118 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



cattle to go into the expense of buying high-bred cattle unless 

 he expects to take care of them. No man can afford to 

 keep his cattle, hogs, and sheep, unless he keeps them constantly 

 growing. There are many of our farmers who commence the 

 winter with a herd of cattle, feed out the whole of their hay and 

 grain, and in the spring, their cattle are worth no more than 

 they were in the fall. Now, if they would add to their feed 

 and keep them growing, they would gain something ; if they 

 will not do this, they will get nothing for their feed but the 

 manure ; and from poor cattle, the manure is as much poorer 

 as the cattle are poorer. 



Dr. LoRiNG. — The subject as presented to the meeting is 

 somewhat novel in its phraseology, and it was so presented by 

 the committee for the express purpose of allowing a large lati- 

 tude of debate. You will observe that nothing is said about 

 breeds, but the topic is intended to include all those classes of 

 cattle that have, to a certain extent, become acclimated, and 

 have become almost a distinct breed by themselves ia certain 

 localities in New England. 



I suppose that one important point in the discussion would 

 be the most valuable class of animals for New England farming 

 purposes. It was very properly remarked at the opening of the 

 meeting, that there is no one distinct and definite breed of ani- 

 mals universally adapted to New England agriculture. We 

 have great diversity of soil and climate here. We have pastures 

 of every description ; high, hilly pastures, covered with short, 

 sweet feed, and the luxuriant pastures of our river valleys. 

 We find these various kinds of soil and these pastures in almost 

 every State. The State of Maine, including a very large terri- 

 tory, has almost as great a variety of feed in it as all the rest of 

 New England. There is as much difference between the feed 

 along the valley of the Aroostook and the Kennebeck as there is 

 between the valley of the Kennebeck and tlie Connecticut. 

 There is as much difference between the pastures of the north- 

 ern part of that State, and the pastures about Portland and the 

 southern part of the State as there is between the pastures of 

 Essex and Franklin Counties. So of New Hampshire ; so of 

 Vermont ; so of Massachusetts ; and so of Connecticut and 

 Rhode Island. It must be evident, then, that the same rule 

 holds good with regard to cattle here that does in many parts of 



