REMARKS
LIV]
Edinburgh:
PRINTED FOR ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE& CO, EDINBURGH,° AND JOHN MURRAY, LONDON, By John Johhstone,
STOOL Ol
1806.

i ‘ 3
pi aot Rees aot

The remarks in this pamphlet were thrown together from the following circum- stance.
Hiaving been favoured with a copy of Mr. Cu1ne’s Observations on Domestic Animals from the Eary of GaLLoway, a nobleman always ready to promote wm-
provements in whatever relates to Live
Stock, and reckoning them of great amportance, and, with few exceptions, correct, I recommended them to the at- tention of some friends. I learned, how- ever, that these were not to le procured in this place; and the want of them was the more regreticd, because references had been made to them in support of some observations submitted to the Students of Agriculture in the University. It occurr- ed to some gentlemen that it would accord with the author's view, to print excerpts from them, and Iwas solicited to do so.
When complying with this request, I
SS ae———

il TSE
added some additional remarks and quo-
tations. The paragraphs with inverted commas, are taken from Mr.
Observations,
Arguments in support of some of the subse- quent cursory hints concerning Live Stock, and the diversity of Form and Properties wn different breeds of the same kind of animals, might have been taken from what is observed to happen in the vege-
table kingdom. But some analogous remarks on Plants,
CLINE’s
and on variety o character in the same Species will, per-
haps, form another pamphlet.
A. Edinburgh, 5th May, i;
1806.
—~ a
"

Ind quo- pe
verted Chiye’s REMARKS
C Subse. ON 'e Stoc}:
) DOMESTIC ANIMALS. ber ties nd of=== from Domestic Antats of the same kind have the not all the same character and properties. ous They vary in the general shape of their bo- of dies, and in the conformation of particular
parts; in size; in the quality of their flesh; in their degree of hardiness; in their rate of growth; disposition to fatten,&c. It is a matter, therefore, of vast consequence to the husbandman, to be well acquainted with the particulars that serve to distin- guish them. An accurate knowledge of these would enable him to select those sorts which are best adapted to his own situation or purpose.
In chusing live stock of any kind, great attention is requisite. Different sorts excel
Cy’
ee are bs ee ee

4
{
ditferently: In none of them are concen-_
trated all the most estimable qualities of its
kind. A particular sort may possess pro-— perties in a certain view valuable; yet tigges
may be associated with others that render it, on the whole, un deserving of preference, It may have a good form, and be of an eligible size, and yet may be deficient in hardiness—may be unable to endure great cold, or occasional scarcity of food: ORSHE may mature quickly, with good keep and appropriate treatment, and in such circum- stances be preferable to any other, but may still prove inferior in value to some, which, though they may grow more slowly, are yet more inured to the hardships, the coarse fare and inclemency of poor and exposed situations.
Without attending, then, to the combin- ations of peculiar qualities in the different sorts, as well as to the more general dis- tinctions of form and size Which mark them, it may happen, that, for the sake of one or more good properties, husbandmen may introduce among their own stock some sreater detects than what they meant to

Ns
7 eae: us* She: A
_ remedy, or than what previously subsisted. Indeed intelligent breeders are now aware,
a
Si that the different kinds of our domestic
°t these: b animals have‘ points,’ 7. e. forms and pro- render portions of parts, and likewise certain other TENCE, properties, which are differently estimable; of an so that what would be an imperfection in ent in|_ one sort, may be none in another, living in great_ a different situation, or serving a different or, it use;—or perhaps it might rather prove an p and_ advyantage*. rcum- 4 it may* By the way, on this important subject, it might be here. which, remarked, that in pursuing improvements in this branch of Y,” are rural economy, or in relation to any particular sort, what
the most estimable properties are, can only be determined
> COATSE xposed by patient observation and assiduous research. Though certain breeds have appropriate forms and qualities, which 5 have for some time been so steadily fixed as to be now ombin- oo well known and appreciated; yet, regarding all sorts of ifferent Z aii Sarees ld live Stock whatsoever, much remains still to be investi- “al dis- ape: : gated. We are hardly i imine of the subject. It would | mark require the united exertions of persons living in many differ- alk r é: aye sake of ent countries, to effect improvements, to confer precision, nd 2 4: namen and to advance our knowledge in this part of the profession. s ‘k some In the mean time, every one for himself must endeavour to
eant to acquire all the information competent in his particular si-

6
PR I
Though it is of importance then for hus- bandmen to investigate all the distinguish-
tuation, or necessary for his particular purpose—he should try by actuai measurement to improve his eye, on which at last most persons come to depend, and with sufficient pro- priety, as it becomes wonderfully correct; he should look through every market which he happens to be in; and he should converse, as far as convenient or becoming, with farmers and dealers of every sort, many of whom carry about with them a great and useful fund of practical lore: He might, if he wishes for more general knowledge, per- use Mr, Culley’s book on Live Stock, Mr, Marshall’s Rural Economies of different districts of England, and the Reports to the Board of Agriculture, several of which con- tain peculiarly valuable, because mnute, information upon this subject; and besides these sources of information, he may attend to the Prints which have been published of the first breeds in England, and likewise to the Models now forming by Mr. Garrard and some others.
It may be farther hinted, that the descriptions given in different publications, are to be received with some distrust; for though they may be sufficiently correct,’ in as far as they are taken from individuals high in repute, yet the pre- sent state of this science(for every branch of useful know- ledge may be deemed such, which rests on a distinct set of
principles, and which requires for its advancement thei:

7
ares eee
——————
or hus.
uish-
ing properties of the various kinds of stock which they may have occasion for; yet as much advantage has been derived, in many
> should situations, from attempts made to improve hich at merely the form of the different kinds, or It pro. to acquire the best shaped sorts for the d look purpose of breeding, rearing or fattening, and he it may not be improper, separately, to so- with licit the attention of husbandmen to this carry subject. It is not therefore intended, in \ lore: these cursory remarks, to take particular e, per rshall’s separate investigation, in order to ascertain their actual! and ind the relative influence), does not permit us to conclude, that the oh cay: selection of such standards of comparison has been at all ‘ pon so ample, or so unbiassed, as to afford strong conclusions in ton, he their favour, or to furnish claims for the general and indis- | of the criminate adoption of the forms described, as the chief, not ‘ls now to say the exclusive, models of good shape.!t would be carrying these remarks to the length of undue minuteness, to yiven in descend to criticism on particular descriptions. It 1s suffi- istrust; cient to mention, that those which have been given of the s far as best shaped of several of the most noted breeds, are in many the pre- particulars discordant.‘The constituents of excellence are, 11 know- some of them, hardly ascertained ,; but were they even fully act set of known and admitted, individual animals rarely, if ever, ent their exhibit, and perhaps equally seldom, can ordinary observers
recognise, the whole.

8
notice of all the distinguishing properties, :‘; é yovl in the different kinds of our domestic ani- ad mals; but only to submit some hints, chiefly concerning the shape or conforma-
tion of their body, in terms applicable to| ic Mb live stock in general.| ith Mr. Ciine* observes, that though the el form of domestic animals has been greatly dep B| improved, by selecting with care, for the in purpose of breeding, those possessed of the se\ best shape; yet the theory of improvement ale| has not been so well understood, that rules int: could be laid down for directing the prac- snd ticein every case. He then mentions some api:| particulars respecting the form of animals, a and the improvements of which it is suscep- tlils tible, with the means of affecting these. tlits ; fy S10, 1.—On tue Form. bem| ‘ The external form of domestic animals,’| thls Mr.Cline remarks,‘has been much studied, pes and the proportions are well ascertained.| tems But the external form is an indication only oi wD: **On the Formof Animals, byHenry Cline, Esq. Surgeon. ee London: printed by William Bulmer and Co. Cleveland-(om
Row, St. James’s, 1805,’

Operties stic ani- hints, forma. ble to
h the reatly r the of the ment rules prac- some mals, iscep- eC.
mals,’ udied, ained, n only
Surgeon.
Cleveland:
9
edie
of internal structure. The principles of im- proving it must therefore be founded on a knowledge of the structure and use of in- ternal parts.
‘The lungs are of the first importance. It is on their size and soundness that the strength and health of an animal principally depend. The power of converting food into nourishment, is in proportion to their size. An animal with large lungs, is cap- able of converting a given quantity of food into more nourishment than one with smaller lungs, and, therefore, has a greater aptitude to fatten.
‘The external indications of the size of the lungs, are the form and size of the chest; the form of which should approach to the figure of a cone, having its apex situated between the shoulders and its base towards the loins.—The capacity of the chest de- pends on its form more than on the ex- tent of its circumference; for, where the girth is equal in two animals, one may have much larger lungs than the other. A circle contains more than an ellipsis of equal cir- cumference; and, in proportion, asthe ellip-
B

10
sis deviates from the circle, it contains less.)
A deep chest, therefore, is not capacious, unless it is proportionally broad.
‘ The pelvis is the cavity formed by the junction of the haunch bones, with the bone of the rump._ It is essential that this cavity should be large in the female, that she may be enabled to bring forth her young with less difficulty. When this cavity is small, the life of the mother, and her off- spring, is endangered.—The size of the pelvis is chiefly indicated by the width of the hips, andthe breadthot the twist, which is the space between the thighs.—The breadth of the loins is always in proportion to that of the chest and pelvist.’
{ A form like the one here described, is generally approv- ed of, but not in every case for the same reasons. Mr. Marshall prefers‘ the carcase large, the chest deep, and the bosom broad, with the ribs standing out full from the spine; to give strength of frame and constitution, and to admit of the intestines being lodged within the ribs, thereby giving freedom to activity, and beauty to the general form. The
back, throughout, wide and level, as a receptacle of beef;
the spine being straight from the withers to the tail, to
pleastae arran(aoe and sie joint bas stan@ pe dam,iba othersaes straigg light| offal 5$a the pro the Mug +Ty i seengy a]
a partic§

i
11 —— Itains less. i; apacions\ Our domestic animals are frequently ; observed to differ in the proportional size 1 bY the of the stomach and intestines. The finer pe ith the of horses are known to have a less bulk ksi this; of edi oh or an intestinal canal of a i'- smaller diameter and capacity, than the “i coarser—much in the same way as the )‘ ung coarser breeds of both cattle and sheep vuty 1s have larger stomachs, than the finer of ah off- the same size and weightf. of the eh of please the eye, and perhaps to give a due proportion and Hench arrangement of parts.—The quarters long, lying up high, —The and standing wide at the nache, to give size to the prime ortion joints, and symmetry to the form.—The thighs thin, and ‘ standing narrow at the round bone, to give safety to the dam, and activity to her produce; and perhaps for vatious 7 approv- other reasons.—-The legs(below the knee and hock,) vine straight, and of a middle length: their bone, in general, ahi light and clean from fleshiness, to lessen the quantity of tae offal; but with the joints and sinews of a moderate size, for 8 the purposes of strength and activity.” Rur. Economy of reais the Midland Counties, Vol. I. p. 478.
+ This change in the conformation of the animals, though lg it seems to have been originally produced in the race by a bee supplying them in early life with rich food, and may, in he tail, to
particular instances, prove rather of advantage, yet renders

12
‘The head should be small, by which the birth is facilitated. Its smallness affords other advantages, and generally indicates that the animal is of a good breed.
‘ Horns are useless to domestic animals, and they are often a cause of accidents. It is not difficult to breed animals without
’¢ them.—tThe breeders of horned cattle, and
horned sheep, sustain a loss more extensive than they may conceiye; for, it is not the
it proper to continue more or less the supply; at least not to change too suddenly, in the case of a refined breed, from rich food, which must be, of course, in a small bulk, toa great parcel of inferior forage. In feeding animals, then, one ought to distinguish particularly the breeds, and regulate the treatment accordingly; for though not exactly in the same manner, or though not fed with the same articles, yet in — way pretty similar, the refined breeds of each kind require to be treated on a comparison with the coarser ones. All the finer sorts should have early supplied to them plenty of food; and when advanced in life, plenty of rich food: Where this is not done, they are apt to grow weakly and
deformed; and where done, they will be found to be hardy
par ee lan Se| eee
in enduring exercise or exposure to cold, and in keeping free
of diseases, to nearly as great a degree as the coarser and
apparently more hardy breeds,
Jee
-
tat Oe,
We§ oust cua ss be thie i thi 2 thisn hone ‘ rY uy wh c on Y

by! Which ‘$8 affords Indicates
inimals, its) It without tle, and tensive not the
least not eed, from ulk, toa then, one | regulate ‘ly in the les, yet in id require . Allthe plenty of ich food: eakly and > be hardy eeping free
coarser and
13
eae
horns alone, but also much more bone in the skulls of such animals to support their horns, for which the butcher pays nothing; and, besides this, there is an additional quantity of ligament and muscle in the neck, which is of a small value—The skull ofa
ram with its horns, weighed five times more
than another skull which was hornless. Both these skulls were taken from sheep of the same age, each being four years old. This great difference in weight depended chiefly on the horns; for the lower jaws were nearly equal, one weighing seven ounces, and the other six ounces and three quarters; which proves that the natural size of the head was nearly the same in both, independently of the horns and the thickness of bone which supports them.—In a horned animal, the skull is extremely thick. Ina hornless animal, it is much thinner, especially in that part where the horns usually grow. e ‘To those who have not reflected on the subject, it may appear of little consequence whether sheep and cattle have horns; but, on a yery moderate calculation, it would be

