THE COMMON PRACTICE. 113 



butter qualities. If lie wants to make cheese, then he must 

 look for another set of characteristics. If he wants to make 

 milk, then he must look for qualities that will produce milk. 

 He must be governed by the circumstances of each case. In 

 my opinion, the general run of farmers in New England 

 should have a cow that is good at the pail, that will make 

 butter (for most of them make butter), and that will possess 

 such qualities as will enable the farmer, when she is past 

 her usefulness, or nearly so, to receive as much money for 

 her beef as it would cost him to raise or buy another. 



Now, many of our milkmen about Springfield have carried 

 on their business in this manner. They go out among the 

 farmers, and buy new milch cows. They look out and get a 

 good-sized animal, with good milking-qualities, feed her well, 

 milk her one or two years ; and, when it seems best, they 

 can turn that cow for beef for as much money as will buy 

 another one. The}^ prefer that plan, rather than to have a 

 cow that thej* cannot sell for a tenth part of the money that 

 a milch cow will cost. That is one circumstance. There are 

 other people, who live near large cities, and sell their milk 

 for high prices, in whom it would be the height of foolish- 

 ness to sell a good cow. They take her and wear her out, 

 and they can afford to ignore the value of her carcass, 

 because she has done better for them than any thing they 

 can get. But that is not the case with the common run of 

 farmers. I believe that the common run of farmers should 

 look out for a good carcass in connection with good dairy 

 qualities. That may be obtained by cross-breeding. It does 

 not make any difference what the pedigree is. The pedigree 

 is of no value for utility, of course ; and this end, I think, 

 can be attained by the judicious crossing of different breeds. 

 But let every man determine what he wants, and then look 

 for the thing that will give him what he wants. You may 

 be sure, as I said before, that only like produces like. 



Dr. Wakefield. I don't suppose that we are ever going 

 to have a perfect cow. "We haven't any perfect men. I 

 have no doubt there is to be a great improvement in the 

 dairy cow. I believe it will be brought about only by time. 

 In the first place, I believe that somebody, I don't know 

 who, some wise man, — not a perfect man, but some wise 

 man, — is going to make a great improvement on the butter 



