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Title: Domestic Animals

history and description of the horse, mule, cattle, sheep,

swine, poultry and farm dogs; with

directions for their

management, breeding, crossing, rearing, feeding, and

preparation for a profitable market; also their diseases

and remedies Together with full

directions for the

management of the dairy.

Author: Richard L Allen

Release Date: October 31, 2010 [EBook

#34175]

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOMESTIC ANIMALS ***

Produced by Simon Gardner, Steven

Giacomelli and the Online

Distributed Proofreading Team at

Transcriber's Notes

Changes to the text (correction oftypographical errors) are listed atthe end of the book

INTRODUCTION.

INDEX.

CHAPTER I. Introductory Remarks

—General Principles Of Breeding,Nutrition, Management, &c

CHAPTER II. Neat or HornedCattle

CHAPTER III. The Dairy

CHAPTER IV. Sheep.

CHAPTER V. The Horse

CHAPTER VI. The Ass

CHAPTER VII. Swine

CHAPTER VIII. Farm-Dogs

CHAPTER IX. Poultry

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION

OF THE

HORSE, MULE, CATTLE, SHEEP,

SWINE,POULTRY, AND FARM DOGS

WITH DIRECTIONS FOR

THEIR MANAGEMENT, BREEDING,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court

of the United States for the Southern

District of New York

so deep an interest The writer hasendeavored to compress within the limitedspace assumed as necessary to secure ageneral circulation and perusal, suchprinciples and practice, and give to eachthat relative prominence, which itbecomes the practical man to observe, torealize the greatest amount of value for thelabor and capital devoted to his pursuits.

Their history is essential, as it shows theirintroduction into the United States, theirprogress during the various stages of theirimprovement, and the comparative value

of the improved and ordinary breeds Aknowledge of the best mode of breedingand management is of still higherimportance The first will enable thebreeder to preserve the high character ofthe animals in his hands, or perhaps stillfarther to advance them; while propermanagement and feeding will prevent thatdeterioration and loss from disease, whichfrequently subtract so much from hisprofits

A larger space has been purposelydevoted to the last topics, in preference tothe subject of diseases, as prevention is

not only less troublesome than cure, butmuch more economical Feeding andmanagement, after breeding, are really theimportant objects in view to the Stock-breeder and Grazier, for if these bejudiciously attended to, disease among theherds will rarely be known.

The subject of animal diseases iscomplicated and little understood; and to

be properly comprehended, requires yearsclose, intelligent study, under everyadvantage for obtaining the necessaryinformation Nearly every disorderassumes various shades of difference, and

to remove it effectually a correspondingchange of treatment is required Howabsurd then the idea, that a compilation offormal remedies, administered by an

unskilful or inexperienced manager, will

be of material service in rescuing hisherds or flocks from the ravages ofdisease All that can consistently be done,

is to give a few simple remedies for themost common and well-known ailments,and leave to nature or a professionalfarrier, such as are more complex orunusual

This work (with many subsequent andimportant additions) constitutes a smallpart of the "Compend of AmericanAgriculture," the favorable reception ofwhich, though but recently given to thepublic, has induced the writer to offer thisimportant division of the subject in itspresent detached form

New York, November, 1847

PageAnimals, domestic, reared in the

food which supplies

See Cattle, Sheep, &c.

choking 52inflammation of stomach 52

sweet, and clouted cream 66, 67

cream 69advantages of churn'g the

cleanliness in churning 70premium butter, how made 70Orange county do do 71Making cheese, how effected 72creamed and uncreamed 73

vegetable substances added 74preparation of rennet 75different qualities of cheese 77

See Cattle, Sheep, &c.

Food, comparative nutritive

how given, purposes

Bussorah—Narraganset

lampas, heaves, &c 155catarrh or distemper,

stables 180comparative labor with

Mule, the—breeding in the U S 183rearing and management 184advantages over horse

uses of—importance of 85

management of lambs 119castrating and docking 120tagging or clatting 121Summer management and food 121

rearing and fattening, large

coughs and inflammation of

the lungs, costiveness, itch,

kidney-worm

205

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS—

GENERAL

PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING,

NUTRITION,

MANAGEMENT, &c.

