150 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



appearance of being good animals. Only last year I sold a 

 cow that had every mark of being a superior animal, but 

 she was worthless ; she dried off early ; she did not hold her 

 milk. I said to myself, "You can cheat somebody on that 

 cow tremendously," but I did not want to do it ; I would not 

 ask any high price for her ; and many times I have been 

 compelled to sell nice-looking, full-blooded stock because of 

 their defects. In one instance I remember I bought some 

 calves from one of the best herds in Vermont, a herd that 

 had a high reputation and had taken a great many premiums. 

 I bought them when they were less than a year old, hoping 

 to get ahead of the breeders in that way, for I knew they 

 would keep them if they fou-nd they were superior animals. 

 I took them home, and soon ascertained that they were very 

 nervous creatures. If a stranger came into the herd, up 

 their tails would go and away they would run. Every 

 cow I have is as gentle as a lamb, but these calves were ner- 

 vous, had small bags and long legs. A man who has had a 

 great deal of stock from Connecticut for several years came 

 to me and said, " Can't you sell me some blooded stock?" 

 " Yes," said I, " I will sell you blooded stock; I will sell 

 you the pedigrees and give you the assurance that two of 

 them are the meanest animals I ever bred. Still, the pedi- 

 grees are all right." I had found that the breeder had made 

 a mistake in his breeding, and he had unloaded on me. So 

 I say, if you can be sure of getting first-class blooded stock, 

 go and buy it. You see I_ lay great stress on this point 

 of getting the best class of pure-bred stock. I suppose that 

 you here are mostly men of wealth, and can do that, but a 

 common farmer cannot do it. It was so in my own case ; I 

 had my own capital to make, I had to begin and feel my 

 way up. And my own experience has taught me tliat very 

 much can be done by the common farmer in the way of 

 breeding-up a herd, by pursuing the course I have indicated, 

 for much less money than by purchasing blooded stock. If 

 he finds blooded stock that are satisfactory, let him keep 

 them by all means, but never keep them because of their 

 pedigree. 



Mr. Dyer. Which helped you most in breeding-up to 

 three hundred pounds, your native stock or the full-blooded 

 sire? 



