Author's Preface to Second Edition. 



It is just eight years ago this month since the first edition 

 of this book was printed. In revising it now I am really 

 surprised to see how many things there are that I want to 

 change a little. My experience has come from many seasons' 

 work in the field, and much study. Really, the best of my 

 life has been spent in this line; but still there are some 

 points that I wish I had two or three more years' experience 

 on before writing these pages. Thus it will always be, how- 

 ever; and long before this edition is sold out, readers will 

 find it behind the times on some point, doubtless. There 

 will be little found in these pages that the writer has not 

 given to the public in substance, through the columns of 

 the papers for which he has written, such as The Country 

 Gentleman, Ohio Farmer, Practical Farmer, Rural New-Yorker, 

 National Stockman and Farm Journal. The object of this 

 book is to get it together into compact, convenient shape for 

 reference, and corrected to date. 



Hundreds of people have written me during the past few 

 years to know whether I still thought thus and so, as stated 

 in the old edition of this book. Now, I sincerely hope that 

 all who buy this edition will also take the paper for which I 

 write weekly, The Practical Farmer, of Philadelphia; not 

 that it makes a cent's difference to me, but so I can at once 

 let them know about any thing I may wish to change. This 

 will relieve my mind ; because, if any point in these pages is 

 found to be wrong, it can be corrected at once. I assure 

 you, friends, that I feel a good deal of responsibility in writ- 

 ing a book like tlris. Many of you will not realize how much. 

 It may be quite a serious matter if some friend is led astray 

 on but a single p;>int. There was one point in particular in 

 the old edition, about which I wrote in perfect good faith ; 



