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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, SEPTEMBER 1, 1882. 5 jpt/i $tock gjeparhttmt. LITE STOCK VARIETIES. An euay read before the State Agricultural Society of South Carolina, at ite Auguet tee- tion, by Hon. T. J. Moore. Mb. President.—This is such a compre hensive subject that I cannot, in the limits of an ordinary essay, treat it elaborately. I will therefore content myself with giving you a cursory view of it, and ask you to be content therewith. Properly, the subject contains two dis tinct themes, affording subject matter enough for two essays—one upon the Varie ties of Live Stock and another upon their Feeding on Southern Products. I am sorry this division was not made, in order that each might have received the attention its importance demands. However, as I have been assigned to discuss the whole, I shall endeavor to do so, to the best of my ability, touching only upon the leading varieties of live stock; those attracting the most atten tion, and of the most worth to us as an ag ricultural people, and afterwards shall offer a few general remarks upon Economic Feed ing. The varieties of live stock treated of shall be those relating to the Equine, Bovine, Ovine and Porcine tribes, and those only. These are the fruitful themes of all school boy beginners in composition, and if I fail to entertain you, I hope you will attribute it to the multiplicity of matter—not to the want of something to say—to the doubt in my mind, what to say and how to say it. I might write a good sized book or two, and then not more than half exhaust the subject. I will try to be brief as the nature of the case will admit, One might naturally suppose from the number of wild animals of the domestic type, roaming over our western plains, that their native habitation was this country. Such is not the case. All of which I treat came to us from the Old World, probably the far east, though the foundation of our improved breeds were mostly laid in Europe, principally in Great Britain, France and Spain. How these animals came to this country no one can tell. Julius Caesar found them in Britain when he invaded it. The wild horses of our western plains are the descendants most probably of those abandoned by Be Soto in his memorable march to the Father of Waters; the cattle and other stock, those of the early settlers. Lest I be called in question, for saying that the native habitat of these animals is not this country, as I was when before this Society some years since I said that the bee came across the waters, I will add that though the discoverers and early settlers found none of them here, there are geologi cal evidences that some or all of them, may be, existed here before man’s advent, their remains being found along with those of the Masterdon and other extinct animals. The varieties of our domestic «nim tt l« | which are now becoming quite numerous, cannot be traced very far back, but are of rather recent origin, As knowledge increas es, the principles of breeding are better un derstood and applied, so that new varieties are being constantly brought to our atten tion. It is wonderful what climate, feed ing and proper coupling of male and female have done for us. Who would ever have thought that the wild boar of England, or the lean lank Irish pig, would have been de veloped into the shapely pig of to-day; or the rough country horse into the beautiful and symmetrical thoroughbred of to-day. TUB UOBSB. In no class has greater improvement been made than in that of the horse. To-day we have the Blood Horse or the Kacer, of Eng land and this country. The genuine Amer ican hone, to which class belongs the mag nificent Trotter and some splendid Draft an imals of more breeds than one—a horse you may say adapted to every purpose. The Blood horse is that which traces back with unerring certainty through a long line of distinguished ancestry to the game lit tle animal from the deserts of Arabia about the middle of the 16th century. The first impress was made by the Darley Arabian imported into England in 1703, which horse may be said to have laid the foundation of the present improved racers of to-day. Twenty-five years later, the Goldolpbin Arabian, a horse of Barbary was imported into England and from that time the success of the race was assured. Previous to these importations, however, other horses from Arabia, Barbary and Turkey, had been in troduced, but without any marked effect, until the two above named entered the field. From these English horses sprang the celebrated imported horses of this coun try Diomed, Priam, Leamington and Bonnie Scotland, and such natives as Sir Archy, Medoc, Lexington, Vandal and Enquirer. These all established a world wide reputa tion. They owed their superior qualities as follows: Beauty and speed to the Arabian, strength and stride to the Barb and size and hight to the Turk. TUB AMERICAN HOR8E of to-day is the cross of these blooded ani mals upon the cold blooded or partly blood ed animals of this country, from which many family strains have sprung, but of which time forbids that I should speak. To this class belongs THE TROTTER, a cross of the English Racer and the French Canadian horse, which last was already re markable for good trotting, but not to be compared to the trotters of the present time. It was tbis mingling of blood that gave us such horses as the Clays, Morgans, Pilots, and Copper Bottoms. Said a distinguished Ken tucky breeder, “We found no excellence in trotting until they obtained it from the Pi lots and Copper Bottoms." The fine form and movement of the American Trotter show that the French blood gave length of stride on the track and the thoroughbred endur ance and spirit. Thus by a proper mating, just such a horse as is wanted is produced. The Eng lish, and in this they have been followed by the Americans, knowing this and finding the racer too small and mettlesome for the carriage