14
found, that the loss in farming stock, and
, ti also in the diminution of animal food, is a very considerable, from the production of)’ ng 5 i| horns and their appendages*, ii an ¢ * Many intelligent husbandmen, in different districts of fac) y the country, do not coincide in opinion with Mr. Cline on- the subject of horns, st:| * The horn,’ says Mr. Marshall,‘is the best criterion rat for distinguishing the different species(if the term be ap. dae plicable) of cattle. It is a permanent specific character, wie The co/ur, though not altogether accidental, is change- forties able; and neither the form nor the Jlesh are permanently veil characteristic of any particular species. Good form and nati good flesh may be found in every species; though they are chy is by no means equally prevalent nor equally excellent in all. ste But a horn six inches long was never yet produced by the the fs Craven breed; nor one a yard long by the Holderness chai breed. And the middle-horned breed of Herefordshire, vito Sussex, and other parts of the island, appears to be as dis- el. tinct a species as either of the former.—These are my only eS 4 reasons for being so minutely descriptive of the horns of cattle. I amnota bigot to horns of any shape or length, i I would as soon judge of a man’s heart by the length of his hc fingers, as of the value of a bullock by the length of his ¥. horns. If his flesh be good and well laid on, and his offal mg be Proportionably small; if he thrive well, fat at an early ve Oly ir a Seer sa

| food, Is
istricts of
; Cline on
Criterion m be ap. haracter, Change. manently orm and they are nt in all, d by the
olderness
ordshire, e as dis-
my only
horns of r length. gth of his sth of his d his offal
tan early
|
‘ The length of the neck should be pro- portioned to the height of the animal, that it may collect its food with ease.
‘The muscles and tendons, which are their appendages, should be large; by which an animal is enabled to travel with greater facility.
age, or work to a late one if required; I would much rather have him entirely without horns.
‘ The horn, however, in varieties, may have its use as a criterion, Thus supposing a male and female of superior form and flesh, and with horns resembling each other(as nearly as the horns of males and females of the same variety naturally do), no matter whether short or long, sharp or clubbed, rising or falling; and supposing a variety to be established from this parentage, it is highly probable that the horns of the parents would continue for a while to be characteristic of the true breed, and might, by inferior judges, be depended upon, in some degree, as a criterion. But it is indisputable that horns remain the same, while the flesh and fatting quality change; and every man of superior judgement will depend more upon the form and handle of the carcase, than upon the length and turn of the horn: For it is a notorious fact, that the individuals of a given variety may have exactly the same horns, without having exactly either the same fashion or the same flesh. Rur. Econ, of
Yorkshire, Vol.[I. p. 188.

16
‘The strength of an animal does not
depend on the size of the bones, but on
that of the muscles. Many animals with large bones are weak, their muscles being small.—-Animals that were imperfectly nourished during growth, have their bones disproportionately large. If such deficiency of nourishment originated from a consti- tutional defect, which is the most frequent cause, they remain weak during life. Large bones, therefore, generally indicate an im- perfection in the organs of nutrition,’ espe- cially when conjoined with a form that indicates the lungs to be unduly small, or confined.
On the whole, a compact, round-made, not flat-ribbed body; a deep chest; a broad loin, full flank, and straight back; a small head with clean chaps, and a fine tapering neck; limbs and bones not coarse and large; and a soft but not thick skin, with hair neither staring nor hard, are among the chief marks of a good kind. The shorter legged animals, too, are generally preferable; those of an opposite description being found to be the least hardy, and the
most difficult to rear or fatten.
‘TG mode G One, 7 same Ee The® from
whic
1h

= =
! does not “8, but On IT. mals with
On ImprRovING THE Foro.
‘ To obtain the most approved form, two
les being modes of breeding have been practised: Pertectly One, by the selection of individuals of the Ur bones same family; called, breeding in-and-in. ficiency The other, by selecting males and females consti- from different varieties of the same species; requent which is called, crossing the breed. Large an im- 1.—Breeding with animals of the same ) espe- family, or‘ in-and-in,’ m that‘When a particular variety approaches all, or perfection in form, breeding in-and-in may be the better practice; especially for those -made, who are not well acquainted with the a broad principles on which improvement by cross- a small ing depends. pering‘Tt has been generally supposed that the se and breed of animals is improved by the largest 1, with males. This opinion has done considerable among mischief, and probably would have done The more, if it had not been counteracted by the enerally desire of selecting animals of the best form cription and proportions, which are rarely to be and the met with in those of the largest size.—Ex-
Cc

18
perience has proved that crossing has only succeeded, in an eminent degree, in those instances in which the females were larger than in the usual proportion of females to males; and that it has generally failed whenthemales were disproportionally large. If a well-formed large ram be put to ewes proportionally smaller, the lambs will not be so well shaped as their parents: but, if a small ram be put to larger ewes, the lambs will be of an improved form,
‘The proper method of improving the form of animals, consists in selecting a well formed female, proportionally larger than the male. The improvement depends on this principle, that the power of the female to supply her offspring with nourishment, is in proportion to her size, and to the power of nourishing herself from the ex- cellence of her constitution.|
‘The size of the foetus is generally in proportion to that of the male parent; and, therefore, when the female parent is dispro- portionately small, the quantity of nourish- ment is deficient, and her offspring has all the disproportions of a starveling. But,
when> const!& nouns a
than Is tionallS wy agred is mos ment¥: ¢ ly anitns fron
untiye
* theirs bound
portio’ preferzy the dias site for nutritic
To g
ial in ge can hat¢ of the
ed, wi

ee)
wer ee
——<—<$——<—
a when the female, from her size and good S¢
constitution, is more than adequate to the nourishment of a foetus of a male smaller than herself, the growth must be propor- tionally greater. The larger female bas also a greater quantity of milk, and her o} spring is more abundantly supplied with nourish-
ment after birth.
cre larger ‘males to ly failed ly] arge, to ewes vill not
aoe‘To produce the most perfect formed ; animal, abundant nourishment is necessary from the earliest period of its existence ing the until its growth is compiete*.
ga well
er than
ends on* The kind of food given to animals, should be suited to
e female their ages.—In the habit of very young animals, there a-
bounds, and seems necessary for their welfare, a great pro-
shment,
rae portion of fluid; and therefore more succulent food may be t] preferable for such: but when more advanced and vigorous, 1€€X- baer;;: the digestive powers being stronger, and time being requi- site for the process of growth, provision less immediately
rally in-s lj
. nutritious, or of a coarser quality, may suffice.
nt; and, To give rich food to young growing stock must be waste- 9 dispro- ful in general, or with the more ordinary breeds, and indeed nourish- can hardly in any instance be of use, excepting in the case ig has all of the more improved and delicate sorts, or when it is wish- yo, But, ed, with its assistance, to render any race finer than it ori-
ae P— a a. ee ee a ane z x 5—=—-= a

20
Regarding some kinds of live stock, cattle for example, a question has been moyed—
ginally was. This last effect of pampering is perfectly well understood by the breeders in certain districts of Great Britain, in the treatment of the best sorts of cattle and
sheep; and it applies, more or less, to all descriptions of
animals,
The effect of pampering, no doubt, is considerably differ.
ent on horses from what it is on these kinds of live stock;
but this circumstance can perhaps be accounted for by the
different ways in which these animals are otherwise treated,
In the latter, cattle and sheep, the full and rich feeding,
with the want of exercise, has a tendency, besides causing
them mature early, to make them accumulate fat in all
parts of their body, and, in certain breeds
more than in others.
, Ia some parts This last circumstance, however, as well as the increase of size in particular parts of their body, is vety much the consequence of selecting and coupling together animals that perhaps at first accidentally acquired 4 particular conformation or size of certain patts,(By acer. dentally, is not meant that the change arose without a cause, but only without any well-marked or assignable cause.) In the case of horses, the exercise which they are eatly sub- jected to, tends to preserve them from so great a change as
happens to the others, The rich feeding, indeed, gives
them an early tendency to plumpness, and perhaps fatness;
>
how duce
& ©
+
hut the? tribute is and to Bs Sui foe VHB ate tl lock ails thera thei if Bothlt life, a and@ quel ed ej mani like 4 has bi iN thy nian, for tic for ti whete
‘in

tock, cattle 1 Moveq—
ertectly well ts of Great . Cattle and
CTiptions of
tably differ.
live stock; d for by the Wise treated, ch feeding, ides causing te fat in all
SOME parts however, ag ‘their body, id coupling y acquired q (By aves. lout a cause, cause.) In re eatly sub- ta change a indeed, gives
erhaps fatnes
My Ee 1
21
a
how far they could be advantageously re- duced to a single breed, 2. e. whether they
but the exercise and the dressing which they receive, con- tribute to preserve their form, to check inordinate obesity, and to improve their activity.
Such beneficial effects of well directed exercise on the finer breeds of horses, have been abundantly certified, and ate really important facts. These sorts, equally with bul- locks, fatten quickly, on having proper food supplied to them, and on being obliged to take rest in the house; for their spirit seldom allows them to enjoy this in the field, Both of them have likewise a tendency to fatten earlier in life, than the coarse breeds, on their petting the requisite and full supply of food suitable for them. Even cattle, and such other animals of the Bos tribe, when well fed, train- ed and subjected to exercise or dressing, much in the same manner that horses are in this country, acquire precisely the like well formed shapes, and equally active habits. This has been ascertained from different accounts to be the ease in many foreign countries, where, as among the Targuzi- nian, Nogayan and Koundour Tartars, bullocks are used for riding 5 ot, as in Cashmere, where they are used both for riding and for drawing coaches; or, as in Hindostan, where they draw the hackrees(a sort of coaches) and
‘maintain their rate against horses at full trot;? or, as
among the Hottentots, where they are trained to gallop,
ai Nt BIR eS a iS aetna
an-——- =?——=—s— SS SaaS en a eee Se eer

~~ ine i ne $ i +i vs
22 should not all possess the same general form and properties, so far, at least, as the latter are connected with the former: And at- tempts have been made to ascertain, or enumerate, what might prove the chief points of excellence in a sort calculated for general adoption. It has been supposed, that the principal purposes for which cat- tle are kept, such as for their carcase, their
and even to run down the elk-antelope, anti/ope orcas. All that is said about the unfitness of bullocks for la- bour, and all the difference between the effect of pam- pering this species and horses, might chiefly be referred to the kind and proportion of training and exercise which either race enjoy, or are made to undergo in early life, By the way, too, there seems to be very little meaning or weight in the argument taken against the use of the bul- locks or other pecora, for drawing in the plough or car- riages, from the circumstance of their having four stomachs, and their being of the ruminating class of quadrupeds; for some of the fleetest and longest running animals in nature, are of the same description, as the stag, cervus elaphus; the roe, cervus capreolus; the rein deer, cervus tarandus; the chamois, antlope rupicapra; the antilope,
capra dorcas; the hare, /epus timidus; and many others,
ferels poctt
9 it el Jates nott
thes resi som is of 18€X the or ft be p mey ed} poc

eee A. ia i" aap i_
ae ee Bp ST
23
milk, or their work, are in some degree compatible; and that a breed, now perhaps existing, may yet be discovered, or that one, by cross-coupling, selection, or other means, may be procured, which shall an- swer not only for these various purposes, but likewise for every diversity of situation; their size, activity and hardiness only vary- ing, so as to suit the circumstances of dif- ferent grounds, whether upland, hilly and poor, or low-lying and fertile.
This general applicability, however, were it even found to take place, in so far as re- Jates to the form of the animal, still would not diminish the necessity of investigating the character of domestic animals in other respects. It has been ascertained from some late observations, and the discovery is of importance, that no particular form is exclusively connected with all or any of the most valuable properties otherwise; or that a beautiful and useful shape may be possessed by animals of any size, hardy in every degree, and capable of being rear- ed in different situations, and either with poor or with rich food.

