330 THE IMPROVED ART OF rARRIKUY. 



THE COW. 



Among the quadrupeds with which the earth abounds, 

 none appears to be more extensively diffused than the 

 cow ; as it is found either large or small, in proportion 

 to the quantity and quality of its food, in every part 

 of the world, from the polar circles to the equator. 

 The life of this animal extends to about fifteen years ; 

 and its age may be ascertained with tolerable facility, 

 as at the age of four years, a ring is formed to- 

 wards the root of the horns, and each succeeding 

 year adds another. There is no animal so liable to 

 alteration from the quality of the pasture. Thus, 

 Africa is remarkable for the largest and the smallest 

 cattle of this kind, as are also Poland, Switzerland, 

 and several other parts of Europe. Among the Eluth 

 Tartars, where the pastures are remarkably luxuriant, 

 the cow becomes so large that few men can reach the 

 tip of its shoulders ; but in France, where the animal 

 is stinted in its food, and diiven from its natural pas- 

 turage, it greatly degenerates. 



The cow has seldom more than one calf at a time, 

 and goes about nine months. There is scarcely a part 

 of this animal that is not useful to mankind : its milk 



