COUNTIES OF ELGIN AND NAIRN. 103 



to the regular feeding of stock. After the feeding cattle are a 

 short time on yellow turnips, a mixture of swedes and yellows 

 is given, and thus the animals are gradually accustomed to the 

 richer variety of roots. The gradual change prevents any dis- 

 arrangement or check which might result from a sudden transi- 

 tion from one kind of food to another. Manv farmers give cake 

 or bruised grain all winter along with turnips and straw or hay, 

 beginning with a pound or two per head per day, and increasing 

 the allowance to 3, 4, or perhaps 5 or 6 lbs., as the animals 

 approach maturity. A great many, however, give no artificial 

 food, except during the last six weeks or so, when they give 2 

 or 3 lbs. of oilcake and 2 or 3 lbs. of bruised grain, generally 

 oats, Indian corn, or rye, to each animal per day. Some farmers 

 use large quantities of pulped food, consisting of cut turnips, 

 straw, and chaff, along with some artificial material, all fer- 

 mented together. It would be well, we think, if this system of 

 preparing food were more extensively pursued. Cattle put up 

 to be fattened receive at the outset from 70 to 100 lbs., or 

 perhaps more, of turnips per day, with about 1 lb. of cake and 

 corn. As the animals progress, the allowance is curtailed to 

 from 60 or 80 lbs. per day, when the supply of artificial stuffs 

 is increased to several pounds. The earlier housed animals are 

 usually ready for the Christmas markets, when two-year-olds 

 weio-h from 6 to 8 cwt. Fat cattle come into the market all 

 through the season, from Christmas to May, when three-year- 

 old heifers, prime fat, weigh from 5 to 7 cwt, and stots from 6 to 

 9 J cwt. each. Young cattle, during the winter, principally subsist 

 on turnips and straw. The selling rate of fat cattle varies very 

 considerably. In 1857 the average rate per cwt. was from 64s. 

 to 66s.; in 1872, 78s. to 82s.; and in 1881, from 72s. to 74s. 

 In the spring and summer of 1882 it rose greatly, and at 

 different periods during these two seasons it exceeded 80s. per 

 cwt. 



fforses. 



While there has been vast improvement effected in the 

 breeding and rearing of cattle in these two counties during the 

 past twenty-five years, the breeding and rearing of liorses have 

 also received increased attention. The desire to improve the 

 breed of horses seems to have sprung up about 1820, and for 

 many years good streams of Clydesdale blood have been playing 

 freely within th(^.se counties. There are many excellent horses 

 of pure-bred Clydesdale l)lood to be met with in the lowlands, 

 but there are also many animals of a mixed breed. It is 

 desirable, however, that farmers should be .still more careful in 

 the selection of stallions. The stock of mares is good, and 

 when mated with high class Clydesdale sires seldom fail to 