24
ih inthe|
Though perhaps the qualities of activity and strength may be found in animals pos- sessing different forms, and may be con- joined with a shape otherwise valuable, yet size isa circumstance which attaches to particular breeds in such a way as not to be rapidly alterable, if due regard be had to the healthy state of the stock. Neither are the properties of general hardiness, and a disposition to early maturity, such muta- ble traits of character, as would enable the same breed to suit with different situations and circumstances, or thrive equally well in them. Indeed, in these and other respects, a diversity of breed or character would be- come highly requisite, and even necessary,
Besides, the formation of distinct races, by animals occupying different situations, and being subjected to the influence of different powers, or different modes of treatment, though a process slow and gradual, and perhaps often unobserved, is altogether unavoidable; and it is, in some measure, happily so, that the land may be the better or more easily replenished. The discussion, then, about the practicability and propriety
of ba'3 diverss be re genel\ yery“4 other f abort| be at? duce 0 char’ crn rival depli fect! dist high

OF activie,, unals Pos.
Y be Con- luable, yet 'taches to Wot to ad belag Neithey iness, and uch muta- enable the situations ly wellin respects, would be- necessary, Taces, by ions, and different eatment, ual, and together neasure,
e better cussion, ropriety
25
of having only a single breed, in a greatly diversified country, such as Britain, must be restricted merely to what relates to the general form of the stock. Probably the very attempt to render the whole alike in other particulars, would not only prove as abortive as it seems unnatural, but might be attended with mischief. It might pro- duce a mediocrity, not of size only, but of character otherwise, which the most indis- criminate and unskilful breeding only could rival. It would likely soon furnish that deplorable display of ignorance and imper- fection in husbandry, which the rudest districts exhibit, where science atfords no light, and art no useful result.
2.—* Crossing, or breeding with animals of a different family, or character.
‘It has been already observed, that the power to prepare the greatest quantity of nourishment, from a given quantity of food, depends principally on the magnitude of the lungs, to which the organs of digestion are
subservient.

20
‘To obtain animals with large lungs, crossing is the most expeditious method; because well formed females may be se- lected from a variety of a large size, to be put to a well formed male of a variety that is rather smaller—By such a method of crossing, the lungs and heart become proportionally larger, in consequence of a peculiarity in the circulation of the foetus, which causes a larger proportion of the blood, under such circumstances, to be distributed to the lungs than to the other parts of the body: and, as the shape and size of the chest, depend upon that of the lungs, hence arises the remarkably large chest, which is produced by crossing with females that are larger than the males.
‘ The practice according to this princi- ple of improvement, however, ought to be limited:, for, it may be carried to such an extent, that the bulk of the body might be so disproportioned to the size of the limbs as to prevent the animal from moving with sufficient facility—In animals, where ac-
_ tivity is required, this practice should not

27
err
lar ge ly:: ngs, be extended so far as in those which are
] nay intended for the food of man. Pie. 2‘ By character in animals is meant, those - ah external appearances by which the varie- . noi ties of the same species are distingushed.— icone The characters of both parents are observ- ide igi ed in their offspring; but that of Oe male te fetid more frequently predominates. his may hia: be illustrated in the breeding of horned ani- wobitlie mals; among which, there are many varie- smn ties of sheep, and some of cattle, that are he other hornless. Ifa hornless ram be put to horn- — and ed ewes, almost all the lambs will be horn- Cor the less; partaking of the character of the male ly large more than of the female parent.—In some ng with counties, as Norfolk, Wiltshire, and Dor- es, setshire, most of the sheep have horns. In princi Norfolk the horns may be got rid of, by it to be crossing with Ryeland rams; which would uch an also improve the form of the chest, and the ight be quality of the wool. In Wiltshire and Dor- e limbs setshire, the same improvements might be ig with made by crossing the sheep with South ere ac= Down rams.—An offspring without horns uld not might be obtained from the Devonshire
cattle by crossing with hornless bulls of

28* the Galloway breed; which would also im- prove the form of the chest; in which, the Devonshire cattle are often deficient*.’
* That horns, appendages disliked by many good hus- bandmen, can be readily or generally removed from any particular breed by such a cross, unless long persisted in, may be doubted. Itis alleged not to be more than 70 or 80 years since the Galloways were all horned, and very much the same in external appearance and character with the breed of black cattle which prevailed over the west of Scotland at that period, and which still abound in perfec- tion, the larger sized ones, in Argyleshire, and the smaller, in the Isle of Sky. The Galloway cattle, at the time al- luded to, were coupled with some hornless bulls, of a sort which do not seem now to be accurately known, but which were then brought from Cumberland—the effects of which crossing were thought to be the general loss of horns in the former, and the enlargement of their size; the continuance of a hornless sort being kept up by selecting only such for breeding, or perhaps by ether means, as by the practice of eradicating with the knife the horns in their very young state. Some persons in Argyleshire tried, when large animals were somewhat in vogue, to raise the size of their own stock by means of Galloway bulls; but the descendants of such a cross were very seldom hornless, though they became thereby bigger and heavier in their carcase—a change so far, but in
few instances an improvement, and now rarely attempted,

Bae ne Te Kee xe SS jy sehen Beas 0 SN eS ae ee So meinen a ne
29
Id also;
SO. hich nl Such a cross, besides these or other ad- Dic Sih Oe
wi the vantages accruing from it to the Devon- ent®,’
Both these breeds are excellent, being well-shaped, small-
800d hus.
boned, hardy and readily fattening. ay any From other facts regarding cattle, which it were needless "sisted in, to mention, it is uncertain whether the Devonshire would than 10 or come to lose their horns by a cross with the Galloway—
» and very which are yet but little removed from a horned breed. Some
‘acter with naturalists ascribe a great deal to the effects of domestication he west of and good treatment, as tending to remove the horns both in lin perfec. cattle and sheep, the bunch, mane, and coarse hairiness he smaller, of some animals, and other rude insignia of a wild state.
e time al. It may be so; for the finest forms are in general found in of a sort the most favourable situations, Still, however, other alter- but which ations in the size or conformation of particular parts may of which arise, and prove rather a deformity. Some are of opinion, orns in the as was the late Reverend Dr. Walker, that when placed in ntinuance goed circumstances, in the case of particular species of sheep, y such for as the number of their horns diminish, the size of their tails ractice of increase: And some facts mentioned by the late Dr. Pallas, lung state, about the Russian flocks, are rather in support of the same mals were conclusion.—But on all this subject, the advantages or dis- | stock by advantages of horns, the means of removing them,&c. of such a there is yet much to discover. Even the celebrated Dr. a¢ thereby Samuel Johnson, found horns great stumbling blocks in far, but 10 the way of his natural knowledge, when examining the
attempted, Kyloes, the cousins of the Galloways, in the Isle of Sky,
*

Ss ee
30
shire, might perhaps improve the form of the Galloway cattle, which are lighter in
The Doctor remarks, very circumspectly, concerning the breed in that island:‘ Of their black cattle, some are with- out horns, called by the Scots humble cows, as we call a bee an humble bee, that wants a sting. Whether this difference be specific, or accidental, though we enquired with great diligence, we could not be informed. We are not very sure that the bull is ever without horns, though we have been told that such bulls there are. What is produced by putting a horned and an unhorned male and female to- gether, no man has ever tried, that thought the result worthy of observation.” Jour. to the West.!sl. of Scotl. Perhaps, as some suppose, he might conjecture that the result would be an unicorn. Tho? strangely ignorant about the nature and origin of horns, yet another sgavans might be found to keep him in countenance. The celebrated Count de Buffon per- mitted, it is said, his great work on Natural History to pass through two, if not three editions, before he corrected his mis- take about cattle shedding their horns—one into which an in« telligent writer on husbandry in this country seems also to have fallen.‘ Cattle,’ says the latter,‘shed their horns at the end of three years; and towards the root of the second set of horns, there is a kind of ring or joint, formed every year that the animal lives thereafter: So that, reckoning three years for the top, or plain part of the horn, and one for
every interval between the rings or joints, the most ignorant
——— a tarsi
ms
r
ling
persor of ai Agr anim: \teaty SMa Coy
not

he form of lighter In
Mcerning the
ME are with. a3 We cal]
hether thi,
re enquired
We are
though we produced female to.
sult worthy Perhaps,
Would be
ature and
id to keep uffon per:
ry to pass
1 his mis.
ch an in
s also to
rns at the
cond set ery yeat
ng three
A one for
t ignoratt
CaS ee eel
31
their hind quarters than the Devenshire, though perhaps even these are in that point less perfect than some others.
In the business of breeding, the proper- ties of the parent stock deserve prime at- tention.
Semper erunt, quarum mutari corpora malis. Semper enim refice: ac ne post amissa requiras; Anteveni, et sobolem armento sortire quotannis.
Seu quis Olympiace miratus preamia palme, Pascit equos, seu quis fortes ad aratra juvencos,
Corpora precipué matrum legat: Omnia magna.
Nec non et pecori est idem delectus equino. Tu modo, quos in spem statues submittere gentis, Precipuum jam inde a teneris impende laborem.
&e. VIRGIL.
The kind of animals selected for coup- ling ought never to be of very different
person may, with considerable certainty, ascertain the age of any ox or cow that has horns.” Donaldson’s Modern Agriculture, Vol. III. p. 166,—lot only may the age of the animal be known by the horns, but, in some respects, its past treatment or health may be guessed at. The horns are least smooth, or the grooves between the annulets are deepest, in cows ill fed during winter, and in those herds that have
not a full or equal supply of food at all seasons,
eS Pay re Ree a NT RT——

32
habits and sizes, nor in any other respect unsuitable matches.—Notwithstanding the confessed advantages derived from cross- breeding, yet great or sudden changes are improper; because such have been found injurious to the health and character of the stock. It has been remarked, that when a slender mare of much blood is covered by a coarse, heavy horse, of the black< fen breed,’ the offspring, or colts, generally turn out a spurious race, possessing little of the strength or size of the one, and per- haps still less of the spirit, activity, fine form, and other estimable properties of the other parent. Bulls of the improved Lan- cashire or long-horned breed of cattle, when coupled with Galloway cows, have on trial, it is said, produced no improve- ment on the latter sort of stock. Neither, some time ago, was any advantagé derived from these and some other refined sorts from England, introduced with the best intentions, by different gentlemen, into the county of Fife. The use of rams of the new Leicestershire or Dishly stock, has, with several coarse flocks of sheep, been attend-

her respect ‘nding the M Cross. anges are €n found er of the at When COvered ick‘fen enerally ng little and per- 'V, fine
: of the
~d Lan- Cattle,
, have prove: either, erlved
| sorts
e best
ito the
le new
, with attend:
ed with no sensible advantage; owing to the very same cause—the character and habits of the breeds being widely different, and the style of management in the district being unsuitable, or inferior to what the descendants of the former would require. The intrinsic worth, however, of such a fa- mous sort, in situations and with treatment befitting them, remains unimpeachable. Wherever, then, cross-coupling is at- tempted, care ought always to be taken to do it gradually, and to rear the progeny in a proper manner. When the matching is conducted progressively, and with due at- tention to the diversity of habit in the animals, and other corresponding circum- stances, it succeeds well; and by coupling more or less constantly afterwards with one or other of the sorts, a material alter- ation will speedily be induced.‘The chief art would seem to lie in not making ani- mals of breeds or characters widely difter- ent, intermix at first:‘The improvement should commence by coupling the home- stock with one which is already somewhat
mixed, but yet which is not far remoyed E

34
from it in form, properties, and habit; and in process of time, as the blood of the one family is diminished, that of the other will be increased, till improvement or approxi- mation to either side, to the degree wished- for, be attained.— When this business goes on, the progeny must be reared according as the constitution of one or other of the parents, or rather set of parents, is most striking in its composition. Any mongrel breed, if indifferently managed, especially at first, readily becomes diseased and de- formed.
Sundry examples might be mentioned of the good effects of crossing the breed.
‘The great improvement of the breed of horses in England arose from crossing with those diminutive stallions, Barbs and
Arabians; and the introduction of Flanders
mares into this country, was the source of improyement in the breed of cart horses.— The form of the swine has also been greatly improved, by crossing with the small Chinese boar.’:
Examples also occur of the bad effects of crossing the breed.
y to ¢ Yor! stall
mise of sm worl adop of he | Hol ofh had lake

habit. and Of the as other wiy ‘approxi. Wished. leSs§£0es “cording
C Of the is most Mongrel Specially and de-
tioned ‘eed,
» breed rossing bs and inders
rce of
se8.—
rreatly
small
eflects
hh ie ee a———eE
35
Ga a
‘ When it became the fashion in London to drive large bay horses, the farmers in Yorkshire put their mares to much larger stallions than usual, and thus did infinite mischief to their breed, by producing a race of small chested, long legged, large boned, worthless animals.—A similar project was adopted in Normandy, to enlarge the breed of horses there, by the use of stallions from Holstein; and, in conseqence, the best breed of horses in France would have been spoiled, had not the farmers discovered their mis- take in time, by observing the offspring much inferior in form to that of the native stallions.
‘Some graziers in the Isle of Sheppey, conceived that they could improve their sheep by large Lincolnshire rams, the pro- duce of which, however, was much in- ferior in the shape of the carcase, and the quality of the wool; and their flocks were greatly injured by this attempt to improve them.’
In selecting domestic animals for breed- ing, it isin the first degree requisite to dis- tinguish not only their form, but likewise
SRSA RS Daa eee a a I———— oat

