THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



435 



wanted; aud they have none. Then, what would they do 

 with their roots aud artificial grasses when they have hardly 

 any cattle ? and the few they do possess, and which are only 

 siilKcieut for their lahour, are so backward, aud so dillicult to 

 fatten, that if it were not for the labour to which they arc ap- 

 plied, aufl the poor and gratuitous pasture where they allow 

 them to wander, they would become a source of ruin to the 

 owners. You know, \indoubtedly, that on an equal extent the 

 English rear, feed, and bring to maturity, three generations of 

 animals to our one. lu nuoiber this is twice as many as with us. 

 There is, therefore, a produce of meat, wool, fat, and dung, six- 

 fold of ours ; aud to nourish this multitude of animals they 

 have been compelled to cease to stubble the land. Wheat 

 occupies only a fifth part of the cultivated laud, and the quan- 

 tity and quality of it are increased in so remarkable a manner, 

 that this year (1858) the Lttle Euglnud, properly so called, 

 that is to say including Wales and Scotland, has produced 

 something like forty-two millions of hectolitres of wheat. This 

 gives an average of nearly 50 hectolitres per hectare.* Cer- 

 tainly in presence of such results, it appears to me to be quite 

 allowable for those who are couvinced that this immense agri- 

 cultural wealth is the direct aud natural effect of the improve- 

 ment of the breeds of animals, to pioraote with all their influ- 

 ence the adoption of the same means, in order to raite up with 

 us the same elements of prosperity. 



Certainly it is excellent advice to give to our cultirators, 

 that of feeding their animals better; but you must first furnish 

 them with the means of following it. With their indigenous 

 races those means cannot exist. These races suffice for the 

 labour with some, and for mdk with others ; but beyond these 

 two conditions they are too burthensome either as dung pro- 

 ducers or as beasts for the slaughterhouse. The proof of it is 

 in the necessity for what M. Jamet calls the specialization of 

 the races. In one place they raise them for labour, in another 

 for milk, in a third fatten them. The English farmer 

 baa no need for this expedient, created by the poverty of our 

 agriculture and the defects of our breeds. He unites in his 

 operations all the conditions that we are obliged to disperse 

 over our province?, and thus to concentrate all the advantages 

 which with us are divided. 



Witli you, sir, I pass to the porcine race. What you 

 s.iy of the breed known iu France under the name of the 

 New Leicester (I have never known why), appears to me 

 contrary to tlie experience of all the breeders. Allow rne to 

 ask you, amongst what breeders, at the shops of what 

 butchers, at the table of what Amphitryons you have seen 

 that "tlie flesh of the New Leicesters was overloaded with 

 flabby and tastele.ss fat," &c., &c. ? Who, then, has told 

 you that in England the New Leicesters are considered as 

 j'ielding more fat than meat •, and that the English agri- 

 culturists, those skilful innovators and calciilators, reject 

 them, and 'prefer, for the production of meat, other and 

 more rustic races ? I maintain that among all the breeds^ 

 it is the small white breed, known iu Fratice under the 

 name of the New Leicester, that is the most esteemed in 

 England ; it is the one that realizes the highest price in 

 the market, even when there are only Englishmen for pur- 

 chasers. It is that which carries off the prizes as a race for 

 the butchery at Smithficld, and for breeding at the cattle 



* There must be some error liore. The hectolitre contains 

 2| bushels, and a fraction ovor ; the hectare, 2a. 1 a. 35 p. If 

 ve reckon it in round numbers at 2| A. the result will stand 

 thus :— Hectolitres 50 muUiplied bj 2J equal HPJ bushels, which 

 divided Ijy 2^ are equivalent to 59} bu' hols per acre. This ia nearly 

 double the average usually allowed for the wheat crop in England. 

 — Trakslator. 



shows. It is that which is seen in numbers infinitely 

 greater at Newgate and Leadenhall markets. As to the 

 reproach of producing more fat than meat, it is not very 

 serious; for, after all, the fat does not come from the 

 animal, but from the food given to it. For myself, who 

 breed New Leicesters, and both sell them to tlie butchers 

 and use them upon my table, I formally oppose my asser- 

 tion, supported by a Ion;? experience as a breeder and agri- 

 culturist, to yours. I do not know a race of pigs producing 

 more meat of the best quality from a given quantity of 

 food, and consequently yielding so much profit to the 

 breeders and the consumers. 



You say that our indige-.ous porcine breeds are much 

 superior to those of England, and a e so much prized 

 by the English, that M. Mosselman has established a line 

 of steam-boats, under his command, expressly to export for 

 the English markets considerable quantities of French pigs, 

 whoso iirm and excellent meat was particularly esteemed 

 by the butchers. "They die well," say the butchers ; and 

 they add, " all the foreign cattle do the same." M. Mossel- 

 man, of whom 1 have the honour to be the friend, and 

 whose export trade with England I am well acquainted 

 with, has never established a line of steam-boats in order to 

 take pigs to England. He is not the commander of a ship. 

 He owns one small boat called the Argylo, which makes 

 voyages between Carentan and Southampton, laden with 

 butter, eggs, fruit, and occasionally a few fat cattle for the 

 Southampton market, when the fluctuations of price admit 

 of it. It is possible that he may sometimes have attempted 

 the exportation of pigs, which were sold in Enghmd, for 

 all kinds of butchers' meat are welcome on the English 

 market ; but certainly the speculation has not succeeded, 

 for it has not been continued. But what shall we think of 

 that other assertion, that all foreign cattle are in favour on 

 the English markets ? We have only to throw our eyes 

 over the averages of the markets, and we shall see what 

 enormous difterence exists b.tween the price of foreign 

 cattle and those of the country. Will yu.i think, after that, 

 sir, that your conclusions, and those of the commission over 

 which you preside, are in agreement with those of the Eng- 

 lish cultivators, and that you have ranged yourselves under 

 the banner of their good sense and experience? 



Not even the Durhams can escape your kicks. You say, 

 " Ask the Scotch if they are disposed to sacrifice to the Dur- 

 ham crosses this admirable little breed of black bullocks, 

 whose fine and savoury meat obtains in Saiithfield market 

 20 centimes per kilogramme more than the finest Durham 

 beef." In the first place, there is no country in the world in 

 which the Durham breed is more appreciated than in Scotland. 

 The Scotch cross their native breeds with Durham bulls, in 

 order to give to the product more precocity and greater aptitude 

 for grazing. As to the higher price that the " Scots" realize 

 \ipon the markets, that difference ia caused only by the smaller 

 quantity of waste they contain. The Durham oxen are killed 

 young, and that is what makes the profit of the producer ; but 

 it is not that of the butcher, who finds a less advantage from 

 it than from animals more aged, and, consequently, yielding 

 more tallow. Bring to market a Durham ox of five or six 

 years old, well fatted, and you will see if he will not realize a 

 price quite as high as the best Scotch bullocks. I will add, 

 lastly, that the greatest difference that can be pointed out be- 

 tween the price of the Durham and the Scotch oxen is two 

 pence (or 20 cents ) per stone of Bibs. This difference is only 

 one-fourth of that which you describe. 



I shall not puiL this discussion further, and therefore con- 



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