THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FAUM. 145 



tribes is now so great that anyone possessing judgment 

 and sufficient funds, may soon stock his boxes and fields 

 with a collection of animals which shall be a source 

 of unceasing pleasure to him, as of undoubted profit. 



Foremost amidst delights is the gratification arising 

 from chemical studies and experiment. The breeding 

 of shorthorns affords this delight ; for, allowed that you 

 begin, as you should, with cows of a similar type and 

 exalted — I had nearly written " fashionable," but that 

 fashion must alter with success — pedigree, there is sub- 

 sequently no little to be done by judicious crosses and 

 selection in keeping up of the fovTYi you approve ; for 

 in that respect every different breeder has his special 

 tastes. 



Just for amusement, I ran over, last week, to see the 

 conglomerate herd belonging to the late Mr. Packe sold. 

 Ai'riving at Loughborough by the first morning train, 

 it was very hard not to take a peep at the Quorn, 

 whose meet was within a mile of the town, as I was 

 informed by my host. However, duty carried the day ; 

 and so, after having satisfied the claim of the Minister 

 of the Interior, I trudged three miles to the farm, 

 wishing heartily that I had brought my waterproof, 

 heavy-metaled farm-boots, instead of a gim-crack, 

 elastic-sided pair, that looked like yawning under the 

 influence of the slush of a damp morning. However, 

 arrived upon the scene of action, and before anybody, 

 save some half-dozen neighbouring farmers, I had 

 ample time to cast my eye around. The cows 

 looked exceedingly well, in good beefy condition, as 

 though they had had their calf-meat kept upon them 

 rather than that they had been barley-mealed for 

 the sale. They were a lot of very fine cows, and, 