36
those other properties which render them more or less preferable in different cases. The prime constituents of excellence in each kind of stock, should, as far as possi- ble, be ascertained, and then the respective merits or fitness of the different sorts or varieties of them, for different situations and purposes, will be more easily deter- mined.‘These varieties, possessed of pe- culiar characters, are usually distinguished among husbandmen by the term breeds, as itis supposed their respective properties are in a great measure communicable to their descendants.
A question of some importance has been started respecting the nature and origin of what are held to be different breeds:—— Are their distinguishing peculiarities ori- ginal and permanent, or are they accidental and mutable? Or, in other words, are the different breeds of the same species of ani- mals always and invariably distinct; or are they capable of being changed in such a Manner as to possess few of their former qualities, and to constitute, as it were, another variety?
—————
So —

37
‘nd “i“ti Opposite sides of this question have been llence‘ taken: some writers being of opinion, that "2S po. the different breeds of each species of do- espective mestic animals were originally and are still sorts op really distinct sorts, endowed wath the ituations power of transmitting to their posterity all ideas their distinguishing popu with little if j of any alteration, providing they be kept from PSs coupling or mixing with other breeds; and \guished
reeds, as
others ascribing to the influence of local or adventitious circumstances all the strik-
eS ae ing differences now found to subsist among 0 their the same species of animals. This discor- dance in opinion may, in part, be accounted
= been for. Some observers having discovered that nigin of certain properties were less steady when s:—— circumstances were changed, have been SOF disposed to conclude, that all are more or dental less mutable, and more or less rapidly so, re the according to the influence of the changing of ani- powers. Other persons again, collecting or are their observations in a situation where cir- uch a cumstances were less varied, and where of former course alterations on the form and character were, of animals were less frequent and striking,
have been led to draw an opposite conclu-

“Sea
us" oe rem are Se
38 EEE sion, and to hold, that the appropriate qualities were innate and immutable. Both these sentiments, however, are erroneous; though it must be admitted, that in certain points of view, neither of them wants some shew of argument in its favour.
From a consideration of various circum- stances, it is probable, the two following conclusions may be admitted.—In the first place, the nature of their food, climate, and other circumstances, seem capable of alter- ing, in a more or less slow and gradual manner, the character and form of all ani- mals, and in the end, remarkably, the properties of any particular race or family that has been subjected to the continual operation of such changing powers. Theal- teration indeed from the previous state may be apparently little in an individual; but the change in the parents being more or less communicated or superadded to a similar one in the progeny, the difference so pro- duced from the original state of the same race must, in time, become pretty striking and important. But, in the next place, facts and numerous observations tend also

39
Propriate to establish this conclusion, that the differ- “Both ent breeds or varieties of our domestic ani- ‘OnE ous; mals are, in general, so fixed and incapable * Certain of speedy alteration, that they may be 'S some deemed comparatively permanent; and that, when subjected to the influence of arcum- circumstances which have not much power,| lowing the individuals cannot be greatly affected| he first by it, and no material change may ensue te, and even for many generations. In situations Mf alter. nearly similar, though distant, ifany change oradual take place, it will be so insignificant, that lH] ang- breeders may reap the advantages arising ’, the from the possession of the best improved family sorts, without the labour and expence of iunual original refinement, which, to any consi- he al- derable length, it might, in many cases, be > may difficult, if not impossible to accomplish. ut the—These conclusions seem to conduct to r less the safest practice. They will instruct the milar husbandman, that the most pure and perfect pro races may be debased by improper mixture, same and injured by improper treatment—that iking indiscriminate matches in breeding, and place, inattentive management ie rearing, are A ag alike capable of producing a worthless progeny.,

40
‘ Attemps, as well observed by Mr. Cline,‘ to improve the native animals of a country, by any plan of crossing, should be made with the greatest caution; for, by a mistaken practice, extensively pursued, irreparable mischief may be done.
‘ In any country where a particular race of animals has continued for centuries, it may be presumed that their constitution is adapted to the food and climate.—The pliancy of the animal economy is such, as that an animal will gradually accommodate itself to great vicissitudes in climate, and alterations in food; and, by degrees, un- dergo great changes in constitution; but these changes can be effected only by de- grees, and may often require a great num- ber of successive generations for their accomplishment.
‘It may be proper to improve the form of a native race, but at the same time it may be very injudicious to attempt to en- large their size-—The size is commonly adapted to the soil which they inhabit. Where produce is nutritive and abundant, the animals are large, having grown pro-

41
;°Y Mr. ortionally to the quantity of food which a eo for generations, they have been accustom-
. i ed to obtain. Where the produce is scanty, eee Wy. the animals are small, being proportioned Pursued, to the quantity of food which they were able to procure. Of these contrasts, the
Har nae sheep of Lincolnshire, and of Wales, are may i examples. The sheep of Lincolnshire ttution would starve on the mountains of Wales.’ t—The The size of animals, as already hinted, such, as appears in many cases, to bear some rela- nmodate tion to the kind or quality of their food. le, and A pasture which is luxuriant, though és, Un- some what coarse, in low or mild situations, n; but is generally found, in process of time, to by de- raise live stock to a large size; whilea fine, t num- short, dry one, in higher lands, supports their best, and contributes in some measure to form, the smaller sorts. Objections have
2 form been stated to this opinion about the effect ime it of pasture; but it is undeniable, and is to en- admitted by all or most correct observers. monly This fact indeed cannot be denied, that thabit. grounds, the herbage of which is short and ndant, scanty, carry in some countries larger breeds 1 plo: than are found even on rough and long pas-
FE

42
tures in others; but still, every where,’ those yielding the most abundant produce, raise, on a comparison, the largest stock. In poor grounds, or in cold situations, from the scantiness of provision, a small sized animal suits generally best; for such can thrive or be well supported, where a large one could not subsist—-an observation which every one must have made. It is however certain, that ifin the same ground, the herbage be permitted to become longer, before it be much cropped or eaten down, a larger sort might be kept than otherwise; and this might frequently be even for the ad- vantage of the pasture. Accordingly, where cattle graze at large in rough grounds, or upon cultivated herbage, raised on land of an ordinary, and especially of an inferior description, or indeed in any situation where the produce does not do to be closely fed, and where, for the purpose of cheek- ing‘ fog’ or moss, and of promoting its own growth, it must be left somewhat long, there a stout and somewhat large sort, less nice and more promiscuous in their feeding, will answef fully better than
¢

A3
y Where, ; a smaller one equally hardy and of a simi-
Produce, st stock, Jar sangre a ie atherwase: For in proportion ns, from to their size, all animals are disposed to re- ill sized ject the stems and coarser parts of plants, ch eat and to select the leaves, the softer, smaller x and more delicate herbage*. If a breed be a large pte* It is chiefly in such situations, pastures of a middling om description, growing herbage more abundant in quantity stound, than valuable in craps and preferably adapted to rearing longer, and not fatting stock, that the large kinds are found best to down, answer; and in some cases, as on sound, dry-bottomed soils, T Wise; able to bear their tread in all seasons, to return rather more thead. than the smaller. Were lands of that description to be , Where filled with a greater number of a less-sized breed, admitting nds, or it to be of an equally good shape, and as hardy and thriving, land of a good deal of attention would be requisite in stocking them. iferior\ Should the ground be understocked with such, the herbage lation would be liable to be eaten less evenly than with the for- lance mer: And should it be fully stocked, so as to avoid this Pete kind of detriment, and to be more closely depastured, then the herbage itself is apt to suffer and to rise up more slowly ese than otherwise—a portion of the foliage, not over-closely what cropped, left on any plant, promoting much the vigour and large growth of what is only beginning to spring from the same US In roots. Other very serious disadvantages likewise attend r than the close feeding of inferior pastures, Wherever the grasses

44
rather coarse, and the grass fine and luxu- riant, the number of animals may without
and the more valuable species of plants are ina low, enfeebled state, the more hardy and worthless vegetables are apt to prevail. Even‘ fog,’ the Aypza and moss plants rising in such grounds, come, frequently in a very few years, to do much mischief; for though comparatively puny pests, yet as they vegetate in the cold and moist seasons of the year, the spring and autumn, when the better species are but be- ginning to grow or are declining, they greatly check the latter, and in many instances ultimately extirpate them.
If such are apt to be the bad consequences of depasturing inferior but luxuriant grass-lands with small animals of a coarse breed, the evils would be still more strikingly felt with a small and fine sort. Were such grounds to be grazed by a parcel of the latter, when of a full age and intended for fattening, and were they with this view to be lightly stocked, so as to allow the animals a fuller supply or a better choice of food, the general produce on the land would be less equally eaten than with the smaller sorts of the coarser breeds; and the same extent of surface might yield greatly less, than were the use of the pasture more appro- priate, or an inferior stock, and that also somewhat large, to be preferred. Were a refined or early fattening sort, of whatever size, to be put on the ground in such numbers
as to be forced, for their sustenance, to consume fully the

45 ne logue detriment be proportionally increased, so Without as to suit the abundance and quality of the pasture. + enfeebled Though a large size in any breed may are apt tg not suit particular situations, a barren soil, ts rising in or a bleak climate, or may, in other re- ars, to do spects, be disadvantageous, and though Pests, yet smallness of size and hardiness of consti- the year,| tution frequently occur in the same breed, re but be. yet the two last properties have no natural heck the or necessary connection. The Norfolk them. Pasturing produce and leave the surface nearly bare, they might be malsof 2 found not to thrive, and do rarely, in such circumstances, Kingly felt answer the purpose of the grazier. At any rate, they would be grazed be found to return less than a coarser sort, and perhaps d intended even less than a larger animal of that inferior sort. e lightly These cursory hints are subjoined respecting size, taken ly ora in connection with the form and properties of animals, and d would with a reference to different pasture grounds, because the of the farther improvement of the character, and even the preserva- ht yield tion of the fine form of any breed, howsoever acquired, - appro. whether by selection among the same race, or by cross arge, to coupling, or both, depend very much on its being well treat- sort, of ed—as indeed likewise dothe gains resulting to individuals numbers and the community at large, from the keep and spread of fully the superior live stock.

AB
breed of short-wooled sheep, and some of ro the Yorkshire breeds of coarse-wooled ones, nal are both rather larger and much more tos hardy, or can better endure hard fare and asf fatigue than some others, as the improved cror Leicestershire breed; and in relation to wou food, the former will fatten ona pasture<n which would barely support the latter sort.” The Kyloesin the Isle of Sky, or West High- 2| sel land breed of cattle, are no doubt a small| of af and most hardy sort; but the Alderney| effc cattle are the smallest, and, of all others,. The the most delicate breed of this kind of ani- Mose mals found in Great Britain. bly 4
‘ Crossing the breed of animals, may be anda attended with bad effects in various ways;| tell and that even, when adopted in the begin- fore ning, on a good principle: For instance, P| t tit suppose some larger ewes than those of the are native breed, were taken to the mountains of tl of Wales, and put to the rams of that coun- crea) try; if these foreign ewes were fed in pro-© adoy portion to their size, their lambs would be Indic of an improved form, and larger in size than sively the native animals; but the males, produ- the ced by this cross, though of a good form, may

4 some of‘would be disproportionate in size to the dled, a 3 Ones, native ewes; and, therefore, if. permitted ch More to mix with them, would be productive of fare and a starveling, ill formed progeny. Thus a "proved cross which, at first, was an improvement, 1ton to would, by giving occasion to a contrary Pasture cross, ultimately prejudice the breed. ‘er sort,”‘The general mistake in crossing has a- t High- risen from an attempt to increase the size a small of anative race of animals; being a fruitless Mdemey effort to counteract the laws of nature.-— Others, The Arabian horses are, in general, the of ani-: most perfect in the world; which proba- bly has arisen from great care in selection, nay be and also from being unmixed with any va- ways; riety of the same species; the males there- begin- fore have never been disproportioned in size ance, to the females.—The native horses of India f the are small, but well proportioned, and good tains of their kind. With the intention of in- oun- creasing their size, the India Company have pro- adopted a plan of sending large stallions to ld be India. If these stallions should be exten- than sively used, a disproportioned race must be ada the result, and a valuable breed of horses
ven may be irretrievably spoiled.’
—_—_—- eC accel a aae:= a te se ees gate bere

48
From the foregoing observations, it is reasonable to draw this conclusion: that it is wrong toenlarge unduly a native breed of animals.‘The enlargement ought only to be attempted when, froma better stile of agriculture, the food raised for their sup- port is both increased in its quantity and improved in its quality; for, otherwise, in proportion to their increase of size, they are apt to become less hardy, more liable to disease, and worse in form.
The age and condition of the animals employed to procreate, are likewise circum- stances of some consequence. No animal whatever, at least none of our domestic animals, the progeny of which we wish to be perfect, should be allowed to pro- pagate too early in life. This circum- stance has been understood and attended to in most ages and countries where men had opportunity or were disposed for correct observation.‘The females, when rather young, or when unfavourably placed and deficiently fed, should not be allowed to have too. close a succession of pregnancy and bearing.—The time of life to which
they" on rac
exer brea
vig.

