for the food they ate. An opinion that appears to have derived considerable countenance, of late years, from the frequent instances of premiums and bounties given by the amateurs in London for samples of large animals, produced at the Smithfield meeting. Strong suspicions of the sound- ness of this doctrine having taken place in the minds of some practical men concerned in fatting stock, very useful expe- riments have been accordingly made. In many instances it had been obvious that too many of the favourers of large animals, though professing to calculate on the profit of the food consumed, had not in reality so done; but were de- ceived by attending to the most striking feature of the business, the nominal profit per head, instead of closely cal- culating the aggregate advantage per acre, which is certainly the true criterion, This latter mode of calculation, requir- ing accurate comparison of one race against another, seems to have involved too much care and extent of comparative

account to have been pursued in general practice, and to

general conviction. Some gentlemen may be of opinion, (which indeed seems to have been the fact) that difference

of profit in favour of large animals, especially horned cattle, will be occastoned by local circumstances, as of very rich and luxuriant lands, or lands abounding with very strong grass. But admitting, for argument’s sake, though not granting, that this may be‘the case in some few districts, it is obvious that the doctrine could not apply generally, because such lands are not generally found, but the contrary. The fact of such advantage being obtained may however be doubted on any land. And unless it could be proved that strong luxuriant food cannet be so closely eaten down and consumed by a larger number of small or middle-sized ani- mals, as by a smaller number of large ones, the preference of the latter to the former would remain doubtful in theory;

while practice, carefully conducted, might prove the reverse.