PREFACE 



The increasing interest manifested in the breeding 

 and rearing of live stock and in the other branches 

 of farming has induced the publishers to prepare 

 a number of cheap volumes, under the title of 

 "Vinton's Country Series," which are intended to 

 afford elementary information on the various subjects 

 dealt with. These, it is hoped, will be found useful 

 to those who have not studied the subjects in more 

 exhaustive treatises, and will lead them to seek for 

 further guidance and instruction in such works 

 as " Morton's Handbooks of the Farm," and the 

 " Live Stock Handbooks," also issued by them, and 

 in which fuller information can be obtained. On 

 small holdings as well as on larger farms a more 

 diversified system is now necessary, crops and live 

 stock having to be carefully managed if the enter- 

 prise is to result in profit. It is therefore essential 

 that the best practice should be studied, and in 

 these little books the various breeds of stock are 

 described and their character and capabilities in- 

 dicated, while brief hints on management are given. 

 The present series deals with horses, cattle, sheep, 

 pigs, goats, and volumes also treating of dogs, 

 poultry-keeping, bee-keeping, and many other rural 

 topics, such as butter and cheese-making, market- 

 gardening, etc., will be taken up in turn. 



