ON BREEDING AND REARING ANIMALS. 3/ 



ral supply of food, and afterwards placed in a 

 situation where the climate is harsh, and the 

 supply of food scanty, they must of necessity de- 

 cline in flesh, and in health and vigour : but 

 their young, bred under those circumstances of 

 privation will acquire habits, and be reduced 

 to a size, more conformable ; and these again 

 breeding in and in, the habits of their progeny 

 will still become better adapted, until, by de- 

 grees, they will become perfectly inured and na- 

 turalised, and capable of making the utmost 

 return the farm is equal to, and at the least 

 expense. But if^ on the other hand, the breeder 

 chooses to contend with, and oppose, nature ; 

 and instead of submitting to her laws, he still 

 persists in attempting to keep up the size, by a 

 fresh supply of males and females from the ori- 

 ginal quarter, he inevitably must be subjected 

 to the consequences of a want of health and vi- 

 gour, and incur great hazard, and extra expense. 

 That the above principles equally govern the 

 vegetable, as well as the animal world, has 

 been demonstrated by Sir Joseph Banks, who 

 says, that by repeatedly raising plants from the 

 seeds grown on the spot, he has so naturalised 

 to this climate, vegetables that were natives of 

 a warm climate, and which on their first intro- 

 duction into this country, could only be kept 



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