that that volume may not have fallen into the hands of many of the readers of this work, it will not, I hope, be deemed improper to give it a place here, even if it had been only reprinted without alteration; but the additions now made to it are such as to render it, in a great measure, a new work.

My idea respecting disquisitions on agriculture is, that nothing should be deemed perfect which can be rendered more so, and that this degree of perfection should be the object aimed at in every such disquisition. With this view, the circumstances that can tend to affect the particular department in question so as to augment or diminish the amount of the produce, or to improve or deteriorate its quality, ought to be, as much as possible, adverted to, in order that those who wish to improve by such disquisitions may be directed, not only how to act so as to derive the full benefit of all the knowledge that the writer himself pofsefses, but also that they may have their attention turned towards such unascertained circumstances as would have a tendency still farther to perfect the practice in that department, were they known. Thus will they be able to go on with intelligence in every step of their progrefs, and be continually advancing, by ascertaining some facts that their experience shall enable them to discover.

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In taking a comprehensive survey of the business of the dairy with this view, we shall find that the subject naturally divides itself into many branches, which will best be considered in succefsion; the first that we shall take notice of, as being nearly connected with the sub

1st. The choice of cattle for the purposes of the

dairy.

Here a question arises which has never yet, that I know of, undergone discussion. In consequence of the idea having so long prevailed, that all the varieties. of cattle were originally derived from the same parent stock, it never was once suspected, that these varieties could differ from each other in regard to great characteristical distinctions. It was, for example, generally believed, that all sheep carried wool of some kind or other, unless in as far as (according to a vague notion that prevailed respecting the influence of climate) it had been affected by the climate. It has now been proved, that this notion is erroneous; and that in the same climate, and in the same field, may be kept sheep bearing fine wool, coarse wool, long hair, short hair, and many other diversities and different mixtures of hair and wool, for their whole life, and still retain their original characteristical differences. In like manner it was believed, that no kinds of cattle existed. which carried a coat that could in any degree be compared to a fleece of wool; and it was also supposed, that the size of cattle necefsarily depended on the scarcity or the abundance of their food, especially while young: these also have been proved to be equally erroneous with the former opinion. It was also, in general, conceived, that the greater or less delicacy of meat of the same denomination, such as beef or mutton, depended chiefly on the kind of feeding which the animal had had, sometimes in connexion with the age of the creature; but it was not suspected, that a

great diversity in this particular might arise from the nature of the breed: in like manner it was known, that some cattle gave more or lefs milk, and of a quality in proportion to their size richer or poorer; but it does not as yet seem to be imagined, that different breeds may yield milk which pofsefses qualities extremely different from each other, though I see very great reason to believe that this may actually be the case; and that therefore it behoves us to be on our guard, and carefully to attend to this particular. We know that the milk of those breeds of sheep usually reared in this country, differs very much from that of our common cows for many economical purposes. Ewes milk, for example, though fully as thick as that of cows, yields very little cream, and that cream gives butter of a quality greatly inferior to what is obtained from the milk of cows; but, on the other hand, the same measure of ewes milk will give more than double the quantity of curd that our cows milk affords. Goats milk, if my information be right, gives still lefs cream, and scarcely any butter, but a very large proportion of cheese, and little whey. Hence, for the purpose of the dairy, ewes milk can be much more profitably. applied to making cheese than butter; and the same may be said of goats milk. Hence also it happens, that cheese is the principal produce of the dairy in Switzerland and other mountainous countries best adapted for the pasturage of goats; while in the Netherlands, Holland, and similar rich flat countries, butter is the staple article obtained from the milk.

I state these facts merely to show that the qualities

poses, when that variation is not obviously indicated by its external appearance. It therefore behoves us to keep this circumstance continually in our eye in all our researches concerning the choice of cattle for the purposes of the dairy; as it is by no means certain, that some breeds may not give milk that may - much more nearly approach the nature of that of ewes. or goats than others. To shew the benefit that may on some occasions be derived from this kind of attention, I shall beg leave to state an accidental experiment which brought a circumstance of this kind to light, where it was not in the smallest degree suspected.

A friend of mine, who kept only a single cow for the use of his own family, bought in one (from a person who kept from fifteen to twenty cows, chiefly for the purpose of rearing calves, but in a subsidiary view for the dairy), which was recommended as an excellent cow that gave a large quantity of milk for her size, and that of a most excellent quality. This last was a circumstance of great consequence to my friend, who took care to taste the milk, and found it excellent, I believe before the bargain was finally completed. But, although that milk was thick and rich to the taste, it never could be made to yield one bit of butter, though they tried every method that could be devised for that purpose; on which account he was obliged very soon to part with the cow. Now, it chanced that this cow had given milk for three seasons before she was sold, without its having been ever discovered or suspected that her milk did not give as much butter as that of any other cow in the dairy.

This experiment proves, in the first place, that there may be individual cows among a great number which yield milk that pofsefses qualities extremely different from those in general of that breed, although to the eye and the taste it appears not to differ from them at all; and therefore it behoves every person who wishes to conduct this business with a proper degree of attention and economy, always to ascertain the qualities of the milk of every cow individually, as soon as she is turned into the dairy; otherwise he may, like the person to whom this cow originally belonged, be going on for years together, and never know that he is subjecting himself to a great expence daily, without drawing any return for it. Innumerable other benefits will be found to result from the practice of keeping each cow's milk separate as much as pofsible, and examining it individually very often; for not only may the milk of one cow be, upon the whole, of a much inferior quality to that of another, and yield a much poorer return, which might thus be discovered; but it also may so happen, that from casual disease, or other circumstances, the milk of one cow may become tainted at a particular time with a peculiar taste or other quality which may greatly injure the whole stock if it be mixed with it, and occasion lofs and other unaccountable inconveniencies to the owner, which by this caution might be avoided: besides, he will thus avoid the danger of being induced, with that hasty decisiveness so common in rural affairs, to attribute the effects that arise from this unsuspected source to other circumstances that have had no influence what