14 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



eastern province, and camels in Central Asia. In the south- 

 ern provinces this animal is scarce, owing to the country being 

 cut up with many canals. Sheep are raised in the northern 

 and middle provinces. Their wool is used for miking felt, 

 and their meat is much eaten. Cattle are raised thronghout 

 the empire. The southern Chinese seldom use (eat) beef on 

 account of religious scruples. They cannot bear to eat the 

 flesh of the animal which had helped the farmer to till the 

 soil to raise grain for the support of man. But the northern- 

 ers use it freely. There is an animal called the buffido, very 

 hardy and strong. It resembles the ox, almost hairless-; its 

 color is black. It is an animal I would strongly advise you 

 to introduce, not for the delicacy of its flesh, but for its power 

 in tilling the soil and heavy draught. A buflalo has two or 

 three times the strength of a horse, and is more steady. 

 Compared with an ox, I should think the bnft'alo is the 

 stronger of the two. We can readily see the raising of do- 

 mestic animals is so much neglected for the want of pastural 

 lands. Grain is too dear to allow acres of land to lie idle for 

 the sake of its grass. The Chinese pig has short legs, round 

 body, sloping back and very short and pug nose. It takes 

 very little to raise them, and pork is the most common meat in 

 the empire. The black Chinese l)reed, as it is called in Eng- 

 land, where it is introduced, is considered the best pork raised 

 in that country. Chickens of the Cochin tribe, and ducks 

 almost as large as geese, are common domestic fowls. The 

 former have been introduced into this country, but I have not 

 seen the duck. 



