ue to them than to any other; yet _as a pure breed they are not
adapted to New England wants_. Their size is beyond the ability of
most farms to support profitably: crossed upon such as through neglect
in breeding, scanty fare and exposure were bad feeders, too small in
size, and too slow in growth, they effected great improvement in all
these respects; and this improvement demanded and encouraged the
bestowal of more food and better treatment, and so they
prospered;--inheriting their constitutions chiefly from the hardy and
acclimated dams, the grades were by no means so delicate and sensitive
as the pure bred animals to the cold and changes of a climate very
unlike that of the mild and fertile region where they originated.
The lethargic temperament characteristic of the Short-horn and which
in the grades results in the greater quietness and docility so highly
valued, necessarily unfits them for active work; pure bred animals
being altogether too sluggish for profitable labor. This temperament
is inseparably connected with their aptitude to fatten and early
maturity, and these both demand abundant and nutritious food beyond
the ability of many to supply and at the same time are incompatible
with the activity of habit and hard service demanded of the working
ox.
The NORTH DEVONS are deemed to be of longer standing than any other of
the distinct breeds of England, and they have been esteemed for their
good qualities for several centuries. Mr. George Turner, a noted
breeder of Devons, describes them as follows:--"Their color is
generally a bright red, but varying a little either darker or more
yellow; they have seldom any white except about the udder of the cow
or belly of the bull, and this is but little seen. They have long
yellowish horns, beautifully and gracefully curved, noses or muzzles
white, with expanded nostrils, eyes full and prominent, but calm, ears
of moderate size and yellowish inside, necks rather long, with but
little dewlap, and the head well set on, shoulders oblique with small
points or marrow bones, legs small and straight and feet in
proportion. The chest is of moderate width, and the ribs round and
well expanded, except in some instances, where too great attention has
been paid to the hind quarters at the expense of the fore, and which
has caused a falling off, or flatness, behind the shoulders. The loins
are first rate, wide, long and full of flesh, hips round and of
moderate width; rumps le
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