Suggestions For Stockbreeders

The Jersey and Guernsey cattle are the best butter-makera In general; the Shorthorns mest profltable f or beef ; Ayrshires are favoritos with many milkmen for their large yield of milk. The Angus breed is also attracting a good deal of attention, as horns are regarded by many breeders as a great annoyance, and if, by using polled cattle to cross wiüi other breeds, we eau breed off the liorns from our Jersey and Shorthorns, or if we can briug up the record of the Augus cattle to compare well with the Jersey for butter, or the Shorthorn for beef, we shall be aceomplishing something worth while. It is well understood that hoi na can be breed off by careful selection, aud it is ulso weli understood that any marked pecnliaiity can be fixed by careful selection in breeding ; slill, we Have no breed that can always be relied upon for large yield of butter. Even the Jerseys are very variable and few of them approach the famous records of Jersey Bell of Scituate, who produced 705 pounds of butter upon moderate feed and Eurotas, who rnade 778 pounds in eleven months and produced a calf ; and Pausy, who made 574 pounds in a yfar, besides considerable milk used in the fauiily. When buyers of stock are wilünjf to pay for a milk record in the pedigree of the cattle they buy, and when the premiums of our cattle shows are based upon such quaüties and records, rather than the usual superficial considerations of color and general good looks, then we may he, at least, for less complaint of the so-called fan cy breeds, which, after all, are believed by many of our old farmers to be no more useful for a laboring man's dependence than the common native stock of ihe country. The same vicious habits in breeding prevail with the poultry fanciers. The size of comb, the color of hackle of the breast, and the number of toes will weigh more with the buyer of faney stock or with a committee at a ben show than the vastly inore important considerations of the number of eggs laid per year and the uveragt; weight of a tbree montba old chicken. Of course, tlie breedera must meet (ie demands of the tnarkev and breed acoordingly. VVheii siiail we fiad a liít'ie more cotamon sense in these matters