STOCK. 281 



tation of Col. Pickering, then president of tlie Essex County 

 Society, presented the Society with an Alderney bull, of supe- 

 rior promise. He was stationed at West Newbury, on the 

 farm of Mr. Newell, where he remained for several years, and 

 was favorably regarded. I am informed by that gentleman that 

 his progeny still remain in the town, and that they have some 

 of the peculiar characteristics of the race, especially in the 

 quality of their milk, clearly showing, what has been asserted 

 by Col. Jaques and other growers of fancy animals, that the 

 influence of the male in raising good stock for the dairy, is 

 quite as important as that of the female. Farmers who pre- 

 sume to keep an inferior brat of a bull as the associate of their 

 cows, make a great mistake. Keep well formed bulls only, 

 and such as have come from cows of good character for milk, 

 both quantity and quality — the latter is quite as important as the 

 former, for all purposes except for sale in the market, and for 

 that also, when the tricks of the trade are fully understood. 



It was a favorite notion of Col. Pickering, to improve our 

 dairy stock by rearing the offspring of those cows which had 

 proved good, and by giving premiums for such, and such only. 

 And to do this, to give encouragement to those who would bring 

 forward the offspring of such cows when they arrived at matu- 

 rity. But so little of system is there in the movements of our 

 Agricultural Societies, governed by officers choaen annually 

 and by committees of a mushroom's growth — here to-day and 

 gone to-morrow — that I am not able to say that any decided 

 benefit has resulted from these offers, though it is easy to see 

 that they embrace the only rational mode of bringing about 

 valuable improvements. Suppose Coke or Bakewell had oper- 

 ated with as little regard to system as we do, when would their 

 improvements have been perfected ? The truth is, if we would 

 have any thing valuable we must labor for it. There is no pro- 

 priety in awarding premiums for animals that chance to he good. 

 It is those which are made good by care and attention that are 

 to be rewarded, and those only. 



A short time since I visited the farm of a gentleman, adjoin- 

 ing the farm of my father, who has spared no effort to secure a 

 superior dairy stock. He had Durhams, Devons and natives, 

 with an expectation of Alderneys, all at the highest prices, av- 

 36* 



