ESSAYS. 

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CATTLE-BREEDING IN NORFOLK COUNTY. 



BY SAXFORD HOWARD, ESQ. 



In accordance with the request of the officers of the Norfolk 

 Agricultural Society, I herewith submit a few suggestions in 

 regard to cattle-breeding in this county. 



The question may be raised in the outset, whether it is expedi- 

 ent to breed any description of cattle here. It may be urged 

 that the comparatively high price of our lands and their general 

 inferiority for grazing purposes, render the breeding and rearing 

 of stock unprofitable. Admitting the soundness of these objec- 

 tions, in the main, there may still be an advantage in rearing a 

 particular kind of stock, or at least it may be shown that one kind 

 may be reared to better advantage than another. 



Our proximity to a large city, and the existence here of a large 

 manufacturing population, cause a large demand for the products 

 of the dairy, particularly for milk, which cannot be brought from 

 so remote localities as beef. We may reasonably expect this 

 demand to continue, and that prices will be so far remunerative 

 that the article will be largely produced in this county. Coavs, 

 therefore, must be the principal stock of our farmers, and the 

 means of obtaining those which Avill afford the greatest profit for 

 their cost and food consumed, is the question for consideration. 



Every one knows the difficulty of obtaining good milch cows in 

 the ordinary cattle-markets. They are indeed so rare that the 

 greater portion are retained by the breeders themselves, and the 

 fact of a cow in the prime of life being sent to market, is generally 

 regarded as prima facie evidence that " there is something 

 wrong about her," either in natural propensities or acquired 

 habits. If untried heifers are bought from droves that are gath- 

 ered promiscuously, the chance of their making good cows is 

 small, though something may be gained in the preliminary train- 

 ing they may receive. It should be remembered that the general 

 purchaser cannot resort to herds of reputation as dairy stock, 



