YALE AGRICULTURAL LECTURES. 167 



breed, have gone to nothing ! He referred his audience to a 

 full discussion of the subject of "in-and-in" breeding, between 

 himself and others, in the American Agriculturist for 1859. 



As a general rule the female should be comparatively larger 

 than the male. Mr. C. had found it very hard for scrub cows 

 to be delivered of the foetus by a large Shorthorn bull. A 

 large coarse bull is especially to be avoided. 



The whole art of feeding might be summed up in the remark, 

 that the animal should never recede in flesh till mature, but be 

 kept in good growing order always ; never too fat nor too lean. 

 That is the way to have perfection of fcrm other things being 

 equal. When animals are grown it is not so important to keep 

 them always in good flesh ; although he has known show ani 

 mals, once too fat, ruined in health by getting too poor ! Too 

 much fat will destroy the breeding power in male and female 

 frequently. In Kentucky they are fast rivalling, if not excel 

 ling, England. Because, by the system of open stables and 

 out-door exercise, the laws of health are better observed. 

 The animals in England kept too much in stables and fed on 

 heating food like oil-cake, have to be rowelled, bled, and 

 purged ! Of course we who follow nature's law, need none of 

 that ; and will ultimately beat them in perfection of form, &c. 

 With us, in Kentucky, there is none of that degeneration of 

 animals imported, which is so often talked of in the North ; 

 because we keep up the favorable surroundings and means of 

 progress. 



The Shorthorns will conceive at under four months. But 

 Mr. Clay prefers to have them 2 years old before they are im 

 pregnated. If they calve younger they should be fed highly, 

 for, if they are not, the fetus takes up so much of the nutri 

 ment, that the mother is stinted in food for necessary assimila 

 tion, arid becomes stunted and ill-formed. Possibly early breed 

 ing may rather more favor the milking quality ; but his expe 

 rience is not sufficient to accede without further proofs to this 

 general idea. 



