116 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



or exchange of males established, the cost might be brought within 

 the means of most persons, and the advantages gained to the State 

 at large would be almost beyond belief. The writer on Cattle in 

 the Library of Useful Knowledge well remarks : 



" At the outset of his career, the farmer should have a clear and 

 determined conception of the object that he wishes to accomplish. 

 He should consider the nature of his farm ; the quality, abundance 

 or deficiency of his pasturage, the character of the soil, the seasons 

 of the year when he will have plenty or deficiency of food, the 

 locality of his farm, the market to which he has access and the 

 produce which can be disposed of with greatest profit, and these 

 things will at once point to him the breed he should be solicitous 

 to obtain. The man of wealth and patriotism may have more ex- 

 tensive views, and nobl}^ look to the general improvement of cattle ; 

 but the farmer, with his limited means and with the claims that 

 press upon him, regards his cattle as a valuable portion of his own 

 little property, and on which every thing should appear to be in 

 natural keeping, and be turned to the best advantage. The best 

 beast for him is that which suits his farm the best, and with a view 

 to this, he studies, or ought to study, the points and qualities of his 

 own cattle, and those of others. The dairyman will regard the 

 quantity of milk — the quality — its value for the production of but- 

 ter and cheese — the time' that the cow continues in milk — the 

 character of the breed for quietness, or as being good nurses — the 

 predisposition to garget or other disease, or dropping after calv- 

 ing — the natural tendency to turn every thing to nutriment — the 

 ease with which she is fattened when given up as a milker, and 

 the proportion of food requisite to keep her in full milk or to fatten 

 her when dry. The grazier will consider the kind of beast which 

 his land will bear — the kind of meat most in demand in his neigh- 

 borhood — tlie early maturity — the quickness of fattening at any 

 ago — the quality of the meat — the parts on which the flesh and fat 

 are principally laid — and more than all the hardihood and the 

 adaptati<jn tu tlic climate and soil. 



In order to obtain these valuable properties the good farmer will 

 make himself perfectly master of the characters and qualities of his 

 own stock. He will trace the connection of certain good qualities 

 and certain bad ones, with an almost invariable peculiarity of shape 

 and structure ; and at length he will arrive at a clear conception, 

 not so much of beauty of form (although that is a pleasing object 

 to contemplate) as of that outliue and proportion of parts with 



