REARING AND FEEDING OF ANIMALS. 399 



we refer, as an animal of burden in a rocky and precipitous 

 country, far excels the horse or any other animal and coun- 

 tries would remain separated from each other, by impassable 

 barriers, were it not for the matchless sagacity, patience and 

 sure-footedness of the mule. The hinny, is the hybrid pro- 

 duce between the she-ass and a stallion, but being of little or 

 no value the race is not cultivated. 



III. NEAT CATTLE THE OX. 



Naturalists enumerate eight species of the ox family, viz: 

 1. Bos urus, the aurochs or bison of the ancients. 2. Bos 

 bison, the bison or buffalo of America. 3. Bos moschatus, 

 the musk ox. 4. Bosfrontalis, the gayal. 5. Bos grunniens, 

 the grunting ox. 6. Bos caffer, the cape buffalo. 7. Bos 

 bubalus, the common buffalo. 8. Bos taurus, the domestic ox. 

 Of these species, the aurochs, the bison of America, the musk 

 ox, and the cape buffalo, have not been, and probably never 

 will be domesticated. The cultivation and use of the gayal 

 and the grunting ox, is confined to Asia. The species reared 

 in Europe, are the common buffalo and the domestic ox. In 

 the United States, the culture and improvement of the domestic 

 ox, has been attended to exclusively, our best animals being a 

 mixture of the best native with imported stock of superior ex- 

 cellence. 



The common buffalo, now an important animal in the rural 

 economy of Italy, was introduced into that country about the 

 beginning of the sixth century, from Eastern India. He is 

 used by the Italians as food. He is not a dainty animal, pre- 

 ferring the rank herbage of marshes and ferns to the richest 

 pasture. But he is sluggish in his movements. The milk of 

 the female is good, but its flesh is not esteemed. This species 

 is cultivated to some extent in Greece and Hungary. 



The term cattle, in its most extensive sense, embraces all the 

 large domestic quadrupeds which are used by man for draught 

 or food. In the usual acceptation of the word it is confined to 

 the ox, or what is called bhck or horned cattle. But as some 

 are not black, and others hornless, the name of neat cattle, ap- 

 pears more appropriate. The rearing and feeding of cattle is 

 a very important branch of agricultural industry, as much of 

 the prosperity of the farmer depends on the judicious manage- 

 ment of live stock, without which his land cannot be maintain- 

 ed in a proper state of fertility. The breeding and fattening 

 28* 



