THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



455 



gireth his mind to make furrows, and is diligent to 

 give his kiae fodder." This is good enough in its place . 

 and perhaps in those early days, when knowledge was 

 not over abundant, it was all that could fairly be ex- 

 pected of a farmer, and more particularly of an Oriental 

 one living in an enervating climate. Be this as it may, 

 I know the British farmers are a far diflferent class of 

 men. I speak not of the farmers of other countries* 

 but of our own. I again say that for general intelli- 

 gence they are equal, and in businesslike tact andjudg. 

 ment they are superior to most men. This is easily 

 enough accounted for and shown. Their whole scope 

 and success in business depend upon the prompt exer- 

 cise of a correct knowledge of it, and to its being con- 

 ducted with correct judgment. They have neither in- 

 voices of goods upon which to fix a profit, nor can 

 weights or measures do much towards guiding their 

 judgment in business operations, or in denoting quality. 

 Tests cannot be applied : judgment alone is their safe 

 guide. 



Compare the facilities of other businesses and trades 

 given to guide a judgment. In some it is the touch, 

 the taste, the smell; in others the dimensions, the 

 strength, the quality (the latter, in this and other cases, 

 to be obtained by magnifiers) ; in others the weight, the 

 measure, the hardness ; in others the fashion, the colour, 

 the fineness ; in others by the given names, the tenacity, 

 the form, or make ; in others it is the place from whence 

 the thing comes ; in others it is the size, the sweetness, 

 the dryness ; and many other similar matters might be 

 enumerated which serve to guide men in their business 

 transactions. But what has the farmer to depend upon 

 to guide his judgment in business? Nothing but his 

 own knowledge and experience. Take him into the 

 horse fair. He must be acquainted with the anatomy 

 and physiology of the horse, or ten to one he buys an 

 unsound one. He has not only to determine upon his 

 paces, his strength, his looks, his colour, his age ; but he 

 has also to ascertain that he is free from disease, lame- 

 ness, or blemish. Fancy a man engaged in commerce, 

 manufacture, or trade, going into the fair, and having to 

 decide as to the animal being free from all such evils as 

 the following ! — inflammation in any part, mad and 

 sleepy staggers, distemper, influenza, megrims, ophthal- 

 mia, moon blindness, gutta-serena, pole evil, strangles, 

 lampas, fistulous withers, sore throat, thick wind, roar- 

 ing, chronic cough, broken wind, stomach staggers, 

 diabetes, strangury, mange, warbles, glanders, farcy, 

 strains in various parts, splints, bone spavins, ring-bone, 

 blood-spavin, bog-spavin, thorough-pin capulet, curb 

 cracks, grease founder of the foot, corns, running-thrush, 

 sand cracks, pricks, quittor, treads, and cutting, and 

 modifications of any of them. And yet the poor igno- 

 rant loon of a farmer is expected to know all these 

 diseases ; and he must act upon this knowledge, or he 

 will speedily rue his bargains. Talk of business judg- 

 ment ! I know of but few cases where more is required 

 than in the horse fair. Take the number and variety 

 of the animals, their various forms, beauties, qualifica- 

 tions, adaptations, and capabilities, and I do not hesi- 

 tate to say that he must be a man of true, sound sense, 



knowledge, taste, and judgment, who can do business 

 advantageously. Every farmer has to go there. 



Take, again, the cattle fair. Here the farmer has 

 not to judge of paces, strength, and blemishes, nor 

 much of diseases ; his great aim in the cattle fair is to 

 find animals that will thrive and improve fast enough 

 upon his pastures, to yield him a profit upon properly 

 depasturing them. Here, again, he has to select such 

 animals as are best adapted to his peculiar pasturage — 

 fatting animals in their various stages of progression 

 for his fatting pastures, suiting himself accordingly in 

 their condition to the state and richness of his pasture, 

 i. e,, a forward animal for a rich and good pasture, and 

 a store animal for an inferior pasture, and young 

 animals for his ordinary pastures. Nor is this all ; he 

 has to make his selection from a great variety of dif- 

 ferent breeds of cattle, and each breed differing much 

 in quality and condition. In most of our large fairs 

 we now find Shorthorns, Herefords, Devons, Scotch of 

 various kinds, Irish of various kinds, Sussex, Norfolks, 

 Welsh, and these of all sorts and sizes. Now, what is 

 to guide the farmer in his selection ? "Why his know- 

 ledge and judgment truly, aided by touch or hand. 

 For instance, he requires animals adapted to fatten 

 speedily ; he looks out for the docile temper, the mild 

 eye, the pliable skin, the soft mellow hand, the expan- 

 sive frame ; if not to be found in one particular breed 

 he turns his attention to another and another, till he 

 finds what he desires : now, no novice can do this. 

 How could he go amongst the congregated thousands 

 and select a proper lot ? Depend upon it, the farmer in 

 the cattle fair must be a man of real sound sense, know- 

 ledge, taste, and judgment, to do business advantageously 

 there. 



Take, again, the sheep fair. Here the farmer has 

 greater scope for correct knowledge and judgment than 

 in the cattle fair, for he has not only to decide as to the 

 propensity of the animals to thrive and fatten, but he 

 has to estimate the quantity and quality of the wool 

 they will leave him, as also their peculiar adaptability 

 to the pasturage awaiting them ; he, of course, has to 

 make his selection accordingly. Now, the different 

 breeds of sheep are as numerous and as valuable as 

 those in cattle, and as suitable to the various localities 

 and the quality of herbage for which they are designed. 

 Our large sheep fairs will contain from 30,000 to 

 100,000 animals, and in some few cases many more, 

 and these of various breeds and kinds. Pure Downs, 

 Hampshire Downs, Shropshire Downs, Dorsets, Cots- 

 wolds, Leicesters, long-wools, Kents, half-breds of 

 very many and various kinds, besides the great variety 

 of moor and mountain sheep. Is it to be supposed 

 that a farmer can enter one of these large fairs to com- 

 mence business, without some perplexity or some mis- 

 givings ? It is generally a very anxious time for him, 

 and amidst the immense muster of animals, each 

 attractive in its way, he is often at a loss to decide 

 which and what sort to select ; the very number serves 

 to perplex him. Then their various sizes, qualities, 

 state, and condition, and their peculiar adaptation to 

 his prepared pastures, serve to perplex him, and no 



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