188 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



chance. We find by experience that it is better to have a 

 heifer drop her first calf when abont two years old ; and if it is 

 desirable to have a cow that will hold out with her milk in the 

 succeeding years until near calving, she sliould not be allowed 

 to go farrow until after her second calf, as a farrow cow is apt 

 to go dry some time, and so form a habit that is often very hard 

 to overcome. "We also consider it very important that a heifer 

 be mated with a full-blood bull for her first calf, as a scrub bull 

 then is apt to show more or less on all her future progeny, and 

 we have sometimes thought we could see bad effects on the 

 heifer herself. We close this Report by once more expressing 

 our gratification at the improvement manifested in this class of 

 animals for the past three years, and hope to see it continued 

 until every farmer among us can point with pride to each ani- 

 mal of his stock as worthy of exhibition. 



John M. Soule, Chairman, 



HORSES. 



MIDDLESEX SOUTH. 



Report on Farm Horses, 



The Committee on Farm Horses, single, have made the awards, 

 and are disposed to add a few words by way of suggestion. It 

 has seemed to them that the exhibition of farm horses, from 

 year to year, has not resulted in an increase of the number of 

 truly valuable ones. At least there is no evidence of such in- 

 crease in the number of entries for trial at our show. Tlicre- 

 fore we are at liberty to draw the conclusion that practically 

 this trial is merely a matter of curious interest for the hour to 

 the multitude, and a gratification of pride to the winners of 

 premiums. We do not learn that the result has been to set any 

 man to studying to learn how he can train las horse to do the 

 same work or any work more easily than before, or how best to 

 manage him to secure the least wear and tear of muscle and of 

 patience in the horse and in himself also. 



We think it has been too much regarded as a happy accident, 

 if a man got into his possession a horse that could draw or back 



