The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-02-03
Oxen for New England Farms.

In former days the motive power on
ninety five out of every one hundred
New England farms was oxen, and it is
source of regret to me that 80 great
change, in this respect, has taken
place in the years that have interviewed,
Still, on hundreds of New England
farms to-day can be found oxen doing
the work and bringing in good returns
for their owners. 1t is in regard to
this practical matter of profit in oxen
that wish to write, briefly.
In the first place, let US sum up some
of the advantages of oxen over horses
on the farm. They will work on
rough and stony ground, where horses
cannot safely be worked. They cost
much less to keep than horses. They
are constantly increasing in value,
while horses, as rule, are decreasing
in value. Oxen cost little for shoeing
and for gear, while the expense for
shoeing, harness and gear for horses is
not only considerable at the outset, but
is constant source of outlay-harness
in particular, being short-lived. If an
accident occurs to an OK, he can be
made into beef. An accident to horse
results in total loss. Oxen can be
"turned off I" to the butcher for good
sum when they have obtained their
growth, while horses at the end of
their days of usefulness are a total loss.
/ doubt not there are other reasons
why oxen are, under certain condi-
tions, preferable to horses as a motive
power upon q farm. Their disadvan-
taQes are, of course, their slCwness Of
r ovement. II remains then for the
farmer TO consider his own conditions
aud to make hi5 choice. 1t was not to
decry the use of horses upon the farm
that / set out TO write, but TO make
known more clearly, il possible, the
value of oxen, under proper conditions,
and especially TO show how the raising
If oxen eau be made more than ordiu-
arly remuuerative.
A scrub OK is pretty poor animal
either for work or beef. The long
horned, thin-bodied kind are not profit
able for any purpose; but there are
several breeds of cattle from which q
thoroughbred bull can be selected to
cross upon good-bodied, well-colored
cows, that will make the choicest kind
of oxen, both for work and for beef
qualities. The breed above all others
for this purpose, to my mind, is the
Hereford. The progeny of Hereford
bull crossed upon "native" cows will
result in calves wonderfully like the
sire in all points, 80 prepotent in stamp
ing its qualities upon its offspring is 6
thoroughbred Hereford. Now / be-
lieve that with this plan of breeding, G
profitable business can be done in rails
ing oxen on eastern farms. Suppose {
from the same thoroughbred sire
When two years old, matched" pairs
can be made up that will always bring
a fancy price-quite a bit above thu
selling price of the same stock mis-
matched in color only. But this stool
will not only be fancy in the matte
of color, but in shape and substance
Such cattle are always in demand fo
work, and when little older are il
great demand in our large eastern citiel
BY the proprietors of the best hotels
No finer beef comes to their tables thar
some of this fancy" OK flesh that il
picked up here in Maine and elsewhere
and sent to the Boston market. liv,
in the center of great dairy region
where the Jersey is to be found by thu
scores and hundreds. But years age
one of my neighbors, pioneer breedel
of Hereford stock in the state of Maine
introduced the white faces here, anG
for many years bred them. To thi,
day one sees everywhere the beauti
fully matched, white-faced oxen - ex
cellent not only in the matter of theil
beautiful color, but showing the form
that marks the ideal beef animal. 1t il
such stock only that can be raised il
the East to compete with the beef tina
is shipped here from the West. Ant
it can the better afford to compete, be
cause for the first three or four years
of the animals life it helped pay it,
way by its own exertions under the
yoke. Such cattle, the season they are
to be turned off for beef, should have
the run for six weeks or so, of goot
pasture, with little grain daily.
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