¥ foi en arenes if Sepa pais RAR RiGee. SS—s SS eee Gee SE aa a
Sa
49
err re
ons, it is On that they may be allowed to breed, may depend Ive breed on circumstances, as the character of their rht only race and the way in which they are kept ter stile Facoaeeset scanty food, severe work or eir sup. exercise, and bad treatment of any kind, ity and breaking down more early their health and ake vigour. . Hes 7 In the case of most sorts of live stock, ¢ liable and in all ordinary situations, it may prove of consequence to attend to the proper sain period of coupling. The young animals Mfless should be brought forth neither so early in aca the season as to find in their mothers a scan- chic tiness of milk, from the want of grass or tage succulent food, nor yet so Tateras to be themselves,(by reason of their being over- ‘ ue i young,) weakly and unable, or less able, to rr stand the cold and hardships of winter. led to In general, too, when the young stock n had are weaned, particularly horses and cattle, er they ought to be placed in some good pas-| RE ture ground, where they may contimue as| d and long as the weather will permit them to ‘d to do so, not with safety merely, but with| aaney advantage: It is highly improper, what which many negligently do, to let them remain G N)
meee a
oN rr a

y Gi ied ‘@
ft
i
4 4 ay |
eS
i"
f j
va ek)
, q
/ 4
fbr] @
In any poor or exposed situation, till they
begin to pine and receive a check in their growth, from which they difficultly re- cover. As winter approaches, they should be gradually accustomed to any change in their provision; and through that sea- son, while kept in the house, sheds, or farm yard, they might advantageously receive some succulent food, as turnips, potatoes, cabbages, rape, carrots,&c. along with their dry forage. For this applica- tion, most prudent husbandmen now-a- days provide some such articles, if their situation at all permit their doing so.
Even a very small quantity of moist, nutritious fare, regularly supplied to live stock then, is attended with striking advan- tage.‘The young are thereby preserved in good plight, so as to derive immediate bene- fit from the summer pasture. Indeed their
growth is carried forward with the aid of 3
such feed, at nearly the same rate during winter as the other seasons. Where green vegetable provision is not to be obtained, or when it fails in advanced spring, boiled corn, either by itself or mixed with chaff,
a

5* as
ou : i cut hay or straw, is frequently had recourse tly 4 c to, especially in the feeding of the finer oe breeds. Other articles may be used, such Y should as bran, grains from the distillery or brew- change ery, oil cake from lintseed, or that seed itself at sea- whole or ground, and mixed with or dit- eds, oy fused in water,&c. Probably no cheaper SCOusly or better substitute could be found than Urnips, h hay, made of under ripe herbage, as rye- . along grass,&c. given by itself, or in some mix- 'pplica- ture, or in a dry state, but then with a sade full allowance of drink to the animals, or rier after it has been rendered moist. by being
steeped in water, whether hot or cold*.
Moist, 0 live* Asto the best period for cutting or using cultivated her- dvan- bage, in this country generally composed of rye grass or a\‘ ray grass,’ /olium perenne, and red clover, trifolium pratense, with small proportions of other species, as white clover, re trifolium repens,* yellow clover” medicago lupilina, rib grass, their plantago lanceolata,&c. it may be here suggested, that the id of mixed crop should be cut much more early than it com- ring monly is, especially if it abounds with a great proportion of Teen the first mentioned species. It matters nothing, though ined, many stablers and grooms prefer rye grass so far advanced yolled as to have its seed mostly ripe; for as the horses under chaff, their charge usually receive at the same time a good allow-

t
eee
i
=:—
aaa
aba
LT ge ps paesenmamrratth wos—
52 In rearing live stock of all descriptions, with whatever view, it is a matter of great
of corn, the hay does often perhaps little more than divide the other food, bear bulk and comfortably fill the stomach. Such hard fodder is reckoned amore lasting bait: and certain- ly it is, if one shall judge by the time required to eat it, and perhaps to digest it, and not by the time it supports the ani- mal, or the degree of nutriment it contains. Grooms having the refuse seed as a perquisite, are sometimes led to prefer the ripened produce from motives which overmatch their virtue: a ton of ripe rye grass hay has frequently yielded a quantity of seed worth 30 per cent. of its own price. For the husbandman, however, it is of great consequence to be a- ware, that the undet ripe grass is, for his purpose, by far the most valuable, a fact not so generally understood or. minded as it ought to be. Old stale rye grass made into hay, is not greatly superior to the straw of corn; while the young herbage, so prepared, is very fattening—a thing quite ana- logous to what takes place with several other sorts of
vegetable produce,
It need hardly be mentioned here, as it must be known
to most persons, that in the younger succulent state of the
stems and footstalks of the leaves of many plants, what af- terwards hardens into a stringy, dry, hard or insoluble substance, is Originally a soft, nutritious mucilage, We can
ourselves use as food many plants, or parts of plants, in a cer-

“criptiong "OF great
than divide ¢ stomach, ind certain. Cat it, and ts the ani ms having to. prefer hatch thejr ly yielded ce, For eto bea.
y far the
t minded
2 hay, Is
¢ young\ ite ange
orts of
known of the hat af- soluble We can
in acer:
consequence to do this in a such a manner as shall turn the vegetable produce to the
tain state or period of their growth, which we could not af- terwards digest, even with the assistance of heat employed to prepare or soften them somewhat. The young stalks of coleworts, cauliflower, turnip-rooted cabbage, german beet, asparagus, and many other species which could be named, afford examples of this change which takes place in the consistence of plants in the progress of their growth. Another instance, shewing the advantage of cutting herbage of different sorts in its early state, occurs in the case of pigs fed on clover, rye, and buck wheat, polygonum fagopyrum, They thrive on these articles, particularly clover, if cut suf- ficiently early, 1. e. when considerably moist and succu- lent. But after the flowering period, and even long de- Sore the seed is ripe, much of the produce is rejected by them; or, if they are obliged to use it, they pine over it, or make small progress; and such an application of the vegetable produce, becomes then not economical. Insome countries abroad, cows are fed at times on white mustard, sinapis alba, cut green, which in the hard state it afterwards acquires, would be totally rejected by them. The same happens with buck wheat. Rye, which, as some allege, af- fords the best thatch and the least nutritious provender of any . COFN Crop, is, in its early and more juicy state, a green for-
age that will support well or fatten any kind of live stock,

54 best account, and yet duly feed the animals to the sustenance of which it is applied.
especially cattle and sheep. This is the case indeed with all gramineous and other plants, in a duly young, not in a very young state. It has been ascertained that the hay of par- ticular fields, farms, and even districts of country, is richer than others. This superiority, in many instances, may be partly owing to the higher fertility of some soils than others; good lands always yielding the most nvtritious produce, though the species and age of the plants be the same. In other cases, however, the difference in the value of the hay, from rye grass,&c. would appear to be owing, principally, to the plants in one situation being less ripe and hard, when mown, than in others. Cultivators in dif- ferent quarters are not uniform in their mode of practice as to this matter; and the conduct of some, in respect to the early cutting and careful and speedy drying and securing of their hay, is commendable.
When the herbage is mown at a proper period and intended for hay, it ought to be cured with all dispatch; and of course, by turning over and exposing the article to the influence of the sun and air till dried so much as to be in no danger of afterwards spoiling, Coiling together the half dry herbage, under the notion of saving the‘ natural or native juices,” is so stupid a procedure as not to be referred even to natural or
Native nonsense, What but mere aqueous moisture exhales,
s

55
C animals
Hence it is of importance to attend, both applied,
to the kind of article given as food, and to
i eh al and what is the purpose of retaining any portion of it? It Bh ee can prove of no manner of service; and if the parcel be damp, bi a? there is apt, particularly in the case of fine and soft green iS nigher forage, to occur mouldiness, or perhaps chemical decompo- bse be) sition, a bad taste and smell, and even rottenness. In thus mS than opposing a notion as to hay making, which could have had utritious no better origin than the dream of a sciolist, it is not by 's be the any means supposed that the hay shall be left so long and be value improperly exposed as to be in danger of being hurt by owing,\ rain, or of being bleached, and wasted, It is merely meant to e85 ripe suggest, that, while curing with the utmost degree of expo- in dif. sure in fair and warm weather, there is not the least risk ctice as of injury from over drying, to the' When herbage is cut at a proper time, and made into hay, ing of‘ the produce loses, by the drying, little, if any thing at all, of its nutritious quality; for, when moistened, it returns nded again to a condition quite similar to that of green forage at urse,_ first. This appears altogether probable, because, in both ce of itates, it affords the same kind of juice by expression, and er of che same proportion of soluble mucilage or other matter age,>xtracted from it by maceration or boiling—as has been as- 25.) 1S‘ertained on trial. Now over-ripe, and damp, ill-cured hay, ral or ire both bad; the former, because it does not in fact afford hales, uch a proportion of soluble and nutrimental matter as
NS ih Rete——

6
what more immediately relates to the ani- mal itself—its peculiar nature and the
circumstances in which it is placed.
the greener herbage; and the latter, because. of the strong
tendency which it has either to become mouldy, by being
over-run with fungt,(for mouldiness, like the blue matter Zt,’
occupying the cells of some cheeses, is nothing but a forest
of mushrooms) or to‘ferment,’ chemically decompose, ac-
quire a sour and bad taste, and turn comparatively useless.
It is not denied, that several acrid plants, ranuncul:, and
others found in the herbage of wet meadows, become more
mild and less dangerous by being mown and made into
or mixed with hay; but this change is owing to nothing but simply drying, which renders mild some plants that are in their recent state deleterious, but which has no effect on
what are called the narcotic vegetable poisons. Neither is it
denied, that, in the case of some coarse, meadow herbage,
abounding with matter partially fibrous and indigestible,
hay may be improved by being less exposed, or rather, kept
so covered up, either in the swath or cock, as to be liable
to some alteration or softening, from the warmth and effect
of incipient decomposition apt in such circumstances to
take place.
lish business, and attempts to obtain the supposed advanta-
But this sweating, as it is called, is a very tick-
ges attending it have occasioned the loss of much provender
4
ee
ri

57
SS
‘the ani In supplying animals with food of a and the richer or finer sort, of a greater or less otherwise valuable: and it has never yet been shewn or rendered in the least degree probable, that the same sort he strong of herbage, cut earlier and dried guam primum, would not by being have been much more valuable, than when mown late and Ue matter fermented with all the care and address that could be ex- ta forest; erted, not by ordinary haymakers, but by professed che- 08, ac. mists. Y useless, It would seem proper, as far as yet ascertained, that cult, and herbage should be collected for young animals with an ear.° me more liness proportioned to their time of life, giving to the youngest de into the most succulent provender, or what would become so on ing but being moistened. When young animals are so fed in ad- are in vanced spring, after the green crops are consumed and before ect on the grass has risen, a trying period in most situations, they er is it should always receive, along with the dried young herbage, rhage,\(the best of substitutes,) a full supply of water for drink—a ible, thing they rarely enjoy any where in Great Britain. They kept should either obtain a frequent supply of it in pails, or, liable what would be better, have it in a trough before them, effect that they might drink at pleasure. With such atten- s to tion, and kept moderately warm, clean and dry,(all which nels can be done with little additional expence, and. none that seta would not be well repaid) every sort of live stock would, on ih the return of summer, exhibit a more thriving appearance ia)

