CHAPTER XXVII 



FARM ANIMALS 



No farm of any size can be run well without farm 

 animals. Horses are needed for cultivation and hauling, 

 as well as for the healthy exercise of riding. Oxen may 

 be used for draft instead of horses, but they are slower; 

 cattle are needed for meat and milk supply, whether 

 for the house or for commercial purposes. Hogs are 

 raised for meat, and serve for cleaning up after the 

 larger stock, which usually waste a good deal of feed. 

 Sheep are raised for their wool and for meat. Fowls 

 of various sorts (chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese) are 

 wanted for eggs, for meat, and also for their feathers. 

 Pigeons are wanted mainly for their meat, especially 

 the squabs or young pigeons. 



For each of the different purposes served by these 

 animals, special breeds have been developed by selec- 

 tion and breeding. The farmer raises one or more of 

 these breeds according to the particular line of farming 

 he intends to carry on. There are, of course, " general 

 purpose" horses, cows, and sheep, which serve for con- 

 venience in small households or farms where only one 



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