The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-02-21
;MMhe EARN.
STOCK BREEDING.

one, yet his success in keeping up the
character and value of stock on his
farm requires that he should give
special attention to this branch of his
business. Horses on a farm will veal
out with age, even with the best care
and usage and must be replaced with
others, Those must either be procured
from some other place or raised on the
farm, and, all things considered, it is
better to raise colts to supply the farm,
than to purchase horses abroad. a
colt should be put to training from its
infancy to bring out all the best quail
ties of horse and to check or cure the
bad ones When farmer trains a
horse from coltship up, he knows
all the good and bad points of his
character and has horse almost OF
his own making; but he finds some
thing in the strain of blood and pedi-
gree that he can neither add to, nor
take from. BLOOD will show
Hence the necessity of breeding from
good pedigree stock \ choice should
be made of that which will come near.
est to his wants.
The fact is well known from long
experience that in breeding to any type
or strain of blood, that more depends
on the male than the female, therefore,
the greatest care should be taken in
selecting the male.
In breeding COWS for farm, the
same arguments will hold good, and
every farmer or dairy-man should raise
his own stock of cows, unless he can
purchase better, and if he can do this,
then breed from the better stock. The
COW is very domestic animal and tena-
cious on home associations, will do bet
ter, be better contented, on the farm
and with the family where she was
raised, than anywhere else under SINH
lar conditions of food and care. She
will often travel many miles after long
years of separation to find her old
home and give unmistakable signs that
she knows the place and prefers it to
any other. This is an additional argu,
ment why farmer or dairyman should
raise his own cows.
In the selection of stock to breed
from, choice should be made of that
which will best suit the farmers object
whether it be milk, butter, cheese, beef,
or oxen.
The breeding and keeping Of sheep
as part of farm stock has never yet
received the attention that its import.
ance demands. More profit can be
made by keeping sheep on farm than
almost any. other stock in proportion to
the amount of capital invested With
judicious selection and proper care, for
every dollar invested in sheep, from
one and half to two dollars profit
may be realized in one year, with what
other farm stock can this be done
The variety of stock to be selected
must depend on whether it is intended
to grow wool or mutton as leading
business, or, whether both combined
Much also, will depend on the market
to be supplied. In the neighborhood Of
large cities, mutton sheep will pay best
on account of the high price paid for
lambs; but remote from large cities
wool will pay better on account OF
transportation and may be held back
for rise in the market without cost Of
keep.
Swine has become the great meat
animal of this country. 1t is easily
propagated, multiplied with great facili-
ty, thrives well everywhere and can be
converted into cash at any age from
four weeks to four years but there is
u great diversity of breeds Some OF
these breeds are suitable to one part OF
the country, some to another and some
nowhere.
The Chester white is popular every.
where, except in the extreme south
where the black skinned hogs are pre-
ferred as standing the climate better
and there are some good black skinned
breeds, such as the Berkshire, which
may be grown there to great advan.
tage. The landpike or racer cannot be
grown to profit anywhere; it has too
much bone in proportion to the meat.
The Chester white, the Berkshire, and
the Essex are distinct varieties and the
best specimen of each should be select
ed from. Where fat hogs are slaught-
cred for family use, there is good sup
ply Of lard for the kitchen, which is
very agreeable to the house wives.
Half century ago Poultry was con-
sidered of very little account as mar
ket article. Farmers raised a few
geese and ducks for the sake of feathers
to supply their own beds and as their
sons and daughters married off, to make
beds for them Very few We're grown
for market, or even for their own tables,
and it was quite common to keep the
same kind of fowls on farm for eight,
ten, or twelve years. Very few farmers
of that day would have a turkey on his
plantation, on account of their rambling
propensities. Now, crop of turkeys
will bring him as much money as a
crop of wheat, at much less expense
and destroy his grasshoppers in the
bargain.
Very few hens were kept then A
pair of chickens in the city market
would bring but twenty five cents, and
dozen of eggs, six, eight, or ten cents,
so that very little profit was realized
from their sales. People did not think
then of sending poultry and eggs a
thousand miles to market as is done at
this time and realize handsome profit
from their sales. Farmers have found
out now that supply increased the de-
mand. The more that is sent to mar
ket of good article the more that mar
ket demands. A taste for any good
thing is not cultivated by few speci-
mems, now and then; the supply must
flow in a continual stream and the de-
mand will increase in proportion.
An Important Improvement in the Milk
House, or Dairy.