184 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



rancc or prejudice, will in its evil influence, leaven the whole 

 lump, and prevent improvement becoming national ; and until 

 this point is reached, the " ultima T/iule" of agricultural ardor 

 will not be attained. In times past a holy horror was felt at 

 any sort of novelty ; it was to the ignorant, a stumbling block, 

 and to the prejudiced, foolishness. Indeed up to a late period, 

 a dogged adherence to old customs has been the rule, and any 

 departure from it the exception ; the advocates for progress 

 wish the reverse to be the case. 



Foremost in importance among these points of difference of 

 opinion, is the question of breed ; for in proportion as this is 

 rightly understood, or misapprehended, will depend the degree 

 in which good is diffused, or evil disseminated. The saying 

 that " like begets like," is no doubt as true as it is trite ; but 

 the misfortune is, that we do not know the quality of that 

 which is to be begotten ; for it may be safely said, that had we 

 possessed this foreknowledge, many a poor hybrid anomaly 

 would have been saved any participation in the ills that flesh is 

 heir to, and spared the disagreeable necessity of ultimately dying 

 a violent death at the hands of some ruthless butcher. There 

 are those who cling witli an amiable, because a sort of patriotic 

 fondness, to stock, particularly cows, of the so called native breed ; 

 and it is unquestionable that many of this denomination are 

 very useful and valuable animals ; but it would be unwise to 

 adopt these or any others about whose parentage and descent we 

 know nothing, for the purpose of breed ; for how could we tell 

 what diseases or imperfections we might be instrumental in trans- 

 mitting to their posterity ? We have heard of a man, who on 

 being urged to do something for the good of posterity, rejected 

 the appeal by asking, " what did posterity ever do for me?" 

 But in the case we are speaking of, we not only inflict evil on the 

 descendants of the animal, but also on our own ; and therefore, 

 on the score of that meanest of all impulses — pure selfishness 

 — we have an argument in favor of our doctrine, which, as Lord 

 Bacon says, " comes home to every man's bosom." There is 

 an English poem, written by the unfortunate Richard Savage, 

 (the title of which, out of compliment to the unquestionable 

 legitimacy of all present, we will omit,) in which the author 

 makes it the boast of his hero, that he is 



" No tenth transmitter of a foolish face ; " 



