THE DAIRY. 519 



tains of Berkshire County, Massachusetts ; and the thin-skinned 

 Ayrshires thrive remarkably in every part of the North. 



Of course, every good animal, vv^hether of an imported or of the 

 native stock, requires comfortable shelter during the w^inter season 

 or it must suffer in proportion to its exposure. The scrub 

 races of the poor farming of our cold Northern hills w^hich have 

 through many generations developed into any thing but good 

 animals, might be improved by being brought under better 

 treatment ; and there is no doubt that any good native or foreign 

 animal, subjected to the treatment under which these have been 

 bred, would soon deteriorate into a scrub, or would die in the early 

 effort. Dairy animals all require a certain protection and care ; 

 but it is doubtful whether that which is suited to those that are 

 apparently the most hardy, is not equally applicable to those of 

 more delicate appearance. It may be said, with reference to all 

 breeds of dairy cattle, that they are, to a very large extent, an 

 artificial production. The effect of their long domestication, the 

 constant object having been to procure as large an amount as 

 possible of milk, cheese, and butter, has been to stimulate to a 

 great extent a single characteristic, which, in a state of nature, 

 is only so far developed as the nutrition of the calf renders neces- 

 sary. In the wild state the cow gives but little milk at any time, 

 and none at all during the greater part of the year. The effect 

 of domestication has been to very greatly increase both the quantity 

 and duration of the yield, so that now the chief energies of the 

 animal's organization are devoted simply to the production of 

 milk. And in all of our operations, both of breeding and feeding, 

 the object of still further developing this quality should be kept 

 constantly in mind. In addition to the control over the character 

 of our herds that the simple element of " blood " gives us, a very 

 important influence is also exercised by the circumstances under 

 which they are kept, and especially by the abundance and quality 

 of their food. It may be set down as a general rule, that the ani- 

 mals of rich countries are large, and those of poor countries are 

 small ; and even a few generations' breeding on a rich farm will 

 considerably increase the size of the smaller races, while in a few 



