52 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



experiment. I do not suppose Mr. Thompson considered the 

 experiment as conclusive. He simply brought it up as the 

 result so far as he had gone. Everybody knows it would be- 

 very unjust to judge a breed by one, two or three animals. Mr. 

 Stedman would not agree to have an experiment depend on 

 such a comparison. But we know, from what we have ascer- 

 tained, generally, of a breed, what are its characteristics. They 

 are probably as well known now as they will be fifty years hence. 

 The results are perfectly well known, not only in this country, 

 ])ut abroad, where experiments have been tried in an infinite 

 variety of ways. "We may take it for granted, that the Ayrshire 

 cow, as a breed, produces more milk than the Jersey cow. I do 

 not say there are not individual Jersey cows that will give more 

 milk than individual Ayrshires. But as breeds we know per- 

 fectly well what both breeds are. The drift of my remarks, in 

 the paper just read, was to show that the Ayrshires were the 

 breed to produce milk, to supply our public institutions, to be 

 consumed as milk, nor did I intend to decry the merits of other 

 breeds, which are all excellent in their place. ^^, 



The first Resolution was then adopted. . 



The second Resolution was read and considered. 



Mr. SteDxMan. — I wish to explain that I do not see how the 

 agriculture of the State is to be benefited by that which is no 

 experiment. 



Mr. Flint. — In the first place, every institution would have to 

 keep one or more bulls. These bulls would be free for the use 

 of the farmers in the vicinity, on condition that they would sign 

 an agreement to raise all the heifer calves, and kill or castrate 

 all the male calves. In the course of nine or ten years, if the 

 plan were adhered to, the whole of the stock in the neighbor- 

 hood would be improved, and you would get a class of stock 

 which, for practical purposes, would be as good as purc-breds. 

 That would be an important advantage to the agriculture of 

 that particular neighborhood in a circle of five, ten or twenty 

 miles around. 



Suppose these institutions had begun, ten years ago, when the 

 system of our State almshouses commenced, with one or two 

 Ayrshire bulls and pure Ayrshire cows, and that they had bred 

 these animals judiciously and properly; by this time they would 

 have had large herds of pure Ayrshire cows. These cows 



