224 HOME LIFE IN FLORIDA. 



between," aud all in a state of captivity, and prisoners 

 at large. 



AYliere did they come from originally ? Well, to answer 

 that question, we must go back to the first settlements of 

 Florida, those of Spain and France, which w^e have else- 

 where referred to. 



The early settlers of these rival nations imported from 

 their home-countries numbers of the finest cattle, and here 

 they flourished until, in the frequent and bloody quarrels 

 between the two sets of pioneers, French and Spanish, set- 

 tlers and settlements were alike sw^pt out of existence, and 

 such cattle as were not killed on the spot escaped to the 

 forests and became the progenitors of the present race of 

 Florida cows, and a degenerate race they are, we must con- 

 fess ; in other words, they have passed from a state of civ- 

 ilization, as it were, back to a state of nature. 



For every one knows that the splendid milkers of the 

 modern dairy are the outcome of generation after genera- 

 tion of careful selection, breeding and cross-breeding, of 

 nutritious food and plenty of it, of good shelter and gentle 

 treatment. 



A copious flow^ of milk is never met with in wdld cattle, 

 and practically Florida cattle are wild, inasmuch as neg- 

 lect, unkind and injudicious treatment have set them far 

 along on the backward track toward that natural state 

 wherein little if any more milk is secreted than is needed 

 by the calf. 



Dame Nature, you see, is not like man ; she never wastes 

 her materials or energies, but treasures up all her powers, 

 and as soon as their exercise is not needed at one point 

 directs them to another. 



For the first few weeks of its life a calf needs milk, needs 

 not much in quantity but richness in quality, and thus na- 

 ture provides it : the irregular milking, varying in quan- 



