Live Stock Advantages of Improvement of. &quot; &5 1 



vorfe to better, than he who brings them from better to worfe. This reafoning 

 applies to all plants as well as animals. Highland cattle rife to a great fize, not 

 only by the keeping in South Britain, but in rich paftures at home. In vain will 

 you attempt to improve a breed of animals beyond the circumftances of the 

 country as to climate and pallure; while at the fame time, it is no eafy matter to 

 difcern without proper trials, how far thefe circumftances can fupport a better 

 ftock.*&quot; In confirmation of thefe obfervations^ and others that have been dated 

 above it has been obferved that the &quot; richeft grazing land, and the moft nourifli- 

 ing artificial food, will certainly pay more in feeding large bullocks, fheep and 

 fwine, than it would do in feeding the fmaller fizes of the fame fpecies ; and it is 

 equally obvious that the fmaller breeds will anfwer better on the poor p;ifture than 

 the large. f&quot; Befides thefe circumftances, in the introduction of new breeds of 

 Jive flock, there are others that demand attention, fuch as the particular qualities 

 or properties which the farme-r has in view. Thefe muft be fully confidered ; 

 and fuch a breed as may belt anfwer in thefe particular intentions be conftantly 

 preferred. 



In fpeaking of the vaft advantages that may be derived from the improvement of 

 live flock, it has been obferved by a late practical writer, that confidering the 

 various breeds of domeftic animals, as the machines or vehicles by which farmers are 

 enabled to fend their herbage and other forts of food to the markets, they ought, by 

 the ftudy of every fuitable means, to promote their improvement, both in refpect to 

 form and the difpofition to fatten, in order that the produce of their farms may be 

 difpofed of in the moft profitable manner, and that independent of the benefits the 

 farmers would individually derive by fuch means, from the breeds being rendered 

 lefs tedious in fattening and lefs productive in offal, the public would obtain vaft 

 advantage in the great increafe of animal food.. Indeed, on the fuppolition that 

 every individual in England and Scotland confumes in the proportion of one fheep 

 in the courfe of the year, and that there are ten millions in the country, it is cal 

 culated that, by improving the breeds of that animal only to the extent of one 

 fhilling, which cannot be deemed impracticable, an additional annual advantage 

 would be gained in that fort of live ftock alone, of five hundred thoufand pounds.;]: 

 This, on the whole of every kind, would therefore be immenfe. 



* Corre&ed Agricultural Report of Perthlhire. f Correfted Report of Middlefex* 



J Modern Agriculture, vol. IV. Ibid. 



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