A SCIENCE AND AN ART. 15 



But the eighteenth century witnessed a great 

 awakening of interest in all agricultural affairs, 

 and toward the last quarter of the century the 

 neat cattle became a center of this interest. 

 This was particularly so in England. And it is 

 at this time that the general progress comes to 

 have the first hero of its work. Prior to this 

 time the improvers who added here a little and 

 there a IrVfcle to the quality of the stock they 

 bred were never known, or if known were 

 quickly forgotten. Robert Bakewell is the first 

 name on the roll of the great improvers of 

 English cattle. Besides other animals he gave 

 great time and attention to the breeding and 

 improving of the Long-horned breed. From 

 his experiments sprang a long series of efforts 

 for the improvement of English cattle. This 

 movement was nearly synchronous with the 

 general movement which brought all the appli- 

 ances of science and the results of knowledge 

 in every sphere into the work of increasing the 

 productiveness of agricultural labors. Bake- 

 well devoted himself to the study of breeding 

 principles in a systematic and thorough-going 

 way. He had little to build on. Natural 

 science as we know it was almost undeveloped. 

 He was a pioneer, and he did his work thor- 

 oughly and accumulated a mass of material in 

 the results of many experiments which was 

 the great foundation storm of Jater work. 



