100 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



is the best. It is that, which, when cured, has neither the suc- 

 culent weakness of rowen, nor the hard and woody fibre of 

 straw ; but that which has the firmness, and consistency, and 

 color, and quality, whicb all men understand, who know by 

 necessary experience and observation, what is the most nutri- 

 tious and economical hay which they can purchase in the 

 market. 



Cattle and Sheep. — The attention of our farmers is turned 

 now more than ever to their cattle. There is an increasing 

 interest in the question, what breed is best adapted to our soil, 

 and in many places great improvements have been made. It 

 begins to be more and more understood that size is not always 

 a test of merit ; that quality is better than quantity ; and that 

 there is no more mistaken economy than an attempt to feed an 

 animal on pastures unsuited to it. Compact, solid, thrifty oxen ; 

 cows whose bony structure does not overbalance their muscular, 

 and which have not a superabundance of offal; sheep which are 

 " heavy in proportion to their size," have great attractions to 

 those who cultivate a hard soil, under a cold sky. They are 

 animals which can be profitably fed for work, or for milk ; and 

 are the only animals that can be fed here for meat, without a 

 loss. There are still, however, too many unprofitable animals 

 in the county — animals which make no fair return for the 

 food which they consume. He who produces an early and 

 hardy variety of corn, he who discovers a valuable fruit, he 

 who introduces a desirable vegetable, he who hybridizes grapes 

 successfully, is looked upon as a benefactor to the tillers of the 

 soil. What shall be said of him who introduces the best class 

 of animals to our farms, and lays the foundation of that busi- 

 ness by which corn, and fruit, and vegetables, are produced ? 



The newly-awakened interest in sheep is also an encouraging 

 feature in the agriculture of the county. There are already 

 small flocks whicli are very profitable ; and there are indica- 

 tions that sheep-husbandry will, ere long, form an important 

 branch of our farming. The comparative merits of fine and 

 coarse-wooled sheep have been somewhat vigorously discussed 

 among us, especially since the attention of this society was 

 called to the subject, by a report of a committee on sheep, 

 made in 1862. 



