improvement began. Bakewell was known for his attention to the subject, and for the superiority of his cattle full forty years ago, and he was preceded by Webster, and one or two others. Since then, numerous improvers have appeared in various parts of the kingdom, and yet it seems to be necessary to stimulate farmers by high premiums, to adopt breeds which their own interest ought to lead them to propagate. Prejudice must certainly operate with much greater force in England, than in the United States, otherwise fine cattle would be much more plentiful than it seems they are at present; and royalty and nobility would not be required to mix with the crowd at Smithfield to break the force of habit, and to show by a comparison of good and bad breeds, what the farmers themselves ought long ago to have found out. Without wishing to eulogize my countrymen undeservedly, I must say, that had they enjoyed the same advantages in respect to Fowler, Bakewell, Paget, and other scientific graziers, our cattle would long since have arrived at their acmè of perfection, and even under present circumstances, we are making rapid strides, for it is only necessary to show that it is our interest to change our breeds, and the change is made without delay. We have none of those strong prejudices, which cause men to shut their eyes to improvements, from a supposition that their own stock is superior to all others.* They are not kept back by the amount of first advances, provided they see a chance for return of good interest, a consideration which duty to themselves and families require an attention to. They do not deem it right to gratify whim, or pay highly for mere beauty of form. A few examples shall be given in point. An English merchant, residing in this city, some years since imported a cow from England of the Teeswater breed,† at a great price, and soon afterwards wished to dispose of her. IIe however could not ob

*The British Agricultural writers generally allow that this prejudice is the great obstacle to improvement in England.-The writer of the report on the agriculture of Westmoreland, drawn up for the Board of Agriculture, states, that a farmer, when asked what breed of sheep they had, replied, They are sic as God put on the land: we never change ainy."

She was from the stock of Collins, of Stockton.

tain the price he asked,($200) but a captain of a ship bound to England, agreed to take her back free of cost, as she was then fresh in milk, and she was afterwards sold in Yorkshire to good account. Her form was good, and she herself was an excellent milker, but at the price asked for her here, she would not yield an interest equal to what a farmer would derive from the same sum laid out in four or five common country cows, or in three or four grazing steers. The want of a bull, moreover, of the same breed, or of one equally good, by which her race might have been continued, was another reason for the indifference evinced towards her; for it was risking too much to wait a time to determine whether she bred after herself, or from the bull. On the other hand, the proprietor of several rams of the true Dishley, or new Leicester breed of sheep, at New Brunswick, New Jersey, finds no difficulty in letting them for $150 and $200 per year, to farmers within fifty miles, because they have found out that their des cendants fatten with great ease and are finely formed, while the American breed of sheep are difficult to fatten, and are longlegged and narrow-rumped, and because the lambs of the former will bring from three to four dollars at three months old, while those of our own breed will only sell for half that sum. I have crossed the ewes of the Dishley breed with the Merino, for the purpose of improving the form of the latter. Col. Humphreys sells his full blood Merino rams readily for $100, because the wool brings $1,33 per lb. Thus when value is returned, capital is freely advanced.* * * *

P. S. Dec. 1810. During the present year, 500, 700, 1000; and even as high as 1500 dollars were repeatedly given in NewYork for Merino rams, which shows that the American improver is not deficient in spirit, when objects present themselves, that are likely to remunerate the adventurer. At present the great influx of Merinos has diminished the price, but it is highly probable that they will continue at $100, and at that price no farmer should hesitate a moment about purchasing.

1

Moreton, near Aylesbury, [Bucks] April 3, 1810.

SIR, ABOUT a fortnight since I was favoured with a letter from you dated June 22d, 1809, requesting my opinion on the merits of some of the different breeds of neat cattle in this island, which I will now endeavour to give you impartially-But in the first place must beg you to accept my acknowledgment of the high compliment you were pleased to pay me. My profession is principally that of feeding oxen for the London markets, and for that purpose have made use of those from most of the distinguished breeding counties.

The Herefords are certainly a very fine breed of cattle; they are good feeders, and when fat, come to very great weights; frequently to upwards of 200 stone, of 8 lbs. They are in general well kept by the breeders, and in confirmation of the statement of Mr. Knight, which you allude to, they seldom plough with fewer than 6 or 8 oxen in a team, or more than a statute acre per day; but the land in Herefordshire is the greater part stiff, and very heavy working. They are in general sold by the farmer at 5 or 6 years old. I should imagine what Mr. Knight means by their being "never fed without much loss to the farmer," to be, that they can always sell them to the grazier to greater advantage (in the state he mentions) to be fed on better land, and nearer the London market, than to feed them themselves, as that must be done chiefly by artificial food, and consequently attended with great expense. They are not noted for speed, and are seldom fed at an early age; the general practice being to sell them as before stated, and then being kept from 9 to 15 months by the grazier, they are considered fit for market, and carry their meat on the most valuable parts, and of a good quality. The Hereford cows are handsomely formed, and very quick feeders, but do not stand in high repute as milkers.