and tbc saddle, crossed the thorough- blooded horse upon a suitable cold blood mare, and produced the carriage horse and this half blooded animal again upon the thorough blood, producing the saddle horse, both of which are so much sought after. TUB DRAFT DORSE includes such animals os the American horse and such foreign ones as the London Cart, the English Draft, the Belgian, the Norman Percheron, and the Clydesdale. Only the two last have been extensively im ported in this country, ui^j alone demand our attention. THE NORMAN PERCHERON is a French horse of rather large size, weigh ing about 1,600 pounds. He is a dappled gray of tine form and action and is used in France for labor and especially for drawing the heavy and cumbersome diligence or Btage coach at the rate of eight or ten miles per hour. He is being introduced into this country pretty extensively, and is becom ing very well known. He is nota handsome horse, but when his size .and activity, and especially, his docility are taken into con sideration, he deserves more attention at our hands. I am inclined to think he would make a desirable horse for the aver age small farmer of the South. * THE CLYDESDALE. is an animal of larger size and possesses many desirable qualities. He is a Scotch horse largely imported into the Northern and Northeastern states,—a bay or brown, generally in color, with some white in the face and on the feet, stands from 16 to 17 hands high, and weighs from 1,600 to 2,000 pounds, in exceptional coses reaching as much os 2,600 pounds. I have seen some noble spec imens in Northern cities drawing immense loads at a rapid walk, two pulling as much as a half dozen of our ordinary mules. 1 never see them but I think how nicely two of them would pull a double plow. I am not sure, but he or the Norman-Percheron, or some cress upon one or the other, is to be the coming draft horse, and may take the place of that obdurate self-willed animal, the mule, the cross of the Spanish Jack which was first imported into this country by George Washington, upon common mares. That you may know exactly what sort of an animal the Clydesdale horse is I transcribe what a noted importer and breeder has to say of him; “He is very long, round and smooth, deep and broad in the chest, with immense quar ters, with a beautiful neck set upon elegant shoulders, broad and smooth on the back and hips. He stands firmly on his limbs, which are of remarkable width, flat and hard. His hoofs are of good size, well formed, seldom flat and of good substance. The back of the leg from the knee and the hock of the hoof is covered with long hair, which is a characteristic highly valued in his native country, being an unmistakable evidence of purity of blood. His mane and tail are heavy and usually curly. His clean- Ty cut head and clear bright mild eye, de note the kind, gentle disposition for which the hone is so generally noted. He seems to work almost from instinct. A colt at three years—often at two—can be taken from the yard or pasture, and without the loss of a day in breaking will perform al most any service required of an ordinary hone. He is a very rapid free walker, good traveler, and is easily kept, requiring no more food than ordinary breeds of much size." I hope some of the breeders of the South will import the Norman-Percheron and Cly desdale horses, if not for breeding pure, at least to cross upon our common mares, that the average farmer may have a better ani mal than the mule, something of larger size, more strength and more tractable, behind which he can trust his wife and children in his one horse wagon or carryall. Certainly some improvement is demanded. CATTLE. The leading varieties of cattle in this country at this time are, Natives, Ayrshire, Shorthorns, Devons* Herefords, Holsteins, Brahmins, the Polled breeds and the Chan nel Island cattle, mostly so-called from their place of nativity. Formerly they were classified according to the horns, these being the most distinguishing marks, as Long Horns, Middle Horns, Short Horns, Crump- ledHorns and Polled. NATIVES. The term natives is not to be understood as descriptive of any known breed, but only os applied to the common stock of the coun try, which does not constitute a breed, but are a sort of conglomeration of all breeds. Breed properly applied to animals of the species, possessing besides the general char acteristics of that species, other character istics which they owe to the influence of climate, soil, nourishment and habits of life, to which they are subjected, and which they transmit with certainty to their pro geny. The Natives present many different characteristics transmitting none with cer tainty, and hence we may say that they are all unlike. They are not of sufficient im portance to demand more than a passing notice. THE AYRSHIRE. The Ayrshire is a native of Scotland and is peculiarly adapted to the wants of the South. She is essentially a dairy animal, being noted for the large flow of milk, rich in butter, but more especially in casein or cheese. Though a cow of medium size, she has been known to give ten gallons of milk per day. She has been called the poor man’s cow, which is a little well merited. Of rather small size and hardy. She bears much bad treatment, subsisting on scanty pastures at the same time yielding much milk. The oxen make fair beef and work animals, but do not excel as such. Considering the worth of the breed, I do not think sufficient atten tion has been given to their breeding. Altogether for general purposes, 1 am not sure if she does not embrace more desirable qualities for the South than any other. I am therefore astonished to find some breed ers selling out, and investing in a more fancy class which command higher prices, but are practically of less worth. THE SHORT HORN is preeminently a beef animal though there are some families of fair milkers. They are bred for beef mostly, but little attention be ing paid to the milking