REPORT OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 
57 
Live Stock .—The climate, land surface, distribution of water 
and extensive natural meadows and prairie pastures of Wiscon¬ 
sin all combine to give it a large stock-growing capacity, and 
it is a source of high gratification that the interest of our farm¬ 
ers in this very important branch of husbandry is rapidly in¬ 
creasing. Horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, of superior quality 
and of the best breeds, are being introduced into almost every 
neighborhood, and it will not be many years, at the present 
rate of progress, ere the inferior breeds and animals that con¬ 
stituted the stock of the State ten years ago will all have been 
supplanted. 
The breed of horses has been much improved in spirit, ac¬ 
tion, endurance and appearance by a large infusion of Morgan 
and Black Hawk blood, and the more recent and constantly 
increasing importations of thorough-breds will still further im¬ 
prove it. Mules deserve much more attention than they have 
received. 
Among cattle, the Durhams and Devons have been the chief 
importations—the Devons of late predominating, probably ow¬ 
ing to superior hardiness and adaptation to our cold winters. 
For the reason that wheat-growing has so much engrossed 
the farmers of this State, comparatively little has been done in 
the raising of pork. Within a year or two, however, the low 
price of wheat has induced a partial correction of the unwise 
system of staking all in a single crop, and the interest in swine 
is manifestly increasing. The most popular are the Suffolk, 
Leicester, Sussex, Berkshire, crosses of these and grades with 
the common stock—the Suffolk and its crosses being rather in 
the ascendency. 
Sheep-raising has by no means yet reached its true position 
in the agricultural policy of the State. With our dry, health¬ 
ful winter climate, and rolling lands for grazing, wool-grow¬ 
ing ought to take rank among the primary interests. Yet, 
as seen by the table on page 56, the highest amount of wool 
hitherto produced is less than a million pounds, — but little 
over three times as much as Avas grown 11 years ago. Depre¬ 
dations by dogs and the absence of factories for the supply of 
