On the Management of Breeding Cattle. 519 



tive quality will be readily admitted ; and if the demand for a 

 spurious article supports and encourages its manufacture, the 

 blame does not rest with him entirely. On the other hand, is it 

 honest or consistent with the infallible principles of right and 

 wrong that such a state of things should continue ? The growing 

 importance of the article to the feeder of cattle, and its yearly 

 increasing extent, forbid it : there is no plea either of present 

 profit or expediency that can justify it. It is as unfair to the 

 crusher who does not adulterate, as to the consumer ; and the 

 sooner it is abandoned the better for all parties concerned. There 

 is a wide-spread belief that no crusher is an " honest miller." This 

 I need scarcely say is far from being true : but unfortunately the 

 odium is shared alike by the honest and dishonest trader. There 

 are undoubtedly many who have suffered severe losses in con- 

 tending against unfair competition rather than manufacture a 

 dishonest article, and others who have begun well, but have been 

 unable to resist strong temptation ; and before I conclude I will 

 mention an amusing anecdote illustrative of this point. An 

 honest or rather once honest miller, living near to a neighbouring 

 crusher, had for some time sold him all his bran, but he saw and 

 envied the crusher's thriving trade, and resolved upon turning 

 his refuse to a more profitable account, and accordingly erected 

 presses adjoining his flour-mill that he also might manufacture 

 linseed-cake out of BRAN ! I dare say when they meet they can 

 afford a mutual smile. 



Bigghsthorne Hall, Holderness, Yorkshire. 



XXIV. — On Liquid Manure. By Augustus Voelcker. 



There is scarcely any agricultural improvement so excellent 

 that it could be carried out with advantage in every locality, 

 nor any agricultural practice so intrinsically bad that it could 

 justly be condemned unconditionally. If it were not so, we 

 should fmd it difficult to explain reasonably how it is that certain 

 modes of culture which by most men are considered antiquated 

 or irrational should yet have a powerful hold on the minds of 

 some skilled and experienced farmers. 



It is true that agricuhural improvements make their way but 

 slowly into oidinary fai-m -routine, but, on the other hand, it inust 

 be confessed that any scheme, however visionary, meets in this 

 country with eager advocates, whose extravagant ideas induce 

 some people to introduce into practice suggestions which in other 

 countries are only known in theory. 



