DIVISION THIRTEENTH. 



SELECTION AND PURCHASE OF LIVE-STOCK. 



HOW TO BUY JUDICIOUSLY. 



Those who are engaged in the management of live-stock, or 

 who have occasional necessity for purchase, snouid always be pre- 

 pared to go about such a purchase with intelligence and system, if 

 they are to deal to the best advantage, and it is therefore well for 

 them to be possessed of the information which will enable them to 

 select with prudence, good judgment and discrimination. Indeed 

 it is desirable, for the sake of general information, that every one 

 should be possessed of the salient points which indicate the princi- 

 pal excellence of the different classes of domestic animals. At one 

 time or other such information will be certain to be found of great 

 advantage to any one, while to those whose occupation or business 

 the care or ownership of live-stock is essential, it is absolutely in- 

 dispensable. If the ownership of a horse is. a necessity to any one, 

 it is both to his pleasure and practical profit and advantage that the 

 animal be as good of its class as he can procure, and the same may 

 be said in respect to any of the domestic animals. In the case of 

 those with whom breeding of animals is a part of their occupation, 

 and feeding a branch of their business economy, there cannot be too 

 great familiarity with every point and characteristic which affects 

 the value of the animal. Success will be largely governed by the 

 ability to recognize by certain external indications what constitutes 

 the peculiar excellence which is sought, and to detect at sight 

 the defects which would be certain to escape the careless or unin- 

 formed. First of importance in value and in usefulness among the 

 domestic animals comes the horse. 



HOW TO KNOW A GOOD HORSE. 



The first thing to be considered is, of course, the purpose for 

 which the animal is designed in use. If the animal is desired for 

 driving or general purposes, what would constitute the highest 

 points of excellence in a draft horse, would be defects destructive 

 of his usefulness for the road; the purest and best thoroughbred in 

 the world would be a useless ana unprofitable animal if he is re- 

 quired for the plough, and so on. There are, of course, points of 



