Brekdinc; Farm Stock. 105 



earliest opportunity ; and the accunnilation of a little sui-plus 

 to meet the exigencies of sickness and declininii- year>. all 

 depend, to a very great extent, on the (;haracter of the ma- 

 chinery he employs to work the coarse productions of the 

 soil into a finer kind and quality, and more marketable form. 



A cow that has, in growing to maturity, consumed an 

 undue proportion of the nuti'iment in her food in the man- 

 ufacture t)f a large, coarse head, with a great pair of horns, 

 and a coarse, masculine frame, which must be vitalized and 

 warmed by food every day, or one that expends much vital 

 force in roaming about the pasture, running and lighting, 

 is not an economical ma(;hine. One that fails to draw the 

 nutriment out of her food and make anything of it, may be 

 a good machine to manufacture manure^ Init must be 

 regarded as a wasteful one. The number of cows of the 

 latter class in Vermont, is, I am convinced, enormous. The 

 cow thi'.t C(jnverts too much of her food into bone, muscle, 

 fat or nervous force, at the expense of the pail, is not pos- 

 sessed of a well l>alanced system, and will entail a loss on 

 the dairyman. 



The sheep that, having plenty of good pasture in the 

 snmmer, and sweet, early cut hay in winter, yields a Heece 

 of three or four pounds of wool, is not manufacturing her 

 food to 2'ood advantage. 



The pig that works off its excess, of \agor and activity in 

 tearing down its pen, cannot be a good economizer of food, 

 and the horse with no more nervous energy tluni a pig 

 should have, is a most discouraging subject to feed, drive, 

 or write about. 



