552 ■ CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



as opposed to the general iiu])rovt'meiit of the whole race. Fortunately, 

 however.theolaimthatthe Jersey was the best butter cow on earth was so 

 soon challenged that it became the eonimon interest of allJersey breed- 

 ers to improve the race as a whole, and no sooner has one "family gone to 

 the front than another has outstripped it, and the different strains of 

 blood have become so mingled by anxiety of breeders to cross lor merit— 

 theonly true theory of breeding— that it is almost impossible to tell which 

 is the most potent blood element in any particular animal, and quite as 

 impossible to say which is the best of a score of Jersey "families" as it 

 is to find a straight pedigree, with no outcrosses in any. At the pres- 

 ent time an Alphea, a Coomassie, a Kex, a Signal, a Jersey Belle of Scit- 

 uate, a Eurotas, or a Stoke Pogis, and a hundred others, means very 

 little and is worth very little in the name, unless the immediate ances- 

 tors have a butter record at the scales. The general demand for a " test" 

 has benefited immeasurably the whole Jersey race and destroyed at once 

 and forever tlie silly "family" folly and the still sillier "color" craze. 

 It is possible that the whole Jersey race is of such uniform excellence 

 that all that is needed at any time or in any place is a little extra feed 

 and a little extra care to create a "family." At all events, henceforth, 

 there is no royalty in Jerseys, and " the best cow wins." Prices are 

 higher in Canada, on the average, than in the United States, and if we 

 needed a market we could find a profitable one here. 



CANADIAN HCJLSTEINS. 



There are some Holsteins in Canada, but not many. Their admirers 

 claim for them size and an immense yield of rich milk, and consider 

 them the best "general purpose cow" in the world. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



Considering that facts honafide from breeders would be of much more 

 value than any amount of theory or guess, 1 sent out printed interrog- 

 atories to many of the leading breeders in Ontario, and although I did 

 not receive as many replies as I could wish, yet such as I have received 

 I have placed as far as possible in tabular form at the close of this re- 

 port. It is almost the universal custom among the Shorthorn breeders 

 to allow the cows to suckle their calves for from four to six months, and 

 I judge the same practice prevails generally among the other beefing 

 breeds. Of ordinary cattle for slaughter this province has a large sur- 

 plus, which seeks a market both in the United States and England. 1 

 have given some figures elsewhere upon this point. Of the pure bloods 

 there is really no surplus, although some bulls of the beefing breeds, 

 and cows to a less extent, are sold in the United States, and on the 

 other hand others are brought in from there. The trade in these ani- 

 mals is unique and has not yet acquired a steady flow in either direc- 

 tion; if the United States had a surplus of almost any breed except 

 Shorthorns, Ayrshires, and Devons, 1 think a market could be found 

 here. Canada seems to be sufficiently supplied with those named. 



In the following tables I have endeavored to present in as compact a 

 form as possible the facts offered by tlie various breeders who have fur- 

 nished me information. These reports from various herds represent 

 averages in these herds. The question concerning soil, grasses, &c., 

 were generally answered. The altitude and mean temperature of the 

 different localities were not generally ItPOwn, The Toronto Qb^Qrvutory 