The breed you mention, belonging to Mr. Nicholson, are the Durham, or an improved kind of what we term the short horns. The short horns are principally bred in the north of England, and fed on the rich marshes of Lincoln and Cambridge. They arrive at great weights at an early age, and are mostly sold at

3 or 4 years old, for the use of the great manufacturing towns in the north, and in Smithfield, for the use of the navy, army, &c. as they are very much inclined to be fleshy, and sold at an inferior price per stone to many other breeds. I should suppose it a principal reason of the Durham breed never having been exhibited for a premium, has hitherto in a great measure been owing to the necessity of their having worked at least two years, to qualify them for it, which so very few of them do; and another, the great distance they are from London; but I have no doubt if some few of the best of the Durhams were kept to the same age, and had the same treatment, they would be equal in weight and quality to the Herefords. The short horn cows are of a large size, and give a greater quantity of milk than any other breed we have, although not of so rich a quality as some others; they are the kind in general use in the vicinity of London, and others of our large towns, where it is the practice to sell the milk. The long-horned, on which the celebrated Mr. Bakewell bestowed so much attention, produces nice cows, much inclined to feed, and good milkers; but the oxen are coarse, and do not rank high, either for labour or feeding. Here I must beg leave to mention his breed of sheep, which as a long-woolled breed, stand unrivalled. I am happy to hear they have found their way into America, and have not the least doubt of their succeeding well with you. Not being an advocate either for very large animals, or feeding to an excess, I have endeavoured from experience to make use of that description of animals, which pay best for the food they eat, and are the readiest sale when fit for market. I have in consequence of late years used the North Devons. They are the best breed that I am acquainted with for the united purposes of labour and feeding, being very active, fast walkers, quick feeders, of a very good quality when slaughtered, and of a size now very generally preferred in our markets to the very large beasts, being from 100 to 150 stone of 8 lbs. They are worked in yokes, from 4 to 6 to a plough, and plough upwards of an acre per day; indeed they work harder than any other oxen in this country, for Devonshire is a very hilly country. I should suppose when you mention

ploughing near an acre per day with a pair of American oxen, the land must be level, and the soil light. There are very few oxen fed in Devonshire, but are sold generally at 5 years old, into the several grazing counties to be fed. The Devonshire cows are not of a large size, but very handsome forms, quick feeders, and give milk of a very rich quality.* Our largest breeds of animals are not held in that general estimation now which they were a few years ago; as a proof of this, they do not now make so much per stone in the London markets as the smaller kinds of an equal degree of fatness, which has induced me of late years to graze as well as Devons, some few Scotch beasts, for the purpose of going to market in the hot months, being of a smaller size than the Devons; they are good feeders, but not so well adapted to labour. I should suppose a yearling bull would not be procured in either Devon or Hereford, from the first breeds, for less than 100 guineas. It is impossible to give an opinion by which of our breeds of cattle it would be adviseable to attempt the improvement of the American breeds, without knowing their particular properties; but I should think, from your description, they are at present at least a very useful breed, and I congratulate you, Sir, on the prospect of their further improvement, by the establishment of the Cattle Society you mention, and the distribution of premiums, a copy of which you were pleased to say you had sent, but which I unfortunately never received. I do not know of any print being taken of any of our prize cattle, or I should have felt pleasure in sending you a copy.

Any further information in my power to give you, respecting either the breeds of cattle, or other branches of our rural economy, shall with pleasure be transmitted you, and with a particular regard to accuracy and impartiality. If an English farmer credited the statement of Mr. Parkinson, I should not think it pro

"One acre of very good pasture (says Mr. Conyers,) will suffice for a cow: of middling pasture, one acre and a half: one ton of hay, or rather less, will be consumed by each milking cow in the winter months. Upon an average ten cows give five dozen pounds of butter per week in summer, and two dozen in winter, and a profit of £.13 14s. per cow is sometimes made in a year."See Communications to Board of Agriculture, London, vol. 4.-EDITOR.