A Treatise on Sheep

"The truth of the Greek proverb, that "a great bookis a great evil," is no where more apparent than in theconstruction of works on agricultural concerns. Those whohave attended to the subject well know, that the profitablemanagement of live-stock is by far the most difficult branchof farming, as it is here that improvement is peculiarlytardy; and from this we might infer that authors wouldendeavour so to arrange and simplify their treatises as toenable every one to obtain the bearings of the study at thesmallest possible expense and trouble. Such, however, isnot the case. Many would appear to have done their bestso to dilute and mystify the little which is known about thematter, that it is nearly impossible for any one, not giftedwith more than ordinary power of application, to arriveat any thing like just conclusions."