3G4 On the most profialle Size of Far mi,? g Caiile. 



The first indiicement of the stock breeder, as well as the 

 grazier, ought to be, — the one to breed that animal whose 

 disposition is n)os,t inclined to feed ; the other to produce 

 the animal fat at an early age. By these means the supply 

 will be greater for the consumer. The smaller animal (ge- 

 nerally) has a more natural disposition to fatten, and re- 

 quires (proportionably to the larger animal) less food to 

 make it fat ; consequently the greater quantity of meat for 

 consumption can be made per acre. In stall feeding, what- 

 ever may be the food, the smaller animal pays most for that 

 food. In dry lands, the smaller animal is always sufficiently 

 heavy for treading. In wet lands less injurious. As to 

 milk, the smaller animal produces more goods for the food 

 she consumes than the. greater animal. As to the yoke, it 

 is by no means clear that oxen (taken generally) pay for 

 their work. In heavy and clayey soils they certainly do not. 

 And from experience in many sandy and dry soils (as in 

 Norfolk) they are not so profitable to the farmer as horses. 

 And where oxen are of service, the middling-sized animal is 

 to be preferred. 



As to sheep, I beg this society to look to the premiums 

 given for South-Dovvn sheep; where five South-Down 

 sheep to three Wiltshire have kjeen kept on the same quan- 

 tity of acres, and on the same ground, and have annually 

 consumed one-third less hay. This sufficiently proves the 

 smaller animal is belter lor the stock breeder ; and from my 

 own observations of South-Down and other diilerent sorts 

 of sheep, I have ever found the smaller sheep pay most for 

 their food. I am therefore led to believe the same aroii- 

 ment holds as good with the smaller sheep, as in the smaller 

 beasts. If tiiis society will look to the low, wet, and rich 

 soils of this kingdom, where larae oxen have been usually 

 fed j the craziers there (generally) are feeding Scotch, find- 

 ing the s'maller most profitable. And if we look to Smith- 

 field, we find the smaller animal is always taken in prefe- 

 rence, by llie greater number of l)Lite.hers. I beg also to 

 mention pigs, (an animal by no means so much attended to 

 as it ought,) that invariably the smaller kind come soonest 

 to maturity, and ever pay most lor their food at any prod- 

 table 



