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Vol. III.
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22

ON THE LIVE-STOCK

3. It is the practice of skilful managers, to keep animals in-tended for the butcher in a state of progressive improvement.The finer breeds are highly fed from their birth, and are al-most always fat. With other breeds, and on pastures of in-ferior quality, this is neither necessary nor practicable. Butin every case, the same principle of improvement should beadhered to, and no such animals ever allowed to lose flesh,in the idea of afterwards restoring it by better feeding.

4. The size should never be above that which the pasturescan support in a thriving condition. The attempt to raisethem to an undue size by crossing, has been already cen-sured.

5. The best pasture is commonly allotted to that portion ofthe stock which goes to market annually; the next in quali-ty to the breeders; and the coarser pastures to the young orgrowing stock.

Lastly, The food, whatever it may be, should not be toosuddenly changed. It is always unprofitable to bring leananimals immediately from coarse to rich pastures; and achange from dry to succulent food, and vice versa , shouldbe effected gradually.

It has been thought best, in a work of this kind, to express■weights and measures in the standards most generally knownover the island. Whenever, therefore, they are not other-wise designated, the avoirdupois weight, of 16 ounces to thepound, and 14 pounds to the stone, the Winchester bushelor quarter, the gallon of wine measure or its subdivisions,and the English statute acre, are to be understood. TheScotch weights and measures, when it is necessary to men-tion them separately, shall be reduced to those standards,