274 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



They looked as though we had been in the habit of breeding for 

 oxen merely. 



He therefore recommended a free admixture of the Jersey, or 

 Ayrshire blood. Some of our farmers judge of a Jersey cow or. 

 bull by the points which would seem to them harsh or repulsive 

 in an animal selected for beef alone ; forgetting what experience 

 or familiarity would alone teach them, that all breeds cannot 

 well bo judged from precisely the same point of view. Such a 

 judgment, concerning milk-producing animals, is as unwise as 

 to judge between a duck and a hen by relative size or plump- 

 ness, because both lay eggs. One of the trustees of our society 

 writes, that he considers " the inclination of farmers to call 

 animals thoroughbred, which have a light grade of pure blood, 

 is, to say the least, unfortunate. It shows, however, that not- 

 withstanding their pretensions to believe new breeds innovations, 

 they really appreciate improved stock, and I am sometimes 

 amused at the nice distinction drawn by attempting to trace 

 blood as proof of good qualities." 



We have made some efforts to present a catalogue of the 

 owners of pure-blooded neat stock in the county, with the breed, 

 and, as far as possible, the age and sex of the animals owned by 

 them. This list is necessarily imperfect, and we should be 

 under obligations to such as know of stock which is omitted in 

 the following list, if they would forward such additions to the 

 writer. Besides the list of thoroughbred animals, many citizens 

 would be surprised to learn how extensively the grades have 

 increased in some parts of the county. A gentleman from Lake- 

 ville says : " I notice but few herds in all these parts that do not 

 contain decided Jersey characteristics." Mr. "Walter Spooner, 

 of Long Plain, has a fine herd of Jerseys, but resides just over 

 the line, in Bristol County. From his herd, more than any 

 other, has Jersey stock been diffused in that section of the county. 



LIST OF THOROUGHBRED STOCK. 



Ayrshires. 



Bridgewater, Nahum Stetson, coW, ...... 1 



" Levi L. Goodspeed, bull, . . . . • , 1 



" " " " cows, 2 



Halifax, Ephraim B. Thompson, cow, 4 years, .... 1 