qualifications. Of very large size and rapid growth, they are better adapted to the rich pastures of Ken tucky and Ohio, and hence they have not sustained their fine reputation with us. They come to us from the northern coun ties of England, where they were probably an accidental variety, though it is claimed they were introduced from Hollund or Den mark, where a breed of large animalsexisted Always held in high repute, they rapidly gained in reputation when the cross upon the cattle of Durham was made, giving the Short Horn Durham—an animal justly cele brated. Much interest has been manifested in the breeding of this race for the last fifty years in Kentucky, and contiguous States, by the most celebrated breeders, and as a consequence we have the Improved Short Horn which stands unrivaled for beauty of form, size and beef. Some strains command fabul ous prices. It occurs to me that 1 remember a few years ago one sold for something like forty thousand dollars to be shipped to En gland. THE DEVON from Devonshire, England, is a most beauti ful race, extensively imported to the United States, and largely to the South. They are of medium size, und of a beautiful blood-red or cherry color, and are remarkable for har diness and symmetry. They are bred for beef, rather than the dairy, and for work oxen, in which last, they excel, being un equaled in docility, quickness and beauty, and the facility with which they are match ed. After serving their time at work, the oxen are readily converted into beef, which is finely marbled or grained. As milkers, they stand low down in the scale. They give a small quantity, but that is very rich. So little attention has been paid to their milking qualities, that they have even dete riorated in the hands of breeders, milk be ing subjected to beef. In the scale of points set down by which to judge them, the udder is valued atone point, while the horns and ears are put at two each, and the color of the nose and the expression of the eye, at four points each. In respect to the lacteal development and the purposes for which they aie bred, they may be classed along with the HEREFORD, another English breed, which rivals the Short Horns, in size and the capacity to take on flesh, though somewhat slower in arriv ing at maturity. It is claimed for them that they produce more and better beef with a less consumption of food than the 8hort Horns. Their general characteristics as to color are a white face, some times mottled, white throat extending back on the neck, and occasionally along the back, the balance of the body being red, generally dark, but some times light. John Merryman, of guano fame, was a noted breeder, and sold many animals to go West to be crossed upon the best beef pro ducing animals there. He is now dead, but I believe some of his family still breed them for sale at the old homestead, Hayfield, near Baltimore Maryland. They have never gained any foothold at the South from the fact that they were only bred for beef. THE HOLSTEIN or Dutch cattle are exciting some Interest at the present time in the United States, and I predict for them a steady growth in public favor. They came to us from Holland, a country where the production of butter and cheese is a specialty, and though bred with that end in view, they are by no means in ferior as beef animals. As milk producers, it is claimed for them, that they stand “unri valed and alone." Yearly records of 12,000 to 15,000 pounds are not uncommon, some times reaching 18,000 pounds. It is said that deep milkers are the rule not the exception. I have seen the records of twenty-four ani mals, from a herd of two hundred and fifty, more than half of wjiich were two years old, that ranged from 30 to 60 pounds per day, for tho younger ones, and from 60 to 84% pounds for the older ones. Several went over 75 pounds per day. The most noted breeders and importers say “ that for beef the Holstein will class with the Short Horn; in size they will compare favorably ; und os they are very hardy, vigorous and fatten readily, when not in milk, they are destined to take a front rank among the noted beef breeds." They are of a beautiful color! being very black with white markings mostly. THE BRAHMIN is an Asiatic animal, brought to this country some years before the war by Mr. J. B. Davis, of Fairfield, South Carolina. Besides being fine as a work oxen, they are celebrat ed for long legs, which fit them not only for fast travelling but for high jumping. If remarkable for any other good qualities I am not aware of it. If Mr. R. Peters of Geor gia is not breeding them pure, 1 do not know who is. They have a peculiarity in the way of a hump, which is indicative of the breed. My judgment is they are soon to be numbered with the cattle that were. THE POLLED BREEDS ure much sougut after because of the ab sence of horns. Otherwise they have estab lished no special celebrity, and are not to be compared to some of the breeds before spoken of. They are however pretty good animals for general purposes. They are known as Galloways, Angus and Ab.-rdeens. As they are not now, and are not likely to be prominently before the country, I dis miss them for the more lovely races of the CHANNEL ISLANDS which are exciting much interest at the North, Eeast and South, at the present time. They belong to the crumpled horn variety, and were found along the coast of Brittany about a century ago, but were brought to the greatest perfection on the islands whose names they bear, to-wlt, Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney, in the English chan nel, off the coast of France, each island having a race peculiar to itself, and possess ing characteristics common to all the ani- muls of that island. Having a common ori gin and the principles of breeding and feed ing being much the same, they do not differ greatly one from the other. The natural difference consists more in sise and color than in anything else. (To be continued in our next ittue.)