DESCRIPTION OF THE STOCK 



RECENTLY IMPORTED BY 



THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



PROMOTING AGRICULTURE. 



By E. Phinnet, Esq., a Trustee of the Society. 



The Trustees, with an honest desire of promoting the inter- 

 ests of agriculture and improvement in the various branches of 

 rural economy, had, for many years, devoted the income of the 

 Society's funds to premiums on the best cultivated farms, on 

 the various kinds of farm produce, farm stock, and to such oth- 

 er objects as they believed best calculated to promote the inter- 

 est of the great body of farmers. Of the effect of their labors, 

 the public can the best judge. 



It seemed to the Trustees, that very little progress bad been 

 made, particularly in the dairy stock of the country. They 

 could point to no particular object, no decided mark of improve- 

 ment or permanent change upon which the future and progress- 

 ive improvement of our dairy stock could, with any certainty, 

 be calculated. 



Thousands of dollars have been offered and awarded in pre- 

 miums for the best milch cows within the Commonwealth, dur- 

 ing the last twenty years, and, as appeared to the Trustees, to 

 very little benefit. Whoever has attended our Cattle Shows, 

 will have occasionally met with a cow remarkable for her milk- 

 ing properties, which the fortunate owner purchased from some 