E
bulk, ina drier or moister state, whether
from the nature of the provision itself, or
than otherwise, and prove greatly more valuable to their owners and the community.
Some persons count a good deal upon getting the seed of rye grass in a ripe state, in order to be eaten along with the hay; but the latter thereby loses in its quality more than can be made up by the acquisition of the former. It is even a doubtful matter, were oats, rye, or any other of the large species of gramina, those bearing seed of the largest size, to be raised for provender, whether the same extent of land would not yield more useful produce, taken quantity and quality together, if such a crop were cut long before the anthers or flowers appear, than after it has fully matured —supposing both seed and straw to be consumed by live stock: at least there are no facts to prove, that the ripened produce would, for such an application, be the more valu- able, or that one full crop would, on the whole, be superior to two or more small ones, obtained at different times through the same season or period.
Besides these considerations, several advantages attend an early cutting. It contributes to preserve the plants in vigour not only for the after part of the same season, but
for succeeding seasons and crops, and it retains them in the
ground longer than they would otherwise continue. Most”
gtamineous plants, which have been long under culture,
seem little capable of recovering themselves, when they ate
it
the

59 Ww Ce hether from the drink used along with it, many It::: d pa Self or particulars require consideration. The
dle: ‘0 theie cut down only after their stalks are full grown. In every
species of corn, and in the annual grasses,(of which des-
the seed of cription rye grass, probably, has a tendency to become after ng With the some years cultivation in certain grounds) when the seed is More than filling, the entire plant becomes somewhat hard and dry; er. Tt is then fewer and feebler buds spring, to form new roots and her of the, stems, and at length the dwindling produce ceases to survive. he largest It is probable however, that the decay in the herbage ¢ extent of does not proceed so much from the mere arid state of the n quantity roots connected with advanced stems, being unfavourable to ng before, the evolution of recent buds, as from the circumstance of matured the buds themselves, in the case of a close and tall growing d by live crop, being not only bereft of a portion of the nourishment he ripened they would require duly to preserve them, and would indeed nore valu. receive, were it not withdrawn by the vigorous vegetation
‘superior= of the first stems, but kept so long excluded from the in-
fluences of the atmosphere, that they become unhealthy,
nt times weak and short lived. In the course of time, an impression atta is made on the produce of plants so circumstanced, and a plants in character and habit, altogether different from those of the seat original species, are induced, by this mode of culture, o1 ane rather by this attainment of full growth; for it happens aha with plants, whether cultivated or not, that have repeatedly alti risen for a length of time into maturity. Such die away: caren Witness the different species of vegetables that have growa

GO
iii
character of the breed has been already mentioned as a circumstance deserving
in successive generations in the same situation, composing now a part of the stratified collection in many peaty bogs, and especially in those now occupying the surface of what must have been at one time dry land, as where a moss surmounts the ruins of a forest, or perhaps a timber-grove. The race of no species of gramineous plants survives long in the same place, unless they are more or less eaten down by animals, so as to have the extent of their gtowth tegulated. When left long untouched, every description of them has a tendency to become over, or under luxuriant 5 and either condition issues in their decline and final depar- ture, leaving the surface to be possessed by other species in their turn. The existence of particular animals would, therefore, seem to be necessary for the growth, perfection, and continuance of particular species of vegetables: When the latter cease to be useful, from the absence of the former, they must give place to others, which, in the wise and benes ficent economy of nature, may be turned to more advantage by sustaining another class of animals, each appropriated
to the other for their mutual benefit.
« And bear them hence, the plant, the flower; ‘ No symbols those of systems vain! * They have the duties of their hour,
‘ Some bird, some insect to sustain|” Farther, it is with plants as with animals, by culture and
domestication, their general form and the proportion of their
wT”

=/ >|
Sas
RES bes eee ae aie SE ET rn Er
61
En COTE
prime attention. But besides, and along with it, the age of live stock must be at-
several parts may be altered, perhaps in certain respects im- proved, and their size enlarged; but their vigour may not be increased nor their life prolonged. It is highly proba- ble, that, in consequence of this unavoidable change in the habit of vegetables from cultivation, the same variety of any species will not suit different purposes; and that rye grass, the seed of which has been raised from a series of cultivated plants, and hence perhaps now of an annual habit, may not continue in the ground or serve the purpose of perennial pas- ture; and, conversely, that the seed from the same species in a natural, uncultivated state, may not yield such a weighty produce of hay as the other, at first, or till culture has en- larged its size.
By a change of circumstances, prodigious alterations may be effected in the mode of growth, size, and habit of plants in many respects. Were some plants of our annual gramuna, and even our different species of corn, to be placed in favour- able, mild and moist situations, not too much crowded to- gether, and, by repeated and timous cropping, to have their early stems prevented from rising too much, so as to withdraw the sap, and exclude the sun’s rays and air, from the after springing ones, a series of vigorous buds might evolve through successive years, and the appearance(for it
1s nothing more) of the species being perennial, would again
Rise

62
a eel)
tended to, when we wish to draw from
our vegetable produce, so applied, its full= ws value. aa! the occur. This striking change has been induced on different pla species of corn, by all accounts, when the seed of such has deh been accidentally dropped, and.the plants have been allow- iti ed to grow, in a situation calculated to preserve them. Itis afte said by De Non, and other travellers of some credibility,‘ii that plants of our common wheat, triticum hibernum, y gro have been observed growing wild, 7. e. springing, during a| ders series of years, by successive side-shoots from the roat,(as| vad most of our perennial gramuna do,)in some parts of Sicily and| dee other countries. Rye has shewn the same tendency in certain: sige warm, moist, fertile spots in the West India Islands. ake,| seu oat, avena sativa, was likewise observed in a kind of wild| a condition, with a vivacious habit, by Commodore afterwards aor Lord Anson, in the Island of Juande Fernandez, Barley eh too is said to have been found-in a similar state in Egypt,, subje and some of the Greek or Eastern Mediterranean Islands. fies A single grain of wheat by taking off and planting the suc- the d cessive shoots arising from the transplanted ones, as they at- Pius tained a size permitting that treatment, in the course of 18| with months in a green-house, was so multiplied as to produce of te ripened seed, between three and four pecks. te These observations tend to prove, that many circum. Se stances, soil, situation, culture or artificial management, con- we tribute to vary the character of gramineous plants. From aes

W from » Its full
D different “such has en allow. mM. tis edibility, wbernum, duting a Todt,(as Sicily and N certain The of wild terwards
Barley
hey at: 2 of 18
duce of
circum. ent, COM
. From
or
PS
63
The tendency in animals to become fat, usually takes place at a certain advanced,
these likewise may be gathered the reasons for cutting the plants composing the herbage crop, in their early state. In many ways indeed considerable benefit results from doing so. Not only is the produce of a superior description, but the after growth comes forward more rapidly, and a greater re- turn for the season is obtained, from the same extent of ground, than were the crop to be allowed to stand longer, when its vegetation proceeds proportionally slow, and other bad consequences ensue. With early cutting, weeds, rising among the cultivated plants, have little time to mature and shed their seeds; and the texture of the ground, by the shade of the foliage, and by the enlargement, multiplication and movement of the roots, is preserved in good condition. Since some of these remarks occurred, on the proper period of cutting the grass crop, several years ago, as the subject seemed of importance in husbandry, I have been anxious to ascertain correctly, or from the best information, the difference in value, as food for live stock, between young and old herbage. The result of numerous trials accords
with what has been already stated. The superiority of the former has been chiefly discovered in those cases, where nothing but the herbage itself was supplied to live stock; for when corn or any other kind of food was at the same time given to them, the value of any one of the differ-
ent articles, separately, could not be well estimated, In
ae
rare en a pi SF i Nt ic

more readily than at an early period of life. Though this disposition may be made to arise
several cases, where calves were fed on steeped hay, or* hay tea,” it was invariably found that they throve best on that of young herbage. This hay, whether softened by cold or infused in hot water,(which last is nowa very common and a very proper mode of preparing it,) or whether given to them dry, discovers nearly in an equal degree its superior quality in supporting the young stock.—By the bye, with respect to calves, the most successful plan of rearing them with this article, by all accounts, would seem to be the following: The hay ought to be chopped into short lengths, of from 6 to 10 inches; infused in boiling water, in vessels
not large, and used when sufficiently cool, not allowing it
to be kept for too long a period, When it has coolled
slowly in large vessels, or is not soon used, if the herb- age be very young, the infusion is apt to become sour; a condition which some have thought hurt the calves, and gave them a scouring The infusion, liquor and hay to- gether, may be given them, at first mixed with some milk, or milk and a little meal or flour, in small quantities, but at short intervals. They socn learn to eat the hay itself 5 and if they cannot, with advantage, be left to depend wholly on this kind of provision so early as some have asserted, yet, in in a few weeks, they discover much liking for it, improve fast, and require nothing else before they go to pasture. Some
have proposed, and indeed have succeeded tolerably well in
des
stro
seas spec the eribe rathe too tim they in th af ey before prody
after
hot o1
Sorptic attuogy due ¢
certai

O65
gooner in any animal by rich feeding and good treatment than otherwise, yet it takes
their attempts to fatten them with this article, supplying them towards the end of the business with some meal or coarsely ground corn.
Dr. Anderson, in his‘ Essays on Agriculture and Rural Affairs,’ mentions a circumstance about grasses that may deserve notice. In most of them, should the stalks be de- stroyed after they are fully formed, others do not rise that season; the plants running afterwards to leaves, and some species likewise spreading by the roots. This alteration in the mode of growth, however, is perhaps hardly to be as- cribed to the effect of cutting off the stems, but, probably, rather to the period of the season, when that is done, being too far advanced for their renewal. When performed timously with those species which send up their stems early, they usually shoot up again, especially if superior fertility in the soil encourage their vegetation, After the seed stalks ef even vivacious plants are destroyed, there is an interval before others appear. Foliage se2ms to be necessary for the production of seed-bearing stems; for the latter rise only
after the former has survived for some time. Plants live
_ not only by the functions of their roots, perhaps chiefly ab-
sorption, but likewise by those of their other parts in the atmosphere. Though the common leaves contribute to the due evolution of the young buds that become stems, yet, in
certain plants, it is not requisite that they precede them in I
spa f ed
5 aa yy I a a te

66
place, generally, when the animal has ac- al quired its full growth or proper size, that n W
the same season. In colts foot, tussilago farfara, and some
other species, the leaves of one season are found to surround,. prepare, it is thought, or protect the stem-buds of the next. r ‘The case may be somewhat different in the grasses, yet still: this circumstance is worth regard; for the stems rising on a : the uneaten spots are more forward in springing than those| al on other parts of the same field, which have been closely}|‘a cropped through the fall of the year. Vegetation pro-|: f ceeds most favourably, vigorously and rapidly, when the| ah different parts of any plant bear a just proportion to one another; and the growth of the roots is sensibly affected by 4 uy the deficiency of foliage, and wice versa. Close feeding_ then, and, perhaps, close mowing also, by destroying too| ti many of the common leaves, may, as formerly hinted, enfeeble the herbage and render the produce comparatively| i scanty, and likewise less nourishing: Hence over stocking)" may occasion the rot in sheep. In seems owing to the circumstance now mentioned, that Ny in pasture fields those spots of coarse grass,(coarse or long A from age, for the species may be the same) though in spring ny swept down by the sithe and left as bare as any other in them, are invariably the first which send up stems in summer; and i these being disrelished by pasturing stock, are left to cumber i isin
again the surface. Thus, the same spots assume their for.
mer appearance on the return of another fall, and what they

67
size to which its own state of health, its mode of living, and the habits of its kind would raise it. It would appear, that this disposition to fatten, shews itself, in the improved breeds, even before they have attained their full size; whereas, in the coarser kinds, it does not occur till they are somewhat more advanced in life, 2. e.
produce may incur the same neglect during a succession of years, unless their condition be retrieved. This is a thing about which any person may satisfy himself, by marking particularly such rough patches in autumn, and observing what happens against another season.—By the bye, those coarse tufts in pastures, though perhaps dans /a nature, and something picturesque,(if one can use such$ piebald lan-
guage,’) are not merely deformities, spoiling the fair expanse
of lawns or grass lands, but really detrimental. Live stock
turned during summer into fields, where from some neglect or other, such are frequent, will pine over the short and more tender produce, rather than touchthem. They can be over- eome by repeatedly sweeping them down in moist weather, when the growth stands best to the sithe; and some young, voracious cattle might be employed to lick up what ismown, In dewy mornings, as observed by Mr. Marshall, cattle, on rising from their lairs, eat, of their own accord, such stale herbage when cut down, befcre the growing grass, which
they prefer at other times.
pe

