CHAPTEE II. 



BREEDING AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 



GOOD lot of young cows having been secured, the 

 next point is to select a bull, and the wiser policy is 

 to obtain a thoroughly good animal with a sound 

 pedigree, even if we pay handsomely for the same. 

 The first male will have a most important influence on the herd, 

 and a few pounds therefore should not be grudged. Generally 

 a good yearhng can be had for between thirty and forty guineas. 

 We are not venturing into an exhaustive treatise on the prin- 

 ciples of breeding, or intend more than briefly to touch upon 

 this point ; but we must urge upon all young farmers the value 

 of quality, and the improvement of their stock by the use of 

 good bulls. This, be it remarked, is quite apart from keeping 

 highly-bred stock. Pedigree breeding is a business for the 

 few, requiring special conditions to render success even pro- 

 bable ; but everyone who breeds, whatever the class of animal 

 he selects, should aim at quality, by which we understand the 

 qualification to mature at the earliest possible period, and 

 accumulate the maximum weight from a given quantity of food. 

 What the difference is in this respect, according to quality, has 

 never been accurately tested, but we believe it is quite sufiicient 

 to determine profit and loss. Now, as a rule, the influence of 

 the male preponderates ; consequently, whilst careful to select 

 good-looking females, we must spare neither money nor time 

 in finding the right sort of bull. Suppose we require milking 

 stock (and whatever the particular direction in which we farm, 

 milk must always be an important consideration), not only 

 should we select heifers that give promise, but we must seek a 

 sire that comes of a good inilking stock, for these qualities are 



