278 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Abington, a bull and two cows. This variety is small, very 

 hardy, and good milkers, and is deemed desirable for the thin 

 lands and woods, farms and pastures of the poorer portions oi 

 the county. 



Some animals of the Tuscany breed were imported to Scituate 

 a few years ago, but we do not learn that their number has 

 increased. All the thoroughbred stock owned by Mr. Webster, 

 at Marshfield, — Jerseys, Ayrshires and Hungarians, — have been 

 scattered, and it is remarkable that little or no stock of the 

 thoroughbred is found in the towns of Marshfield, Scituate or 

 Duxbury, which are in the immediate vicinity of the Webster 

 farm. The stock in these towns is, however, largely sprinkled 

 with the blood of all these varieties. The grades, now so 

 numerous in the county, will not long be kept up, if the too 

 prevalent habit of farmers of replenishing their herds from the 

 cattle markets, continues in the future as in the past. Hon. 

 James Howard, of West Bridgewater, has some very fine speci- 

 mens of Jersey and Ayrshire grades of dairy stock, which we 

 trust, he will take pains to keep up to his standard. 



Mr. James Copeland, of West Bridgewater, has so long bred- 

 in from selected calves of his own raising, that he thinks, like 

 farmer Sheldon, of Wilmington, that he has a breed of his own 

 on which he can rely. 



There is a prevalent opinion that grades of either of the well 

 known varieties of neat stock, are better for our kind of farms and 

 our climate than full-bloods. But we are confident that a con- 

 tinued experience in breeding will dissipate this idea. But what 

 should we do for the pure-bloods if all farmers took this position ? 

 Mr. Thompson, of Halifax, a- trustee of the agricultural society, 

 states that, with his limited experience of the Jerseys, he' finds 

 no truth in the rumor that they are more delicate and require 

 extra care, or better keeping than our native stock. He is a 

 practical farmer of many years' experience with native stock, 

 and is now keeping both, side by side. " If there is any differ- 

 ence," he adds, " the Jerseys are in the best condition." Mr. 

 Thompson thinks that ruta-bagas are the only root-crop, the 

 cultivation of which will pay with him, and that by feeding 

 regularly even an amount not exceeding one-half peck per day 

 to each animal, from Dec. 1st to the middle of May, his stock 

 did better, gave more milk during the season, and would feed 