;—_— 7H a ee eee‘? aos ae See SS eR 3. E a= -_+=> a siti——=~~ ETN ee
— ae
ON: re
08 till the period of their full growth has arrived, and perhaps, in sundry cases, not even till this has been some time over: Still in. both sorts, and in all animals, a very considerable change in this respect takes place with their age. At an advanced period, if the food which the animal re- ceives, shall prove, in point either of quantity or of quality, nothing morethan barely suf- ficient to support it, there will not arise any tendency to fatness, and indeed this cannot be expected in such a case; but if food be supplied in plenty, and be at the
same time considerably nutritious, espe-—
cially if it be much more so than what the animal had been accustomed to, then such a condition will take place.
If food very nutritious be supplied to any animal in a growing state, it may probably, for a time, cause its growth to proceed quickly; but if the feeding be urged so far as to induce a state of fatness, the growth or enlargement of the animal will not pro- ceed at the same rate: And the opinion seems to be just, that, in such a case, though it may grow more quickly, for
CX
| we
In ties
care hav hors thes of ¢ the
Cou

W hg 8 Snot €iOy. n AS l qeect \ Mh
Sted an Se
69
a time, yet it will not, ultimately, acquire a size equal to what it would do, were it more coarsely, and less expeditiously fed.‘That large breed of cattle, which, it is said, came originally from luxuriant meadows on the continent, or rather in the north of Europe, known in this coun- try by the names of the Holstein, Dutch, Holderness, Lincolnshire, Teeswater, or short horned breed, though they acquire, in the course of time, when fed on very rich pastures, a quick growth and ra- pidly fattening habit, yet do not attain so greata size, as some of the same race are found to do, when raised on pastures exuberant but coarse.‘The late Mr. Bake- weil, and the other celebrated breeders in Leicestershire and the midland coun- ties of England, notwithstanding all their care and good feeding of their stock, have not raised the size either of the long horned, Lancashire, or Craven cattle(for these were once the same) or of that breed of sheep which was originally of nearly the same size and sort with those in the county of Lincoln. It might likely indeed

be far from the wish of these discerning and meritorious gentlemen to raise the size; but were the enlargement of the animal the natural consequence of its receiving plenty of rich provision in early life, the effect would take place in spite of their wishes. The truth is, early pam- pering in the case of the lower animals, not otherwise than with the human race, occasions a delicacy of constitution, pre- vents the bones, and consequently the whole animal, from becoming coarse and large, and induces in early life the habit and appearance of old age; which consists inaset, square make, anda disposition more or less to turn fat. The late Mr. Charles Chaplin’s sheep, of the large Lincolnshire sort, by care in selecting the best, and by being put on drier and more fertile pas- tures than their progenitors were accus- tomed to, have become of a small size, fine bone, and delicate constitution, and in rapidity of growth and other respects, ap- proach to the character of the improved Leiscestershire breed.—The chief art in improving a breed, so far as the food is
dit

PR Se eS
71
concerned, and if refinement be the im- provement wanted, lies, it would seem, in supplying it with rich provision from its earliest life, during all seasons, and in a favourable or not exposed situation.
For those who rear males to let out for improving the stock of other husbandmen by coupling with them, it is mght to pay attention to the early rich feeding of their own; but this might not suit with the situation and circumstances of many who keep coarser stock, and possess lands of different descriptions. In the use of their vegetable produce, such would require to be more discriminative: While they supply with inferior provision their young stock, they should reserve the better for the aged. Accordingly, it is pretty com- mon, in the case of pasture grounds, to have two or three divisions for separate allotments of the animals. Graziers in Yorkshire, and other districts of England, have, upon this principle, the“ fatting” and “ following’ stocks. In other situations, husbandmen class together the fatting stock with the breeding one, the dams and their

tte:
°{2
young, and they send to the coarser grounds the middle aged or rearing stock. Again, where the lands:admit of it, where the possession is sufficiently extensive, and the
"management of pasture grounds well un-
derstood, there will be three, or more, divi- sions, to suit the same number of classes of live stock.
In some districts, as in Berwickshire, Northumberland,&c.(where the breeds are well selected, and the system of pastur- age much improved,) with a due attention to this principle, it is found that there can- not well be fewer than three divisions of the same stock, which are sent to grounds, either naturally of different degrees of fer- tility, or that, by culture, or trom the state of their produce, are calculated to afford provision different in+ quality and quan- tity. The best pasture is invariably given to the aged, and what should then be the fattening stock; the next best is given, to the ewes and lambs, or to the cows, calves, and cattle of the first year; and the inferi- or grounds are stocked with the rearing ani- mals of either kind. It is never proper, and

minately to range together.
Neither, excepting for the purpose of improving or refining a portion of the stock to breed from, would it be right to pamper them when young; because it would be throwing away what could be more pro- fitably expended otherwise.‘The quantity, of good aliment, necessary to fatten an ani-
mal, when young, is found to be much| greater than what would be sufficient to.
od this, when it is more advanced in life. Young animals, then, ina possession, where there is a variety of ground, and where the businesses of both rearing and fatting are pursued, should have moresucculent, coarse
and bulky herbage, than older ones of the>
same sort; and this on several accounts— their digestive powers are stronger—there is wanted in their constitution a full supply of fluid matter, and time likewise is required for the process of their growth. Coarser breeds of animals too suit with inferior
food, partly perhaps, because the progress K
not usual with intelligent husbandmen, to_ permit stock of all ages, any more than of:+, all sorts, whether kinds or breeds, indiscir-.
ee ae
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of their growth is slower, and the general period of their life longer, and partly for reasons already mentioned, the nature of their constitutions, the conformation of their stomachs, and other circumstances about them.
Besides these particulars, others deserve attention in breeding live stock. The food should be more or less adapted to their present condition of body. It would be very improper not to preserve in a healthy and rather plump state, all the finer and quickly maturing breeds; and it would also be wrong, if it could be avoided, to let any description of live stock get into an unduly lean or unthriving condition, from any failure in the quantity or quality of its food. Seeing, however, it might be diffi- cult, at every season, to preserve the flocks or herds, or any parcel of live stock, in equally good plight, it would be improper to change too rapidly the food they have been accustomed to. It would be impro- per to reduce suddenly full fleshed or fat animals by giving them scanty or poor pro- vision, or even, all at once, to bestow on
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lean ones much nutritious food to which they were formerly unaccustomed. The impropriety in the former case must be ob- vious; but in the latter, to turnin lean ani- mals to rich pasture, would not only be wasteful of the produce, but against the health of the stock. With such, too great a change, or too rich food, of which they are apt to take in over much, might hurt their digestive organs; and often live stock, otherwise thriving, receive a check from this cause, when under the management of unskilful people. It answers always well
to put the lean, at first, upon less rich pas-'
ture; and as its condition improves, to introduce it to better. Expert graziers, pos- sessing some of the best grass lands in Eng- land, never purchase for them lean stock, but usually such as are at least half fatten- ed. They find indeed, that those who have inferior grounds, can rear common stock and make them fleshy or give them a degree of fatness at a cheaper rate, than
they can do themselves; though the other’:
cannot finish them off, or give them that full pitch of fatness that takes the market.
Ts RT

76
This circumstance, however, is now pretty generally understood, and attended to by husbandmen at all correct in their manage- ment.
Farther, whatever may be the general condition of live stock, with respect to fatness or leanness, their past habits should likewise have some share in regulating their supply of food. Indeed, the habits not of the present individuals merely, but those of their race should likewise be ad- verted to; for these predispose and render fit certain parcels more for one descrip- tion of grounds than another, Mr. Mar- shall mentions, what others too may have had an opportunity ot remarking, that the young of different breeds of sheep separate and draw off to different pas- tures; and probably this happens prior to
their having any choice arising from the.
experience of some being better or more suitable than others. In one instance, a parcel of Lincolnshire and Norfolk lambs, dropped and suckled in the same pasture, and accumstomed to feed promiscuously,
when turned into a sheep walk, divided|
Ing Cas

and drew off to different portions of it; the Lincolnshire, to the luxuriant herbage of some rich, moist land, ina low situation; and the Norfolk, to that growing ona drier,
lighter soil, a sandy loam. Rurai Econo-
my of Norfolk, vol. 2. minute 75.
The habits of the race, discovered in the instincts of the young progeny, most likely deserve attention in all kinds of animals. It would not be reasonable to expect that the heavy, listless, Holstein stock of cattle, would relish the cool, airy shores where the smart Galloways are bred, or the bleaker, loftier range of the rambling Kyloes. If the habits of the race be con- firmed by the mode of life to which the progeny itself has been accustomed, the adaptation of the latter to particular situa- tions must require still more attention. It is a very difficult matter at times, to make some parcels of small Argyleshire bullocks fatten in confined inclosures dur- ing summer, when they are not only un- easy, their skin perhaps itching by the heat, but pestered with flies. It is then they derive such singular satisfaction in pass-
a a

78 ing through hedges to brush their sides, Neither are such found to suit well with confinement in the house during that sea- son. Several years ago, in company with Mr. Arthur Young, I had an opportunity of seeing some parcels of bullocks fed-on cut grass, in a set of open circular sheds as well as in the house, by an eminent cultivator in Suffolk, the late worthy Mr. Hutchison Mure, and had then occasion to observe that animals of the breed last men- tioned did not answer so. well as others; and we were besides informed, that such generally at first received some considerable check, before they took to the provisions or became reconciled to their situation®.
* Such an application of the herbage crop is not general,
the advantages attending it not® being sufficiently under. stood. The communications on this subject by Baron D’Alten and others to the Board of Agriculture; merit attention. Some hints respecting this practice would be submitted here, were not such rendered unnecessary by a
late communication on this subject in the Farmer’s Maga-
zine, published in this place by Messrs. Constable and Co,
vol. 6. page 460, It is from Mr. Robert Brown of Markle, in East Lot}
ian, a gentleman whose name alone must be suf-

79
In the case of sheep, it would seem that the character of the race and the habits of. the individual, merit even more con- sideration than’ in-that of cattle. It has been thought that some breeds, ac- customed to low, luxuriant pastures, have not answered so well with the short, dry herbage in some fine sheep walks, and that, in particular, some such have been found: liable to a disorder of the liver, a kind of inflamed condition, ending in a scirrhus state of that organ, hepatitis chromica. In other instances, and these by far the most numerous, this sort of stock suffers from an opposite kind of treatment—their being turned from dry to moist pastures, or, while on the former, exposed to eat a por- tion of herbage either not sufficiently nu- tritious, or not adapted to their digestive powers, by reason of its being, in particu- lar seasons, too watery and poor.- ous ailments may result from inattention in this respect; weak animals being a prey
ficient to secure the attention of all sensible husbandmen to this subject. It contains an account of atrial made by
himself last summer, 1805.

