MR. proctor's address. 19 



"of Great Britain and the Netherlands are in general far 

 "superior to our own ; I have never seen an imported 

 "cow of equal merit with some of our own that have been 

 "here offered. So fully am I convinced of this truth, as 

 "well as that our country possesses a very considerable 

 "number of these fine cows, that I am persuaded if Great 

 "Britain or the Netherlnnds were to send us ten cows, 

 "each of the best quality, New England alone could 

 "furnish twenty which would equal them in the quanti- 

 "ties of milk, butter, and cheese, which they would re- 

 "spectively produce." 



To this he adds, "If every owner of a good and very 

 "superior cow, would consider her in a proper light, not 

 "merely as a valuable animal during her life, but as ca- 

 "pable of improving his whole stock, if he will spare no 

 "moderate expense in procuring calves from her of bulls 

 "of an improved breed, we shall soon see our whole 

 "stock gradually improve." 



It will be remembered by many who hear me, that in 

 1825, a very full discussion of this question was had be- 

 tween Col. Pickering and Col. Powell, of Philadelphia, 

 in the course of which Mr. Powell admits that the short- 

 horns, so called are too large for the ordinary purposes 

 of our farms, and then adds, "by an immutable law of 

 nature, which never ceases to affect the animal not less 

 than the vegetable creation, in a few generations, their 

 size will be accommodated to the food given for their 

 support." Mr. Pickering replies, "we now have a breed 

 exactly accommodated to the food given for its support, 

 and inquires whether it is more eligible to propagate a 

 gigantic breed which "in a few generations" may be 

 sufficiently reduced in size, and thus accommodated to 

 our service and means of keeping them, or with spirit 

 and resolution, to engage at once, in the laudable and 

 profitable enterprise of improving our native cattle by 

 a careful selection of the best males and females, and 

 thus "in a few generations" raise them not to gigantic 

 sizes, but to a high pitch of perfection, for the primary 

 objects of New England farmers, labor, beef, and rich 

 milk for butter and cheese,'' In expressing this opinion 



