22 THOROUGH BRED STOCK. 



than in our suburban villages and manufacturing towns, where 

 the man of culture, the toiling citizen, the daily harnessed la- 

 borer, can exchange the "carking cares" of hourly existence in 

 the counting room, the shop, and the factory, for the pure air, 

 the repose and pleasurable employments of the country. 



It was the remark of one, (General Washington), who sel- 

 dom said an unconsidered thing, that in the multiplication of an- 

 imals the greatest blessing w^as being conferred upon the coun- 

 try, so far as its material prosperity was affected. Many of our 

 amateur farmers are coinciding in this view, and, of late years, 

 great attention has been paid to the breeding of pure stock, and 

 the most noted breeds — those which find higher favor among us 

 — the Short-horns, the Ayrshires, and the Jerseys have attained 

 great prominence in New England. It is claimed by the adhe- 

 rents of each class that it, alone, is more especially adapted to 

 our wants; but, as Uncle Toby said to the fly, "the w^orld is 

 large enough for all," and their merits are so sul generis, that 

 neither breed should conflict with the other. The Ayrshires are 

 especially valuable where milk alone is desired, and the pastures 

 are rough and short ; the Jerseys, where butter is the main con- 

 sideration, and on the gentleman's lawn ; the Short-horns, as a 

 general farming stock, and in localities where, in addition to a 

 fair allowance of milk and quality of butter, carcass is needed 

 for w^orking cattle and for beef. We need not fear being over- 

 stocked with too many good animals of either kind, and the in- 

 dustry of careful breeders will be severely taxed to meet the 

 wants of the more intelligent farmers, and fill up the voids aris- 

 ing from the neglect of the less intelligent, who purchase fine 

 stock and fail to take proper care of it. 



The Short-horn cattle, as is now well kno^vn, came from the 

 original stock, brought into England by the Danes prior to the 

 Norman conquest, and were improvements made by careful 

 breeding, commencing about the year 1780. Importations came 

 to this country as early as 1815, and into Massachusetts in 1818, 

 and the fine milking stock, now so prominent throughout New 



