MANAGEMENT OF BULLS. 79 



here who knows anything about it, whether there has been any- 

 thing of that kind found to be peculiar to the Kerries. I think, 

 from what I have heard with regard to them, and from the 

 inquiries that have been instituted, that it will be found to be 

 the practical difficulty under which Mr. Austin has labored with 

 regard to the products of his importations. I have a Kerry 

 heifer, which is now five or six years old, and I have never 

 been able to get but one calf from her ; and it seems to me that 

 the suggestion of the gentleman in regard to breeding in-and-in, 

 leads us to a very important inquiry as to the general use and 

 management of bulls. It seems to be the idea of most farmers, 

 that a bull is to be treated as a gentleman, confined to the barn, 

 pampered, and never exercised ; I suppose that is the most 

 usual practice. In every case where I have seen a cow of the 

 Jersey stock which has been found difficult to breed from, she 

 has been either one of great capacity and considerable flesh, or 

 one which has not been exercised and for that reason has too 

 much flesh. For instance : I saw this morning, at Mr. Keyse's, 

 three or four animals, supposed to be of the Jersey breed — 

 bought as such, but showing in the hind quarters some marks 

 of the Shorthorn. He says he has found that same difficulty 

 with regard to getting calves. 



I met a gentleman from Porto Rico, the other day, and he 

 told me that he had, in connection with his plantation, a herd 

 of bulls, and that the teams upon that island were made up of 

 bulls, which were as docile, as easily worked, and as easily 

 tpken care of when worked as any animal that we could con- 

 ceive of. They are universally used, I understand, on that 

 island, for drawing purposes ; working every day in teams of 

 four, six and eight. Now, we certainly suffer a great loss of 

 power in keeping bulls as we do throughout Massachusetts, and 

 if there is any well-settled rule with regard to the best mode of 

 taking care of these animals, which are, except in one respect, 

 the most unproductive consumers upon the farm, it seems to me 

 that all of us would like to know it. And if there is any 

 incapacity peculiar to any one of the imported breeds, it seems 

 to me that the inquiry to what it is owing, would be a very 

 important one in this connection. 



Professor Agassiz. I should like to ask one question. 

 Whether, in connection with the various modes of feeding cattle, 



