82 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



have been to produce in both progenies the inferior points of 

 both breeds, which might, indeed, have been expected, since, as 

 Stephens says, " the Alderney bull has not so good a frame as 

 the Ayrshire cow, nor has the Alderney cow so good a constitu- 

 tion as the Ayrshire bull." 



It is proper to mention this fact to show that the cross cannot 

 be regarded as an experiment. It has been tried time and time 

 again and the results noted. No one would hesitate a moment 

 to say that the use of the pure-bred cow in taking a cross 

 between the Ayrshires and the Jerseys would be injudicious. 

 There could be no economy in it, since both breeds ought, from 

 their high character and world-wide reputation as dairy brpeds, 

 to be kept distinct and pure. If a man has a good common or 

 grade cow, and wants to make a grade with one of these fine 

 breeds, I have nothing to say against either. But with the pure- 

 bred cow the case is different. 



This matter of crossing may be carried quite too far. If the 

 design is to procure animals /or the butcher, it may be judicious, 

 but when it is to procure breeding animals, it cannot be con- 

 demned in terms too strong. The principal use of crossing, by 

 which I mean between two distinct breeds, is to raise animals 

 for the butcher, by obtaining increased size and disposition to 

 fatten and early maturity. With any other object in view, 

 crossing is injudicious and to be avoided, especially when all the 

 advantages to be derived from it can be obtained by proper 

 selection of individual animals and keeping the breed pure. 



I took the ground, at the beginning of my remarks, that it 

 was for the public intprest that all our charitable and other 

 establishments, which carry on a farm as a part of the system 

 itself, should have the good of the people at heart in the breed- 

 ing of pure stock. They would not, by taking this course, be 

 undertaking any dovibtful experiment. The proposition which 

 led to my remarks, namely, the crossing of the Ayrshires with a 

 Jersey bull, implies tm experiment, but one which has been tried 

 a thousand times, and settled to the satisfaction of every intelli- 

 gent stock raiser ; but it also implies that the produce from this 

 cross would be raised, involving as great an expense as the 

 raising of pure-bred calves would involve. 



Now when this expense is incurred, and the grades got up to 

 three or four years old, they would be worth little more, and 



