46 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



In tlie first place, the sliape of the animal, and in the next 

 place the object for which you breed ; next, the .way in which 

 the young animal should be reared ; next, the way in which the 

 old animal should be fed; and next, the way in which you 

 shall arrive at the conclusion at which you wish to arrive. It 

 would be absurd to rear and feed a young Ayrshire according 

 to the method adopted by the breeder of Shorthorns. In that way 

 you would make the Ayrshire as far from a good dairy animal — 

 excuse me, Mr. Stedman — as a Shorthorn. You can make the 

 Ayrshire a larger animal, and a full, round-legged animal, as 

 well as a Shorthorn. You can make an animal take on bone or 

 fat, as well, if an Ayrshire, as a Shorthorn, if you appeal to the 

 bone-growing and fat-producing qualities. The art of feeding 

 Ayrshires is to devote your efforts to feeding for the production 

 of milk. The functions of the animals are different, and, there- 

 fore, the feeding, should be different. The Ayrshire should be 

 fed upon that kind of food which will develop milk, and my 

 word for it, you will have a ^ood cow, if you feed right and 

 breed right. 



The breeding and feeding of Shorthorns, and all other breeds 

 of animals, is a very delicate matter. This cannot be done by 

 mixing animals of various breeds together, or by congregating 

 them under one roof. A collection of Shorthorns and Devons 

 and Ayrshires and Jerseys on the same farm, cannot be bred 

 with advantage to either. Mark the difference between them. 

 In the one case you breed an animal with small cylindrical car- 

 case and preponderating quarters and shoulders, and you get an 

 animal for beef. In the other case, you breed an animal with 

 large, capacious carcase, and small quarters and shoulders, and 

 you have one fitted for the dairy. It is difficult to carry on 

 these two methods of breeding on the same spot and under one 

 eye. It is, moreover, impossible to keep the various breeds 

 togetlier, without their exerting an influence on each other. 

 The peeled rods of Jacob have not yet lost their effect. When 

 I advanced this thought last year, you all remember how admir- 

 ably Professor Agassiz sustained it by his own observations made 

 in Switzerland. I would avoid such consequences as the com- 

 panionship of the various breeds with each other would 

 produce. The breeds must be kept apart ; they must have no 

 physical nor spiritual influence upon each other. Why, your 



