He began his improvements of sheep, by selecting from the best in his neighbourhood. And so little had any correct principle of improvement been known, or regarded, that a guinea or half a guinea extraordinary would give Mr. Bakewell the choice of any sheep in any flock. And his uncommon sagacity enabled him, by the best selections and judicious crossings, to form a breed distinguished above all others, for _the disposition to fatten_, _early maturity_, _a form indicating strength of constitution_, _weight in the most valuable parts_, with _lightness of offals_. Mr. Young expresses his opinion, that there is not a breed of any sort of live stock in Great Britain, that does not derive its improvement from the skill, knowledge and principles of Mr. Bakewell. Another eminent Agriculturalist declares, (and Mr. Young does not think he exaggerates) "that Mr. Bakewell enabled those who followed his ideas, to produce two pounds of mutton where only one was produced before." Mr. Young adds, that Bakewell was the most careful feeder of stock that he ever met with, and who made his food go the farthest. To horses and cattle in stalls, he did not permit more than a handful of hay to be given at a time; and the same economy was used in all other feeding.--But his stocks were so large as to require one or more persons to be appropriated to that service. This practice, in our small farms and with our small stocks, cannot be fully adopted; but it may be imitated, in some degree, during the season (winter) most requiring such attention. By feeding them in this manner, the cattle will doubtless _eat more_, but they will _waste less_; so that while, in the whole, no more fodder will be consumed, the stock will be put into much better plight. Cleanliness, also, will materially contribute to the health and thriving of stock. The common cattle-stalls of our country are so ill contrived, and so straitened in their dimensions, that the cattle are constrained to lie down, in part in their own dung. This dries and forms a thick coat on their hind quarters, from which they are not relieved till they shed their hair in the spring. They are thus rendered _uncomfortable_; to be _uncomfortable_ is to suffer some degree of _pain_; and no one will suppose that animals in _pain_ can _thrive_, or _preserve their plight_, with the same food, equally with others perfectly at ease. Even hogs, though prone to wallow in the mire, in warm weather, are always pleased with a dry bed, and thrive best when kept clean. I have some where read an account of an experiment made with two, confined in separate pens, and fed exactly alike: one was suffered to be constantly foul with the mire of his sty; the other, washed every day, and kept clean, far outstripped the former in thriving.