PRODUCTION OF MILK. 



125 



This difference in cows is found most commonly among what 

 are called the native herds ; that is, those that have been bred in 

 this country from its earliest settlement, and mixed with the dif- 

 ferent animals that may have been introduced. You know there 

 are no such animals as native cows ; they were all introduced 

 bere from Europe ; but what is called native stock was introduced 

 bo long ago that we have lost all knowledge of their history, and 

 they have been mingled with every herd that has since been intro- 

 duced, so that they present some of the best and some of the 

 poorest and worst qualities possessed by any neat stock. We 

 have a great many farmers who say, " I care nothing about your 

 Shorthorns, or your Ayshires, or your Jerseys ; just give me a good 

 native cow, I can match her against anything anywhere ; I know 

 she will give more milk than anything you can produce." Well, 

 the knowledge these men have of native stock has extended over 

 thousands of native cows. To match that knowledge, they have 

 known perhaps fifty or one hundred thoroughbred animals of some 

 breed. They have had some acquaintance with these, and with 

 this limited range of knowledge, they will insist that the natives 

 are superior to any thoroughbred stock that was ever raised. I 

 have explained why they have imbibed such an opinion. 



Some of our native breed have sprung from as good animals, 

 doubtless, as any of our thoroughbred stock, and we find every- 

 where the report of some native cow that is doing remarkably 

 well ; but even with the small number of thoroughbreds, those ani- 

 mals can be more than matched. You have cows that give very 

 rich milk, and that make butter readily when the cream is churned ; 

 you have cows that give high colored milk ; you have cows that 

 give skim milk, as you call it, among your natives ; and now a 

 man attempts to breed from his native stock. He is confident that 

 he may reject all your high-priced thoroughbreds ; he will pay no 

 such price for an Ayshire, or a Devon, or a Shorthorn ; but he will 

 breed from the native stock. He selects his herd of native cows, 

 and with a native bull he makes the experiment. What is the 

 result ? It has been tried hundreds of times, over and over again, 

 and the result is always a failure. Take the example of a herd of 

 cows running back twenty-five years, bred up successively and 

 uniformly ; give them more time, if you please, fifty years, or any 

 length of time that we are likely to pursue an agricultural enter- 

 prise in these days, and it has universally proved a failure. The 

 strains of blood which have been united in producing these good 



