ON BREEDING AND REARING ANIMALS. 43 



of an acre of poor or middling land, which com- 

 poses the great majority of the soil of this king- 

 dom. If rent was paid by the head of stock, 

 instead of the acre, it might perhaps answer the 

 tenants purpose to bestow the indulgence upon 

 a few animals; but since rent is paid by the 

 acre, the question with the occupier is, how can 

 we make the most profit of an acre of land ? 



Suppose soils were classed into three or four 

 different classes ; for instance, say land under 

 twenty shillings per acre, land above twenty and 

 under forty shillings, above forty and under 

 sixty shillings per acre, and premiums offered to 

 persons who would bring animals forward mak- 

 ing most profit of an acre of grass, cleaning up 

 rough and smooth, would not that answer a bet- 

 ter purpose, as it would hold out encouragement 

 to different classes of men and soils ? There is 

 by far the greatest proportion of poor and mid- 

 dling land, and on that must depend the princi- 

 pal supply of the market. 



An attempt to improve the breed of animals 

 for the shambles, by making choice of the largest 

 males, is as ancient as it is fruitless ; and is it 

 not strange to see it renewed in the nineteenth 

 century, by the professed followers of a Bake- 

 well ? They say the attempt is laudable, because 

 difficult to be obtained. Difficult to breed a 