The principal domestic animals reared for

economical purposes in the United States,are Horned or neat cattle, the Horse, theMule, Sheep, and Swine A few Asses arebred, but for no other object than to keep

up the supply of jacks for propagatingmules We have also goats, rabbits, andthe house domestics, the dog and cat; thetwo former, only in very limited numbers,but both the latter much beyond ourlegitimate wants There have been a fewspecimens of the Alpaca imported, and anarrangement is now in progress for theintroduction of a flock of several hundred,which, if distributed among intelligent andwealthy agriculturists, as proposed, willtest their value for increasing ouragricultural resources We shall confineourselves to some general considerations,connected with the first-mentioned and

most important of our domestic animals.Their number as shown by the agriculturalstatistics collected in 1839, by order ofour General Government, was 15,000,000neat cattle; 4,335,000 horses and mules,(the number of each not being specified;)19,311,000 sheep; and 26,300,000 swine.There is much reason to question theentire accuracy of these returns, yet there

is doubtless an approximation to the truth.Sheep have greatly increased since thatperiod, and would probably number, thepresent year, (1848,) not less than30,000,000; and if our own manufacturescontinue to thrive, and we shouldmoreover become wool exporters, ofwhich there is now a reasonable prospect,

an accurate return for 1850, will

undoubtedly give us not less than33,000,000 for the entire Union There hasbeen a great increase in the value of theother animals enumerated, but not in aratio corresponding with that of sheep.This is not only manifest in theiraugmented numbers, but in the gradual andsteady improvement of the species.

It may be safely predicted, that thisimprovement will not only be sustained,but largely increased; for there are someintelligent and spirited breeders to befound in every section of the country,whose liberal exertions and successfulexamples are doing much for this object.Wherever intelligence and sound judgmentare to be found, it will be impossible long

to resist the effects of a comparison

between animals, which, on an equalquantity of the same food, with the sameattention and in the same time, will return

50, 20, or even 10 per cent more in theirintrinsic value or marketable product, thanthe ordinary class This improvement hasbeen, relatively, most conspicuous in theWestern and Southern states; not that thepresent average of excellence in theiranimals surpasses, or even reaches that ofthe North and East; but the latter have longbeen pursuing this object, with more orless energy, and they have for many yearshad large numbers of excellent specimens

of each variety; while with fewexceptions, if we exclude the blood-horse

or racing nag, the former have, tillrecently, paid comparatively littleattention to the improvement of their

domestic animals The spirit forimprovement through extensive sections,

is now awakened, and the older settledportions of the country may hereafterexpect competitors, whose success will

be fully commensurate with their own.Before going into the management of thedifferent varieties, we will give somegeneral principles and remarks applicable

to the treatment of all

The purpose for which animals are required, should be first determined,

before selecting such as may be necessaryeither for breeding or use Throughout theNortheastern states, cows for the dairy,oxen for the yoke, and both for the butcher,are wanted In much of the West andSouth, beef alone is the principal object;

while the dairy is neglected, and the work

of the ox is seldom relied on, except foroccasional drudgery

Sheep may be wanted almost exclusivelyfor the fleece, or for the fleece and heavymutton, or in the neighborhood of markets,for large early lambs The pastures andwinter food, climate, and other conditions,present additional circumstances, whichshould be well considered beforedetermining on the particular breed, either

of cattle or sheep, that will best promotethe interest of the farmer

The kind of work for which the horse may

be wanted, whether as a roadster, for thesaddle, as a heavy team horse, or thehorse of all work, must be first decided,before selecting the form or character of

the animal.

The range of pig excellence is morecircumscribed, as it is only necessary tobreed such as will yield the greatestamount of valuable carcass, within theshortest time, and with the least expense

PRINCIPLES OF

BREEDING.

