362 CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



stock demands a proportionate amount of special care and nutritious 

 food. 



Many of the stock-growers of this country, after having spent large 

 sums of money themselves, and having received handsome subsidies 

 from the Government in experimenting with these cattle, have been 

 forced to abandon them and fall back upon crosses with their native 

 stock, as more hardy in constitution and better adapted to the food prod- 

 uce and climatic conditions of their districts. The crosses with this 

 stock, however, are now found in every district in the Kingdom, and 

 have to a large degree supplanted even the famous Dutch breed so long 

 and highly esteemed here. 



I may add here that the importance given in this country to any one 

 variety over the others above mentioned, chiefly depends upon the kind 

 of pasturage and other food the department where they are found pro- 

 duces, in connection with its peculiar agricultural interest. 



In the province of Antwerp the production of milk and butter and 

 the raising of vegetables for the London and Antwerp markets are 

 found so much more profitable than the growing of beef cattle, that the 

 farmers of that district will have nothing to do with any but such 

 cattle as produce the largest amount of milk upon the smallest amount 

 of food, and for this they prefer the pure Dutch cow or her crosses with 

 the Flemish animal. 



In the province of Brabant great efforts have been made to introduce 

 the pure blood Shorthorn Durham, and for awhile it was thought that 

 this stock would drive out all others, but the increasing "demand 

 for milk and butter in Brussels and its populous environs, with the 

 profitable market they afford the farmer for his root and vegetable 

 crops of various kinds have here, also, arrested the introduction of 

 Durhams and to a large degree substituted for them the small, hardy 

 Hollands and their crosses, which, under a more moderate quantity of 

 truck food, yield a larger amount of rich milk and butter. 



In the province of Hainaut all efforts to introduce the pure Durham 

 have failed to succeed. In a report of the agricultural commission of 

 this province now before me the commission says: "It is impossible to 

 believe that the prejudices for old habits and routine is the sole cause 

 of this result; we are therefore forced to believe that this so perfect 

 breed of cattle neither suits our exigencies nor our wants, and that we 

 must content ourselves with a cross with the native stock instead of 

 the pure Durham." 



This, I have no doubt, is the opinion of all stock-raisers in this prov- 

 ince, for, with the exception of a few fancy breeders, the farmers of 

 the entire province cling to the pure native or its cross. 



In the province of Liege a number of pure blood Shorthorn bulls 

 and cows of a variety celebrated for its milk and butter producing 

 qualities have been recently imported from England, with satisfactory 

 results thus far, and it is thought that this variety of exotics may yet 

 be found better adapted to this district, both as a profitable animal for 

 the shambles and as a good milker, than any other breed ; but this I 

 very much doubt from the conflicting testimony I receive. 



The farmers of Limbourg and Luxembourg are more devoted to the 

 raising of beef cattle for the markets of the country than to milkers, 

 and in these provinces the Durham crossed with the native stock gives 

 entire satisfaction. 



The province of Namur, from its topographical features and the char- 

 acter of its soil, is chiefly adapted to pasturage and to the raising oi 

 beef cattle for the market, but the pure Durham, though in repute 



