BREEDING vGRADE CATTLE FOR GRAZING. 255 



suffer from the misfortune of their parents in such particular; for 

 any young beast to carry flesh well, and increase it rapidly, 

 should have the propensity to do so bred into them from the 

 womb. A poor half-starved cow cannot produce any but a lean 

 calf. "What is bred in the bone stays long in the flesh," is an 

 old and true adage. A bull, perfect in the points of his breed, 

 is as superior to a deficient one, used even on common, or grade 

 cows, to a certain extent, as to breed on thorough breds; and an 

 inferior one should not be used at all; better pay a round price 

 for a good bull, than take a poor one as a gift. 



The age at which heifers should be bred, must depend some- 

 what on circumstances. For grazing cattle, two years old is 

 'early enough to put heifers to the bull. They should acquire 

 somewhat of maturity, and fair size, to produce good graziers; 

 and that general remark will suffice. 



BREEDING DAIRY COWS. 



If the breeder intends to rear dairy cows, he will select as 

 good milkers, with which to commence his herd, as he can find, 

 whatever their condition, or blood may be, and they should be 

 descendants of good milkers also, if he can ascertain the fact. 

 Then he must select a bull from a tribe of good milkers in his 

 own breed. The descriptions we have given of the dairy quali- 

 ties of the different breeds, and his own good judgment, must 

 guide the breeder in that particular. The bull chosen should 

 bear, in himself, the dairy marks or points for they show in the 

 bull as well as in the cow and he should be descended, on the 

 side of both his dapa and sire, if possible, of good milking ances- 

 tors. His head should be small, his fore parts lighter, in propor- 

 tion, than his hind parts, as in the cow ; yet he should be vigorous, 

 of sound constitution, and well formed throughout. Examine his 

 scrotum and see that the embryo teats on the sides of it are well, 

 squarely, and uniformly placed; that his twist (space between 