All breeding is founded on the principle,

tha t like begets like This is, however,

liable to some exceptions, and is much

more generally true when breeding down than when breeding up If two animals

(which can never be exactly similar in allrespects) are requisite to the perpetuation

of the species, it necessarily results, thatthe progeny must differ in a more or lessdegree from each parent With wildanimals, and such of the domestic as areallowed to propagate without theinterference of art, and whose habits,treatment, and food are nearly similar totheir natural condition, the change throughsuccessive generations is scarcelyperceptible It is only when we attempt toimprove their good qualities, that it isessential carefully to determine, andrigidly to apply, what are adopted as thepresent scientific principles of breeding.

We cannot believe that we havepenetrated beyond the mere threshold ofthis art Unless, then, we launch intoexperiments, which are necessarilyattended with uncertainty, our duty will

be, to take for our guide the mostsuccessful practice of modern times, untilfurther discoveries enable us to modify oradd to such as are already known andadopted We may assume, then, as thepresent rules for this art,

1st That the animals selected for breed,should unite in themselves all the goodqualities we wish to perpetuate in theoffspring

2d These qualities, technically called

points, should be inbred in the animals as

far as practicable, by a long line ofdescent from parents similarly constituted.The necessity for this rule is evident fromthe fact, that in mixing different species,and especially mongrels, with a long-established breed, the latter will most

strongly stamp the issue with its ownpeculiarities This is forcibly illustrated inthe case of the Devon cattle, an ancientrace, whose color, form, andcharacteristics are strikingly perpetuated,sometimes to the sixth or even a latergeneration So far is this principle carried

by many experienced breeders, that theywill use an animal of indifferent externalappearance, but of approved descent,

(blood,) in preference to a decidedly

superior one, whose pedigree isimperfect

3d All the conditions of soil, situation,climate, treatment, and food, should befavorable to the object sought

4th As a general rule, the female should

be relatively larger than the male This

gives ample room for the perfectdevelopment of the fœtus, easy parturition,and a large supply of milk for theoffspring, at a period in its existence,when food has a greater influence inperfecting character and form, than at anysubsequent time.

5th Exceptions to this rule may be made,when greater size is required than can beobtained from the female, and especiallywhen more vigor and hardiness ofconstitution are desirable For thispurpose, strong masculine development inthe sire is proper, and if otherwiseunattainable, something of coarseness may

be admitted, as this may be afterwardscorrected, and nothing will atone for want

of constitution and strength

6th Pairing should be with a strictreference to correcting the imperfections

of one animal, by a correspondingexcellence in the other

7th Breeding in-and-in, or propagating

from animals nearly allied, may betolerated under certain circumstances,though seldom; and only in extreme casesbetween those of the same generation, asbrother and sister When the animalpossesses much stamina and peculiarmerit, which it is desired to perpetuate inthe breed, it may be done either in theascending or descending line, as inbreeding the son to the parent, or theparent to his own progeny This has beenpractised with decided advantage, and insome cases has even been continued

successively, as low as the sixthgeneration.

8th It is always better to avoid closerelationship, by the selection of equallymeritorious stock-getters of the samebreed, from other sources

9th Wholesome, nutritious food, at alltimes sufficient to keep the animalssteadily advancing, should be provided,but they must never be allowed to get fat

Of the two evils, starving is preferable tosurfeit Careful treatment, and the absence

of disease, must be always fullyconsidered

10th Animals should never be allowed tobreed either too early or too late in life.These periods cannot be arbitrarily laid

down, but must depend on their time ofmaturity, the longevity of the breed, andthe stamina of the individual.

11th No violent cross, or mixing ofdistinct breeds, should ever be admittedfor the purposes of perpetuation, as ofcattle of diverse sizes; horses of unlikecharacters; the Merino and the long-wools, or even the long, or short, and themiddle-wools For carcass andconstitution, these crosses areunexceptionable; and it is a practice verycommon in this country, and judiciousenough where the whole produce is earlydestined for the shambles But when theprogeny are designed for breeders, thepractice should be branded withunqualified reprehension