200 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Our proximity to a large city, and the existence here of a 

 large, manufacturing population, cause a large demand for the 

 products of the dairy, particularly for milk, which cannot be 

 brought from so remote localities as beef. We may reasonably 

 expect this demand to continue, and that prices will be so far 

 remunerative that the article will be largely produced in this 

 county. Cows, therefore, must be the principal stock of our 

 farmers, and the means of obtaining those which will afford 

 the greatest profit for their cost and food consumed, is the 

 question for consideration. 



Every one knows the difficulty of obtaining good milch cows 

 in the ordinary cattle markets. They are indeed so rare that 

 the greater portion are retained by the breeders themselves, 

 and the fact of a cow in the prime of life being sent to market 

 is generally regarded as prima facie evidence that " there is 

 something wrong about her," either in natural propensities or 

 acquired habits. If untried heifers are bought from droves 

 that are gathered promiscuously, the chance of their making 

 good cows is small, though something may be gained in the 

 preliminary training they may receive. It should be remem- 

 bered that the general purchaser cannot resort to herds of 

 reputation as dairy stock, because but few such are established. 

 He must run the risk of taking animals from the miscellaneous 

 stock of the country, which as a whole, has no fixed or distin- 

 guishing characteristic. 



The advantages in favor of cows reared here, are, that they 

 are generally more healthy than those brought from a different 

 locality; that they may be so trained as to become gentle and 

 free from tricks; and that by selecting from a stock known 

 to be good, the chances of obtaining the desired qualities 

 are greatly increased. Oxen can be obtained with less diffi- 

 culty than cows; there is less liability of deception; a brief 

 trial in the yoke settles the question of their fitness for the 

 purpose in view. 



The inference from these premises is, that dairy stock is the 

 kind the breeding and rearing of which would be most advanta- 

 geous in this county. It has been a favorite idea, I am aware, 

 that cattle should be bred with reference to combining all qual- 

 ities — beef, ability to labor, and milk. Without occupying space 

 in the discussion of this point, it may be said that it is not gen- 



