BREEDING. 



co.ifiat.;iLlv at variniice ; In'.t it would fcem that there can animals pay the hell for the fooJ they cni,r,inie, nor Joes if. 



only be one jjcrfecl form, which inuft be that wiiich appro 

 piiiqualcs the moll to cxafincfs in the fliape aiul proportion 

 ot tliC difTtrcnt paits. This (lioiild, therefore, be tlie prin- 

 cipal aim of the impi-ovcr, whatever the nature or breed of 

 the animal may be. 



Tlie writer, mentioned above, conceives, that " in this 

 view a perfediy formed animal Hionld have nn exad pro- 



I' " " "" 



appear capable of bcinjj eallly afcertained, as it nnuft obviouily 

 be influenced by a variety of caiifes. It is a property 

 that may, l)owever, be dclirable v\'liere the chief objidl of 

 the gra/ier is that of feeding to a great weight, elpccially 

 where the fnpply of food ii ncli and abundant, but ni othei 

 circumtlances, it is perhaps not fo necefTary to be- attended 

 to. It is the difference in the quantity of meat afforded b) 



)ortion and confillcncy in all tlie different parts; the head large and fmall animals, in proportion to the extent and va- 



iieat and compactly formed, being neither too large nor of lue of the food which they differently confume, that is to be 



too great lei:<Tlh ; the eves blight and promincnc ; the neck confidered. 'llic cxpen-nce of graziers would appear to 



not of too gtl-it length,' but fomcwhat thin, gradually nar- rather favour fmalhiefs of fize, from the animals fattening 



rowiiif fiom the breall towards the head, to which it flionld with more expedition, and paying them better. And the 



ng an angl 



the dilUnce between the feet in the dfferent extremities 

 rijtial ; the feet round and even ; the liO)fs ftraight ; the 

 back and loins ilraight and broad ; the belly firm and capa- 

 cious; theqiiaiters deep, full, and well flclhed downwards." 

 This would feem to conllitnte that " utility of form," which 

 is the chief aim of the mod enlightened modern breeders : 



Lincolnihire and Holdernef;, that, triough large, tlieir (jzc 

 lies in their bones, they may be lattened with lofs, but can 

 never pay fo much for a given proportion of grafs as the 

 fmall-boiicd long-horned foil. 



Mr. Knight, an intelligent obferver, however, contends 

 tliat large animals are the moil profitable, em the ground 



and it has been I'uggelled as probable, tint fuch a form may that they do not confume food in proportion to their weight. 



be the moll adapted to the ])rineipal objedl of the grazier, 

 thalof taking on and fnftainingflelli in the proccfs ol fatten- 

 ing ; as where animals greatly exceed or fall fhort of fuch 

 jull proportions of parts, there mull be difadvantage either 

 in their being weak and lefs difpofed to fatten, of courfe 

 requiriii''' a larger proportion of food, and more time in 

 fmilhing the bullnefs ; or in their being deficient in the gene- 

 ral weight and value of the meat, from their not being fufH- 

 ciently tialtened on the bed; parts. Mr. Young has indeed 



as on putting the queltion to ditTerenl breeders, in difl'ereiit 

 parts, he found they were uiiilormly of opinion, " that the 

 fame quantity of food was given to the iinallefl and the 

 largeft bealls of the fame age; that the largelt, even when 

 not mailer of the food, often kept itlclf in the beil condition ; 

 and that every thing depended on the difpofition to fatten, 

 and very little on the fize of the animal." His own ex- 

 perience is like-Aife in fiipport of the fame pofition. It is 

 notu-ithftanding allowed that a limited number of large cattle 

 obferved, in his Eafteru Tour, that it has been "the conftant will generally confume more than an equal n\imbcr of fmali. 

 practice of Mr. Bakewell to procure fuch animals, whether This has been clearly flievvn by the practice of graziers in 

 of the cattle or (lieep kind, as were capable of weighing the moft places, as they have found, that with fmall animals they 

 " mod in the moll valuable joints," as " there is a great dif- can often ftock nearly in the proportion of two to one. But 

 fcrence between an ox of fifty (lone carrying thirty in roall- in the confumption of food a great deal muft alio depend on 

 ing pieces, and twenty in coarfe boiling ones, and another the ftate of the ftomach and digeftive organs of the animals. 

 carrying thirty in the latter, and twenty in the former." There is another circumftance that is necclfary to be regard- 

 The utility of attending to this circumP.unce cannot be dif- ed as being in fome meafure conneded with fize, which is 

 p'.ited ; and it m.ay likewife, in particular cafes, be of much that of the quality of the fledi. This is, in general, allowed 

 benefit to confider the nature of the confumption, in rela- to be the fineft and mod delicate, in the fmaller forts : 

 tion to the form of the animal, as where fome parts are more which would feem to be really the cafe from the grain or 

 ifi demand than others in the market, and of courfe fell at mufcular fibre being fmaller, and of courfe finer. The talle 

 higher prices, that flionld be taken into the account of the of the epicure alio affords a further proof of the fame thing, 

 breeder, and that fiiape which is moll favourable in this view in conilantly preferring the meat of fmall-fized animals of 

 more particularly attended to. different kinds. On this account it has been com.monly 



It is fuppofed probable, that improvement in thefc as Well fuppofed that the meat of fmall-fized animals, is worth more, 

 as many other points of importance depends upon a jull pro- for a given quantity, than that of large ones. Mr. Knight, 

 portion and fynimttry of parts in the animals made ule of for however, contends, " that if the animal be taken as it Hands 

 the purpofe. And it is conceived not improbable but that in the pailure or Hall, the contrary is the truth ; but when the 

 the " excellence of the niofl valuable poir.ts in all the dif- butcher merely buys what are termed the valuable parts, and 

 ferent forts of live Hock mav, in fome meafure, bear a propor- receives the oftal into the bargain, he will unqueilionably, 

 tion to the goodnefs of the form in the animal." for obvious reafons, give more for two cows of twelve flonc 



The tine fulnefs of fhape ufually diflinguifhed by the each a quarter, than for one of twenty-four. The otFal i;; 

 breeder under the term " beauty of form," has been con- of much greater value, befides a confiderable advantage in the 

 lldered as very different from that of " utility of form," and hides. The diflerence between the weight of the animals, 

 to confift in a greater roundr.efs of the parts, with a Ids bony when living, and of the four quarters, when dead, is always 

 protuberant appearance. in an inverfe proportion to their fizes, when their forms and 



Though it cannot but be a matter of much advantage to merits are equal ; but the bones will then be in proportion 

 bring the Ihape of domeflic animals to as high a Hate of to the living weight, and therefore, it is concluded, fmall 

 perfeAion as pcHible, yet utility, or what may be termed animals mult be, in this cafe, moil difadvantaqfeous to the con- 

 profit, ought to be more particularly regarded as being the fumer." However, as the flefli of large animals, from the 

 main object of the breeding farmer. greater fize of their rnufcles, would appear to be more coarfe 



In regard to the fecond property, that of^xf, the queHion in the grain; it is probable, that upon the whole, it muft 

 dpes not feem to be yet decided, whether large or fmall fell at a lower price in the market. It has likewife been 



I'lippofed 



