and
from such the county is soon stocked.
The Messrs. Potter have introduced
Holstein cattle into this county, and,
at their farm near this city, they have
now eight head, an increase having
been made on January 1. They in
troduced these Holsteins into Alpena,
not for money making purposes, but
to tend to improve the quality of the
cattle in the county,.
W. H. Sexton. secretary of the
Michigan Holstein cattle breeders
association, speaks of the Holsteins
as follows:
"Holsteins were first introduced into this
country about the year 1925 by the East
India Company, and were also brought into
the State Of New York by the early Dutch
settlers. Importations were made in 1910
and 1925 but in each instance the pure
breed was entirely lost through lack of
interest in their propagation and an igno-
rance Of the value of blood and the impor-
lance of careful breeding. These cattle
were of great value as dairy animals, as
their qualities in that line were uni
versally acknowledged wherever they
were known, and it is a matter of
regret that the identity of the breed should
have become extinct. There was an i'm
portation in 1852 of a single COW. The
extraordinary good qualities possessed by
that COW led, in 1857, to a further importa-
ton Of bull and two cows, and, in 1859,
to four more cows. In consequence of a
disease which occurred in 1o59-60 these
cattle and all their full blooded descendants,
with the exception of young bull, were
seized and destroyed under a law of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts,; and in
the autumn of 1861, another importation of
a bull and four cows was made. These ami
mails, with their progeny, have been kept
and propagated, and in 1875 numbered III
bulls and 234 cows. Since that time the
interest in these cattle has steadily in
creased. Frequent and larger importations
have been made, so that there are now a
few of these cattle scattered in nearly every
State and Territory in the Union, and yet
there are not enough Of these cattle to sup
ply each township in the State of New
York with three head.
"They have gained for themselves the
reputation they now hold as being the
most profitable breed of cattle for all pur-
poses. They are noted for good size, rapid
growth, kind disposition, strength of breed
ing, length of time in milk, and their won
derful records of milk and butter. They
are commanding the attention of the Ameri-
can people.
"The first importation of these cattle into
Michigan was the Burney importation Of
fourteen head in 1879, the next importation
was August 20, 1881, and other importations
followed in 1928. There are now several
importers and more than fifty breeders in
Michigan.
"These cattle are called Holstein cattle,
and are registered in the Holstcin Herd
Book of America.
"Some of the recent importations to the
United States are called Dutch Fricsian
cattle, and are registered in the Dutch
Friesian Herd Book"