TAKING REINS IN HAND 



tion was a pertinent one. Not what cattle did 

 I admire most, or what cattle I thought the 

 finest ; but what cattle shall I keep ? 



In this, as in the matter of the house, of the 

 out-buildings and of the roadway, I believe 

 thoroughly in adaptation to ends in view. If 

 I had been undertaking the business of a cattle 

 breeder, I should have sought for those of the 

 purest blood, of whatever name; if I had 

 counted upon sales to the butcher, my choice 

 would have been different ; if, again, butter had 

 been the aim, I am sure I should have made no 

 great mistake in deciding for the sleek Jersey 

 cattle. But for mere supply of milk, under 

 ordinary conditions of feeding, I do not know 

 that any breed has as yet established an un- 

 challenged claim to the front rank. The Dev- 

 ons, Ayrshires, and Shorthorns each have 

 their advocates; for the latitude and pas- 

 turage of New England, if I were com- 

 pelled to choose between the three, I 

 should certainly choose the Ayrshires; but I 

 am satisfied that a more successful milk dairy 

 can be secured by a motley herd of natives, 

 half-bloods, and animals of good promise for 

 the pail, than by limitation of stock to any one 

 breed. I am confirmed in this view by the 

 examples of most large dairies of this country, 



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