54 



HEIFEKS 



has been kept very short/' strikes one with wonder 

 how such animals could be produced, so much out of 

 the way of the most common experience. It certainly 

 seemed as if they had been reared like children by a 

 hard step-mother; especially some of the very largest, 

 and they were not few. Added to all this, but one of 

 the Committee besides the chairman, appeared. With 

 the aid of Mr. Abel Marshall, of Fitchburg, a man who 

 attends to all known duties, we selected and obtained a 

 volunteer. This object being accomplished, we com- 

 menced our arduous task of examining the numerous 

 animals. Our task was rendered more difficult by their 

 being scattered from one end of the pens to the other, 

 often mixed with other cattle of different grade; and the 

 owners of many of them having given in their statement 

 were off to see the show. We proceeded to select such 

 stock as we judged gave promise of future usefulness 

 as breeders of stock and for the dairy, considering 

 these the prime qualities of excellence, and not mere 

 size, that being only an indication as fitness for the 

 butcher at a proper age. The raising of stock at the 

 present day is a paying business, if properly managed ; 

 and I believe that more depends upon the selection of 

 the calf, than the breed, care being taken to raise such 

 ones as will pay for beef, if they fail to be fit for the 

 dairy. It is useless, in my opinion, to be too very par- 

 ticular about names of breeds, or to attempt to follow 

 the fashion of trying to raise blood stock, as that 

 requires too much outlay of money and time for com- 

 mon farmers, but breed from good animals, and raise 

 only the best of any breed, as there are a great many 

 that are not suitable. In raising, during the first ten 



