240 CATTLE-BREEDING. 



perhaps, on the logic of facts than of thought, 

 but sufficiently accurate and exhaustive for our 

 purpose. I confess to just a little dread of the 

 pure theorist. The man who in his cozy study 

 evolves a fine theory of farming and carries it 

 out without regard to anything else except his 

 faith in his own theory, and utterly uncon- 

 scious of every other thing, rarely proves a suc- 

 cessful agriculturist; were it not from a desire 

 not to be uncharitable I would say never 

 proves other than a failure. The late Henry 

 Ward Beecher's humorous account of his ex- 

 periences as an amateur farmer, in which he 

 depicted his immense anticipations, his beauti- 

 ful theories, his small returns and large deficit, 

 is well known to most American farmers. We 

 cannot too carefully avoid such a condition of 

 things. It is a common accusation that is 

 leveled at writers on agricultural topics that if 

 you want to see a badly-managed farm visit 

 that of some voluminous writer on the care of 

 farms. Perhaps they may feel satisfied when 

 they have retorted in the words of the old 

 Baptist minister who was a pioneer preacher 

 in the Western wilds and found it hard, in his 

 own personal conduct, to reconcile precept and 

 practice, and who constantly warned his flock: 

 "Don't do as I do; do as I tell you to do." It is 

 sometimes well to serve as a warning; but I 

 am afraid that most writers of this class are 



