530 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



and Messrs. Hickes and Iwaac have so jjrovided 

 that there shall be thorough means of ventilation 

 for the sleeping-rooms of the cottages. What, 

 however, they cannot unhappily provide for is that 

 the inmates shall open the windows, for they will 

 long keep their horror of fresh air. The architect 



wants the schoolmaster and the clergyman to help 

 him, or his labours for the health of the people are 

 too often in vain. The people must be taught the 

 use of a good house, and how to take care of it, for 

 the dwellings of the poor are oftener abused than 

 used. — Building News. 



CENTRAL (STIRLING) FARMERS' SOCIETY. 



DISCUSSION ON THE VARIOUS BREEDS OF CATTLE. 



At the recent annual meeting of this society, held 

 at Stirling, G. B. Home, Esq., of Argaty, in the 

 chair, the following discussion on the various 

 breeds of cattle took place. We wish that such 

 discussions were everywhere the rule, instead of 

 the absurd plastering speechifying which we too 

 often meet with. 



After the usual loyal toasts. 



The Chairman proceeded^o introduce the dis- 

 cussion on the various breeds of cattle. He said — 

 I am not sure whether the present is the proper 

 time to introduce this or not, especially when there 

 is a good deal of hot punch going. However, if 

 you allow me, I will make the few remarks I have 

 promised to do. My own opinion is that such a 

 practice introduced among us afterour dinners may 

 be of great use to the society, and give us in going 

 home something to think of, perhaps more pleasant and 

 beneficial than toast drinking. I believe we must all 

 acknowledge that agriculture has now attained the 

 position of a high science. There are many ways in 

 which in other professions there is an interchange of 

 thought ; there are mechanics' institutes and other 

 societies, where scientific men may meet and im- 

 prove each other by an interchange of opinions ; 

 while many farmers, when they meet, are generally 

 contented with bumper after bumper, and paying 

 fulsome compliments to each other. In all this I 

 can see very little fun, one way or other; whereas, 

 if there was a system of discussing agricultural 

 subjects at such meetings, a great deal of improve- 

 ment might be got both by those who joined in the 

 discussion and those who listened (Hear, hear). 

 On the present occasion I feel rather nervous in 

 undertaking to introduce the subject of my remarks 

 to this meeting; but I hope that the more flourish- 

 ing our society becomes, and the greater number of 

 members who join us, the less will such diffidence 

 or difficulty be felt by future speakers, till we have 

 an unreserved scientific discussion on all subjects 

 connected with agriculture. People who know 

 nothing about it may laugh as they like ; but I 

 have no hesitation in saying that the science of 

 agriculture requires, for its proper application and 

 development, the highest intellect and the best 

 education that man can receive. To carry out 

 agriculture to perfection requires a knowledge, aye, 

 and an intimate knowledge too, of a number of 

 deep science.-;. If a farmer is to know anything 

 about his cattle, he must have a good understand- 

 ing of the anatomy and physiology of these animals ; 

 he must know something about how to cure their 

 diseases. In the cultivation of grain, the farmer 



must possess a knowledge of chemistry— of the 

 various kinds and properties of manure, and what 

 manures should be used for a particular kind of 

 grain. In fact, a farmer must be ever on the 

 stretch — all his faculties on the alert ; and if he 

 carry out agriculture properly, it must be by a high 

 cultivation of intellect, and by an immense amount 

 of perpetual observation. He has not only to sow 

 the seed and see it grow, but he must be able to see 

 what has caused it to ripen perhaps sooner than 

 before, or what has tended to prevent it coming to 

 maturity as it ought, or what has caused it to sur- 

 vive blight. In fact, there are a thousand things 

 which a farmer has to do, and which, to be done 

 properly, require a mind of a high order. Indeed, 

 the highest in the land are only too happy to be 

 considered good and intelligent agriculturists; and, 

 however things may have gone ii? time past, depend 

 upon it, agriculture will take that high place among 

 the sciences which it so thoroughly deserves, if it 

 be carried on in a manner corresponding with the 

 magnitude of the interests it involves. I have 

 undertaken to bring before you this evening as a 

 subject of discussion the breeds and breediu'^ of 

 cattle. I do this because I have been an anxious 

 observer upon these subjects for at least 30 years, 

 and have, during that time, lost no opportunity of 

 gaining information ; and if there is one subject 

 upon which I have a chance of talking agreeably I 

 think it is this. I shall endeavour to speak in such 

 a manner as to draw on the present company to say 

 what their opinions are, and I hope every onS will 

 join in the discussion so far as any idea strikes him, 

 and give us all the benefit of that idea. I begin 

 with the aboriginal breeds. In the parks of Cad- 

 zow, and at Chilhngham, in Northumberland, there 

 are cattle said to be the original breed of this coun- 

 try. I confess I have my doubts as to whether the 

 white breed be the aboriginal one ; but I am rather 

 of opinion that, if we have an original breed at all, 

 it is our unsurpassed Argyleshire. I do not specify 

 Argyleshire distinctly as if I referred to a breed 

 peculiar to that county, but I speak of our well 

 known black cattle, which, although reared in many 

 parts of our country, are yet shown to greatest 

 advantage and perfection in the county I have 

 named. It cannot fail to be observed that good 

 specimens of our black cattle possess almost every 

 point that the breeders of cattle of England and 

 elsewhere are endeavouring to produce. We all 

 know their fineness of hide, straightness of legs, 

 length and breadth of hind quarters, fine develop- 

 ment of breast and chest, and we know that that 



