66 



For no other reason than that the stc?ck of the Connty 

 jiiight be improved by them. A bull however handsome 

 has no value in himself. It is only his superior get whicb 

 makes him valuable. Now of all the prize bulls for the 

 last thirty years, what one of tHem has been the father of 

 prize bulls ? We must look at things as they are, not as we 

 til ink they ought to be, and who ever recollects a bull enter- 

 ed for a premium claiming to be the offspring of a prize bull. 



Now if the instance cannot be found, or is so rare as to be 

 an anoioaly, are we improving our stock ? I heard an 

 iiileliigent gentU*man, a butcher, now 65 years old, residing 

 v\ithin the County, who has always had an eye for a 

 iK>od cow, not long since, says that the cows in our , 

 county are no better now than they were forty years ago. 

 If this is not true in its fullest extent, itcomes very near 

 il. And why is it ? Because, nobody among us breeds 

 cattle Avith any system, with any definite object in view, with 

 even the exercise of common judgment. And we might 

 perhaps justly substitute State for Coanty, excepting those 

 gentlemen who breed purely from imported stock — which 

 I'rom their beauty of form — for all of them have an aptitude 

 to fatten — always command high prices. The great object 

 of all English breeders of cattle, has been to attain the 

 greatest Aveight and maturjty in the shortest time and on the 

 least quantity of food. The Aldren eys are not included in 

 this remark, but they have been so little time among us, that 

 it is impossible to speak understandingly in relation to them. 



But I cannot go into the subject of breeding. I wish 

 more particularly to suggest the adoption of some system 

 by which committees and competitors shall be governed. 

 The Societies of other States, copying the example of Eng- 

 land, have established^scales of points, by which all the for- 

 eign breeds of cattle are judged, and no animal not having a 

 certain number of points, can in any event obtain a pre- 

 mium. I hope that the Secretary of the Board of Agricul- 

 ture, among all the other good things which he may recom- 



