avery's own parkier. 167 



CHAPTER XXV. 



ON BREEDING. 

 " Come let us be merry and wise." 



Breeding is a very important branch of industry to 

 the commonwealthj as well as a profitable business to 

 the farmer; although it seems to have been much ne- 

 glected in some districts, and especially where the cow 

 or dairy has taken the ascendency over almost every- 

 thing else. But even our dairy-men now, and the farm- 

 ers generally, begin to realize that the horse has been 

 sunk too low in the estimation of society, and the raising 

 of them too much neglected for their owm interest. To 

 say nothing about improving the different breeds, we 

 have some that appear to be coming to a right under- 

 standing of these things, and more especially when they 

 happen to want a pair to do their drudgery, and have to 

 count out from three to five hundred rocks for them, and 

 get nothing but drones at that. Others hold on to their 

 old teams until they are worn out all but the stubshot, 

 to give them time to raise young ones to take their 

 places, and not unfrequently spoil them with hard work 

 before they are old enough to be harnessed at all. Now, 

 if they would turn their attention to raising and im- 

 proving the present stock a little more, they would soon 

 find it would favor their best interest to do so; and they 

 w^ould soon have the country filled with a breed of horses 

 that we could justly feel proud of It is our duty to do 

 all we can towards giving the youth of our country a 



