"The principal domestic animals reared for economical purposes in the United States are Horned or neat cattle the Horse the Mule Sheep and Swine. A few Asses are bred but for no other object than to keep up the supply of jacks for propagating mules. We have also goats rabbits and the house domestics the dog and cat; the two former only in ver y limited numbers but both the latter much beyond our legitimate wants. There have been a few specimens of the Alpaca imported and an arrangement is now in progress for the introduction of a flock of several hundred which if distributed among intelligent and wealthy agriculturists as proposed will test their value for increasing our agricul-tural resources. We shall confine ourselves to some general considerations connected with the first-mentioned and most important of our domestic animals."