80 to numerousills. Besides certain affections of the liver, or of the lungs, there may en- sue a general thraldom in the constitution, a disorder, the true rot, marked more by debility than emaciation, and by other symptoms, shewing it to be similar to what occurs in the human race from deficient or depraved aliment, and known among nosologists by the name of, scurvy—by which, however, is not to be understood any cutaneous disorder.
With respect to individual animals, it need only be farther remarked, that, in proportion to the inveteracy of any habit or custom, 2. e. generally speaking, in pro- portion to their age, all changes in their food and general treatment, ought to be intro- duced in a slow and gradual manner.
As our domestic animals consume a very large part of the produce of this island, it is an object that may conduce to both public and private emolument, to have as much parsimony introduced into this branch of business, what re- lates to their feeding, as can be con- sistent with their health, and work or
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81
application of these animals. It is more than prebable that the advantages are only beginning to be understood, which in
economical management might be derived.
from judicious endeavours, either origin- ally to form and regulate, or afterwards to alter, the habits and inclinations of our domestic animals in respect to their food; and that, in particular, a considerable saving might be made by attending, among others, to the following circumstances: 1. The kind and quantity of food which live stock should receive in early life; 2. The preparation of the food, and the mix- ture of different sorts of ittogether*, where-
* By the due preparation and mixture of the food, and attention to the mode of expending it, there might be a considerable saving in a costly article. Passing what con- cefns the preparation for the purpose of rendering it more digestible, it need only be hinted, respecting the mixture of the different sorts of food consumed by live stock, that this is a matter which deserves more consideration than it has hitherto received. It enables one to give them food of any quality, any degree of richness, succulency or dryness,&c, To horses and other animals when they are kept in the house,
and have only moderate exercise, giving bruised corn, oats, L

82
ever their nutritious quality varies much; 3.‘Phe due and regular supply ot food, at all periods of their life, and in all sea- sons; 4. A proper or full allowance of drink; and, 5. The more constant or oc- casional use of condiments, calculated either to excite the action of the stomach and digesting organs, or otherwise to fa- vour the resolution or assimilation of the food.
These particulars respecting the feeding of animals are merely suggested as merit-
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beans,&c. and chopped straw or hay mixed together in a
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trough or manger, may be of use in another view, besides the saving thereby obtained. When fed with coarse and fine food separately supplied to them, they are apt to pine over the former, and to swallow down unchewed the latter, deriving small benefit from it. This last mischief is very
certain to happen, if two animals eat together out of the
— ase
same vessel, a thing that ought never to be allowed; for it
occasions a very unprofitable competition and haste in eat-
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ing, one animal often getting too much and the other too
little. It is not unlikely what some allege, that, by mix-
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ture, one eighth of the common articles of food can be
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saved, and by bruising and preparing them before mixture, c
nearly one eighth or one tenth more.
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83
ing notice, for it would be foreign to our present purpose to consider them parti- cularly. Neither do they include all the circumstances that relate to the feeding of live stock; for the temperature of the season or of the situation in which our domestic animals are kept, is a ma- terial point and deserves attention in that business. A dry kind of food would seem to agree better with all animals in winter, when the perspiration is less, than in sum- mer, during which season moister provision is more suitable. In the case of particular sorts, the food should be adapted to the nature of their exercise or work; the dis- tance of time after feeding, when they are put to it; and its degree or duration, These remarks having extended farther than was at first meant, it would be im- proper to enter more particularly on the consideration of a subject which has only come in our way, in consequence of its connection with their principal object. In conclusion, and in apology for the in- troduction of some particulars apparently extraneous, it may be right to mention,

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84
meena
that the preservation of an improved sort of live stock, howsoever acquired, whether from a foreign quarter or by a selection from the best of the home stock, or in both these ways, by crossing, will depend very much on the manner in which the animals are afterwards treated. It ought ever to be recollected, that disease any how in- duced, and especially if brought on gradu- ally by the protracted operation of hurting powers, either on individuals or the race in general, is the never-failing source of
deformity.
ws

POSTSCRIPT.
Since the foregoing remarks were printed, I have receiv- ed acopy of the tenth and last published volume of the Bath Society’s papers, which, among a number of important com- munications, contain some respecting the preferable advan- tages of certain breeds of sheep, and particularly those at- tending a small size in live stock. One of these papers, the 31st article, gives an account of a successful claim of the Society’s premium, for a superior flock of sheep, by William Dyke Esq. From what is there stated, the supe- rior advantage derived from one breed of sheep compared with another is clearly shewn; and so far such information is well entitled to the serious attention of husbandmen in different districts. Indeed, with this view, the report of the committee concerning Mr. Dyke’s flock, and the re- marks which follow it, may be inserted here. Besides that, there is another paper, article 18th, upon the most profitable size of farming cattle, more directly written in favour of a small size; which, as it contains the result of the experi- ence of a gentleman of great respectability and information, may likewise be how printed with little abridgement.
Before doing this, it may be premised, that there are delivered in these papers some observations concerning size, which, on first view, may seem not to accord with a part of the remarks already submitted, particularly in a note at page 43. One would at all times with great reluctance differ in opinion with the respectable and well informed members of that committee of the Bath Society, about the case“al- luded to, or with the correct and intelligent editor, in the
sentiments which he has delivered on the subject in another
——

2
part of the same volume. It is however in support, not only of Mr. Cline’s and the other remarks in this pamphlet, but of the opinions of many expert husbandmen in different in regard to similar instances of comparison, to observe, that though size may have, as in Mr. Dyke’s case, and such others, no small influence,
qua LEELS~
yet a great deal, per- haps a principal share of the superior benefit derived from the keep of the South Down compared with the Wiltshire sheep, is to be ascribed to the better make and other estim- able properties of the former. The character of these two well known breeds has been described in many publications, and therefore the difference between them need not here be particularly stated. The Wiltshire, as observed by Mr.
Luccock in his late treatise on wool,‘ are horned animals,
with perfectly white faces and legs, a flat untufted front, a light and long carcase, which produces no wool upon the belly and lower part of the breast 3 and these sheep,, by their tallness,’&c. p. 272, The South Down race, again, is represented as valuable on account of its close feeding, its well formed carcase, with shorter legs,&c. Indeed the latter breed is, not only from its size, calculated to live, in an equal weight of animals, whatever be their a given extent of short or indifferent pastures, the former,
number, on
better than but, from its hardiness and the superiority of
its form, it would seem more able to withstand the hard-
ships of a bleak and barren situation, and to convert to
greater use the vegetable aliment destined to its support, The details and remarks extracted from the B
ath papers, shall now be offered to the consideration of the re
ader, with-
out any farther comment; the loose hints just submitted being chiefly to
prevent its being supposed that there was
any material difference of opinion between us respecting the
Comparative advantages of a small size in many, in most
orts indeed, of our domestic animals.

Articue XXXI.—Being an Account of a successful Claim of the Society's Premium, for a supertor Flock of Saeep, by Wittram Dyke, Esq.
Ar the General Meeting in September, 1803, was read the following report of a Committee appointed to survey Mr. Dyke’s flock of Sheep, under Prem. 15, Class 3,** for the
greatest number and most profitable sort 9 sheep.”
Syrencot, June 15, 1803.
It appears to the Committee, that the farm on which the sheep are fed consists of about two hundred and thirty acres of arable; and that they are generally fed on about forty acres of new field, and about forty acres of old field, together with fourteen acres of water meadow, and twenty- four of pasture; on the two latter from the beginning of March to the latter end of April on/y.
The race or breed of sheep formerly fed on this farm was Wiltshire, namely, till the year 1791; from which time the South-Down breed was substituted, and continued to the present date.
Mr. Dyke, considering that the introduction of these sheep would be an advantage to the country, was the first Wiltshire gentleman who actually introduced the breed.
It also appears, that of the Wiltshire breed Mr. Dyke supported on his farm from three hundred and twenty to three hundred and sixty breeding ewes, producing about three hundred lambs. That of the South Down or present
flock, the numbers now are four hundred and sixty breeding ewes, which have produced four hundred and thirty lambs.
The lambs of the latter, as well as the turned-off ewes, produced at the markets from 2s. to 3s. per head each more than the Wiltshire.
It farther appears to us, that in supporting the Wiltshire
sheep, the entire produce of the farm hath been constantly
Se dag ee

4
consumed 5 whereas from twelve to fifteen tons of hay have been withdrawn this present season, and expended else- where.
The wool of the South Down produces full 6d. per fleece more than the Wiltshire.
From the preceding statement of facts, it evidently ap- pears to us, that much fosztzve merit attaches to Mr. Dyke for introducing and adopting this improvement; and, as a single claimant, recommend that the assigned premium be awarded to him by the Society.—Joun Hayrzr. W. W. Pincnarp. W. Lanrsar. THomas Lawes. The Secrerary.
C omparative Statement.resulteng from the preceding Report. SOUTH-DOWN FLOCK. 430 Lambs, at. 32s. cach...s.ecc.civecsissens)£688. 0° 0 15-Tons'of Hay shved GGL. 0Al. RA TSO ORO 460 Fleeces, at Gd. difference......0..0000. 1110 O 100 Additional Fleeces, 3lbs. each at 6d. 25 0 O £154 10 0 WILTSHIRE FLOCK. 300° Lambs,‘at’ 80s. cach©.....ce0cssevssersees 450 OG
Difference in favour of South-Down........£304 10 0
REMARKS.
From the preceding report and comparative estimate, another instance seems fairly to result, in confirmation of an opinion entertained by many experienced graziers and breeders, that the smaller sorts of our domesticated animals are more profitable to the farmer than the same species of a larger kind.
Individuals of the Wiltshire breed are much larger and
heavier, when in a state of maturity and fatness, than those

a Te OS
Pisce mm
ef the South Down; but they not only require much more time to bring them into that state, but there is also a much inferior degree of uniformity of size in a Wiltshire than in a South Down flock, both ewes and lambs. These circum- stances seem satisfactorily to account for an item in the report—that lambs and turned-off ewes of the South-Down flock produce higher prices in the markets than those of the same description from the Wiltshire.
This Report was approved at the Annual Meeting, and
| the premium awarded accordingly.
Arricte XVIII.—On the most profitable Size of Farming Cattle. By Cuartes Gorpon Grey, Esq.
Here a few hints from his own experience of fifteen years, are submitted by this gentleman to the consideration of the Bath Society. He observes, that the first aim of the stock breeder, as well as the grazier, ought to be—‘the ove to breed that animal whose disposition is most inclined to feed; the other, to produce the animal fat at an early age. By these means the supply will be greater for the consumer, The smaller animal(generally) has a more natural disposition to
fatten, and requires(proportionably to the larger)less food to
make it fat; consequently the greater quantity of meat for consumption can be made per acre. In stad] feeding, whatever may be the food, the smaller animal pays most for
that food. In dry /ands, the smaller is always suf-
ficiently heavy for treading. In wet lands less injurious.; As to milk, the smaller animal produces more goods for 4 the food she consumes than the greater. As to the yoke,! where oxen are of service, the middling sized are to be : preferred.
« As to sheep,” he says,‘I beg this Society to look to the premiums given for South Down sheep; where five South
Down sheep to three Wiltshire have been kept on the same
St aa
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0
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quantity of acres, and on the same ground, and have annually consumed one-third less hay. This sufficiently proves the smaller animal is better for the stock breeder; and from my own observations of South Down and other different sorts of sheep, I have ever found the smaller sheep pay most for their food. Iam therefore led to believe the same argu- ment holds as good with the smaller sheep, as in the smaller beasts. If this Society will look to the /ow, wez, and rich soils of this kingdom, where large oxen have been usually fed, the graziers there(generally) are feeding Scotch, finding the smaller most profitable. Andif we look to
a Se
Smithfield, we find the smaller animal is always taken in preference, by the greater number of butchers. I beg also to mention pzgs,(an animal by no means so much attended
to as it ought) that invariably the smaller kind come soon-:
est to maturity, and ever pay most for their food at any profitable age.‘The consumer must be ever advantaged A| by the smaller animal, it having proportionably much less‘
offal. Of horses, I need not observe the larger animal has
but its particular use; the middling must, for general use, be
ever preferred, C. Gorpon Grey. Tracey Park, 1804..|
Mr. Marruews, the editor, subjoins to this article seve- ral judicious remarks on the same subject. He informs the public, that‘among the different objects of improvement to which the attention of this Society has been long directed, none has been more remarkable than that of improving, on sound and general principles, the various kinds of Live Stock; an object confessedly of great moment. The ardour which| the Society has evinced under this head, had been excited by the prevalence of an opinion, which in many instances seemed to be gaining ground, that the largest races of ani-
mals were the most profitable to the farmer, as paying most

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.

% as
.. That practice has proved this to be the case, wherever it “has been fully and fairly tried, is the point now contended for. From this conviction in the minds of competent men, has arisen a zeal for the further extension of their knowledge, founded on experience. To facts of this sort they have been induced to add what has appeared to them the rationale of the system they have adopted. Among these, the writer of the foregoing summary observations, Mr, Grey“comes forward for the purpose of laying down axioms for general The re-
spectability of his name will not fail to add weight to his
consideration, and of course for general benefit.
communication; and on that account it is given to the
public.’ Eprror.
See‘ Queries on the means of judging of Sheep,’ signed ‘4. Y” in Annals.of Agriculture, vol. XVIII. p. 524, &c.> Sur, 9 fe.
These queriés bys Arthut Vout, Esq. now Secretary to the Board of. Agricalture, a gentlemen of great information and indefatigable zeal. for thé promotion of husbandry, de- monstrate how’ very difficult It: is,tg form an accurate and just estimate‘of the comparative. frerits obs lifferent breeds of sheep and: other live. stock.;:
This gentleman is well aware of the advantage that might result from such an investigation.‘I cannot conclude,’ he says,*‘ without observing, that the i Importance of improving the breeds, of whatever kind, is greater than may be at first imagined; for reckoning the sheep of England only at twenty-five millions, if their return was raised only 1s. a- head, the improvement would amount to 1,250,0001. annu- ally; and those who have paid attention to these subjects, must be sensible that the double is a very trifling rise indeed, on comparison with what has been effected in various districts.’

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Olour& Grey Control Chart Blue Cyan Green Vellow Hed Magenta White Grey 1 Grey 2 8 Grey 3 Grey 4 Black