The Country Gentleman's Magazine 



51 



PRICE OF SHORTHORNED BULLS. 



THE sum of jQ2Q for a yearling bull 

 is a small amount to a breeder who 

 pays hundreds for his stock ; yet to a dairy- 

 man or small farmer that figure would in 

 all probability represent the serving of his 

 cows through the season at ids. per head, 

 and plenty of men may be met all over the 

 country who would readily pay this price for 

 a young bull of decent appearance and 

 colour. There are two classes of bull buyers ; 

 those who possess a small herd, possibly of 

 shorthorns, for breeding purposes, and who 

 will pay up to 50 or 60 guineas, or even more, 

 for a good young bull, and those who, possess- 

 ing but dairy cows or common cattle, cannot 

 afford so high a sum. This may be readily 

 noticed at any shorthorn sale where the 

 buyers at the higher price are few in com- 

 parison with those of the other class, and the 

 result of the sale proves it. The average for 

 bulls is almost invariably under that for cows 

 — when it does exceed, it is mostly accounted 

 for by a very high price paid for some fashion- 

 able animal. Take, for instance, the result of 

 Mr Strafford's shorthorn sales last year ; 

 a year in which the yearly average was 

 greater than on any occasion, besides 

 being celebrated for the sale of a large 

 herd of various tribes at Preston Hall, where 

 the average Avas higher than has hitherto been 

 obtained for any other herd of shorthorns on 

 record. We find that 228 bulls averaged 

 ;^47, I2S, 6d., nearly four pounds under the 

 average for the 713 cows, but of these ten 

 made upwards of 200 guineas each, averaging 

 ^2^380, 6s. 6d., leaving a little over 30 guineas 

 a-piece for the remaining 218. The year 

 before, 1866, at the few sales held in the 

 autumn, during the abatement of the plague, 

 the average for 98 head was only;^23, 12s. gd. ; 

 one of these made too guineas, and several 

 were over 50 guineas. This, however, is 

 hardly a fair estimate. Take 1863, which 

 was a good year, 184 were sold for ;^28, 

 I OS. 3d. each, the highest price being 400 



and 160 guineas. In i860, the highest 

 annual number of shorthorns were sold by 

 one auctioneer; 1203 averaged ^37, iis. lod. 

 — of which 267 were bulls, and they made 

 p{^32, i8s. ; seven sold from 100 to 330 

 guineas, averaging £it6, 5s., reducing the 

 average for the 260 bulls to about ^29 ; so 

 that it appears the average has generally 

 been somewhat under ;^3o within the last 

 ten years ; and if the sales conducted by this 

 gentleman during the previous ten years were 

 taken, the average would be found consider- 

 ably lower. It has been observed at many 

 shorthorn sales in an enlightened district, 

 that bids up to 25 guineas for a good 

 coloured yearling bull are always plentifiil 

 and brisk, but above that sum they very soon 

 stop. 



One of the errors of shorthorn breeders, 

 particularly when they begin, is of rearing 

 too many bull calves, expecting to sell 

 them at a considerable price over their 

 market value, and asking exorbitant figures 

 for inferior animals. It is admitted in most 

 large herds that not above one bull in half a 

 dozen is fit to be reared : when made into 

 steers they save trouble and disappointment, 

 and often bring a few pounds over the one 

 pound for every month of their lives. If a 

 bull is hired at a long price for the season, he 

 must be put to a number of good cows, and 

 the value of the blood attracts buyers : one 

 or two of the best bull calves Avould make half 

 or more of the cost of the hiring, the second 

 best sell to small tenant farmers and dairy- 

 men, whilst the worst pay well to make into 

 steers. An aspirant to improvement is often 

 frightened out of an attempt by the high sum 

 demanded by young breeders for frequently 

 a bad-coloured plain bull ; it daunts him 

 from making the experiment, besides prevent- 

 ing him becoming a better buyer at a future 

 day, when he has seen, as he undoubtedly 

 will, the improvement made by the pedigree 



