VARIATION. 95 



England was from 57 to 59, which had the effect to 

 dimmish the crop from one-half to one-third. 1 



Even peculiarities resulting from a slight differ- 

 ence in locality may have an important influence on 

 the time required for its growth and ripening. Mar- 

 shall states that, in the Cotswold Hills, a " stone might 

 be flung from the country which sows its wheat in 

 August into that which sows its wheat in Decem- 

 ber." 3 



A variety of food is required by animals, so that 

 each organ concerned in the process of nutrition may 

 perform its fair proportion of work, and thus secure a 

 healthy development, resulting in a symmetrical bal- 

 ance of the system. 



Among animals we cannot fail to observe that 

 the small breeds of sheep and cattle in mountainous 

 regions present a decided contrast to the breeds ob- 

 taining an abundant supply of food in the fertile val- 

 leys of the same country. 3 



As the relation of the size of animals to the sup- 

 ply of food they are provided with has been noticed 

 by almost every writer on the management of live- 

 stock, we need not, for the present, give a detailed 

 discussion of the subject. 4 



1 Blodgett's " Climatology of the United States," p. 446. See also 

 Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, 1873, p. 379. 



* " Rural Economy of Gloucestershire," 1789, vol. ii., p. 62. 



8 Low's " Domestic Animals," pp. 41, 264. 



4 " Agricultural Report of Staffordshire," p. 174; "Agricultural 

 Report of Middlesex," p. 406 ; Youatt on " Cattle," p. 625 ; Youatt on 

 "The Horse," p. 60; Coventry on "Agriculture," p. 182; Dickson's 

 "Practical Agriculture," vol. ii., pp. 638-640; Cline on "Breeding and 

 Form," p. 12. 



