American Farming

and

Stock Raising

By Charles L. Flint

Secretary of Agriculture of Massachusetts

Manly Miles, M.D., D.V.S.

Professor of Agriculture, Michigan Agricultural College

BRITANNICA PUBLISHING COMPANY

NEW YORK

1892

VOLUME I

DEVONS

These beautiful cattle date back to great antiquity; in fact, there is no well established breed in this country or England that dates back so far. It is claimed by some writers that they were known in England at the time of the Roman invasion. Be this as it may, their origin is involved in obscurity, and the blood of no other known breed can be traced in them. They are of beautiful form and color, admirably adapted to hilly countries and scant pasturage, as well as combining the three distinctive qualities of mil production, beef, and labor.

The portion of this country in which this breed is most numerous is perhaps New England some of the middle States, although it is quiet extensively disseminated in some of the Western and Southern States. In a special article written expressly for this work, Hon. J. Buckingham of Ohio says:

“In all his points the Devon is the finest formed and most blood-like of cattle. He is to his congeners what the Arabian is to other horses.”

Goodale defines the difference between a race and breed as follows: Races are varieties molded to their peculiar type by natural causes, with no interference of man, and no intermixture of other varieties; that have continued substantially the same for a period beyond which the memory and knowledge of man does not reach. Such are the North Devon Cattle.

By breeds are understood such varieties as were originally produced by a cross or mixture, nd subsequently established by selecting for breeding purposes only the best specimens and rejecting all others. In process of time deviations became less frequent, and greater uniformity was secured, and this is in proportion to the time which elapses, and the skill employed.

The North Devons (commonly called Devons) are a race of cattle indigenous to the county in England from whence they take their name, where from time immemorial they have reigned alone, admired for their beautiful red coats, elegant form, good disposition, active gait, and also for their strong vitality, as is shown in their power of reproducing their own form, color, and general characteristics in their progeny or their grades. The country and climate had much to do in the muscular development and constitutional vigor, which as so naturally fixed and perfected that crossing with any other breed would be more likely to injure them than improve them.

Originating centuries ago, when the wild grasses afforded them scant feed, it necessitated continued exercise in hunting for and gathering their subsistence.

By such natural exercise continued through many generations, the muscles of the breed have been developed and rendered compact, and their bones solidified, till each bears a due proportion to the other, and both to the size of the body in all its parts, producing a form of the most beautiful symmetry.

The bulls on an average weight from 1,600 to 1,800 pounds, though when transferred to our rich valleys of blue-grass pastures and corn, not infrequently reach 2,000 to 2,200 pounds.

Description. - The color of the Devon is of a deep red, great pains having been taken by breeders of the improved families of this breed with respect to this point, in the selection for breeding purposes, those any tendency to materially deviate from this color being rejected. This characteristic has been fairly established and the color, as well as other strong points, is stamped with absolute certainty on their offspring. To such an extent is this true that when the Devon bull is crossed with a native and grade cows of whatever color the progeny will, with very rare exceptions, be red like the sire, while there is no race of cattle in which any admixture of other blood may be so easily traced.

The head is finely formed, and well set, being lean, rather short, broad between the eyes and a face somewhat dishing, tapering to a fine flesh-color or slightly yellow muzzle. The horns are of medium length or might be called rather long, cream colored, black at the tip, upright, and turned outward. The eye is bright, full, mild in expression, rather large, and is surrounded by a yellow tinted ring. The skin is think and yellow, hair of medium length, soft and silky, neck rather long, with veins full and smooth, little or no dewlap, shoulders somewhat slanting, chest wide and full, back straight and broad, ribs round and well expanded. The flanks are full and deep, and the hips rather wide, and level with the back. The legs are small, flat, and sinewy; tail full at the setting, and tapering toward the end, usually terminating with a bunch of white hair. The size of the Devon is somewhat small, when compared with our native stock. Oxen, however, when full grown, will range in live weight from 1,300 to 1,600 pounds; bulls from a 1,000 to 1,300 and cows from 800 to a thousand pounds.

Our illustrations of this breed are faithful and lifelike representations, being made from photographs of the living animals, and not only this, but of the best type of each species and breed to be found in the country.

Devons for beef. – There seems to be a fineness of flesh and a delicacy of flavor in the Devon beef not exceeded by any other breed, except it be the Highland breed of Scotland which usually brings a little higher price in the London market than any other; while in this country the Devons are generally first selected from the herds by breeders, where they can be found, being regarded as more choice and marketable than any other breed. The beef from this breed, in fact, possesses all the fine qualities combined, being fine grained, tender, juicy, fine flavored, and nicely marbled, or rather the lean and fat are well intermixed. It fattens readily, and matures in about the same time as the Short-Horn.

Though small in size, it is claimed by many breeders with whom they are especial favorites, that for the food consumed, they return as large a proportion of beef as the larger breeds. We think that the offal or waste from several small cattle must be somewhat greater than that of the same live weight of larger breeds. They mature nearly as soon as the Short-Horns and fatten readily. Dr. E. H. Woodward of Wisconsin says of them:

“The progress and improvement of the Devons has continued steadily onward, not only retaining all the estimable qualities for which the early herds are noted, but are today exhibiting proportions that astonish even the breeders of Short-horns. The Devons do not mature quite as early as the Short-Horns, but are much more remarkable for longevity, it being not an uncommon occurrence for a cow to retain her breeding and milking qualities until over twenty years old.”