21S 



from lands of nearly the same quality as those destined for their recep- 

 tion. The larger beasts are preferable for the most luxuriant pastures, 

 while in such as are less rich small stock answers best. Thus, the farmer 

 •who has fertile meadows, or deep marsh land, seeded to timothy or 

 other artificial grasses, may select the Short-Horns, or Herefords ; but he 

 who has only indifferent grass should take care to proportion the size of 

 Bis beasts to the goodness of their pasture, and I believe would be more 

 successful \rith. the North Devons, for it is better to have cattle rather too 

 small than too large for the quality of the land. Hence it is found, in 

 England, that in the rich grazing countries of Durham and Lincoln, the 

 large breeds are chosen ; while in Norfolk and Suffolk, the Galloways 

 and West Highlanders are preferable to other breeds, being better suited 

 to the lightness of the soil ; and in the south-western counties, the North 

 Devons predominate, although much of Somersetshire, in particular, is 

 of superior grazing qualities. In that county I was engaged in rearino- 

 and fattening cattle extensively, and can give you some idea of the fertil- 

 ity of the land, when I state that we usually allotted one ox to the acre, 

 t& which a sheep is sometimes added, and both would be well fatted 

 during the summer months ; but, fertile as those districts are, they are 

 surpassed by the richer land of Lincolnshire, the best of which will sup- 

 port one ox and fourteen large sheep during the whole summer on two 

 acres, and five sheep on a similar space of land in the winter, or sixteen 

 sheep on one acre throughout the summer. I have been told of some 

 instances where one hundred and ten Lincolnshire sheep and fifteen short- 

 horns have been fattened on fifteen acres — the last mentioned animals 

 having been put to Spring grass out of the straw-yard, and fattened to 

 the weight of eleven hundred and thirty pounds, carcass weight, by the 

 ensuing Michaelmas. 



With the exception of the Scotch cattle, I have reared and fattened 

 some of all the other breeds herein referred to, and have found that the 

 Short Horns and Herefords require very rich and much additional food, 

 with greater care, and warmer shelter than the North Devons, and for 

 that reason kept none but Devon bulls. In fact, I could procure more 

 beef per acre of the North Devon pure breed than with the Short-Horns 

 or their crosses, and therefore always preferred purchasing the former for 

 grazing and breeding. In addition to this, their superior qualities for 

 working, and their hardier constitutions are the principal reasons why I 

 give them the preference for general use in this country, being better 



