330 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



and causes the hair to come off, so that I prefer the 

 tobacco mixture, even if two dressings are necessary. 

 The horns of heifers between one and two years old also 

 require attention. If they are not growing so kindly as 

 is desired, let them be well filed on the inner side to- 

 wards the forehead, and repeat the filing every two or 

 three months. If the horns are long, saw off the tip 

 ends, and file the points into shape. I object to the use 

 of steel screws to horns, and giving them a turn daily to 

 bring the horns forward, as they are rendered thick 

 towards the root by this process, and a thick horn is 

 more objectionable than a wide horn, or one that turns 

 backwards. When the weather is at all favourable, the 

 heifers should be turned into a sound pasture for a few 

 hours during the day. A cold bracing north wind will 

 not hurt them, but I should avoid exposing them to a 

 biting east wind, or to a cold rain. Heifers exceeding 

 twelve months old will be coming " in season" usually 

 every three weeks ; and they should be removed from 

 their fellows, and shut in a loose box till they are quiet, 

 or a broken horn or slipped liip may be the result. 

 Some breeders put their heifers to the bull at 15 

 months old, others at 20 months, and others not 

 sooner than two years old. If a heifer is strong and 

 healthy, I prefer serving her at the age of 20 months, 

 provided she would be down calving at a favourable time 

 of the year. It is desirable she should calve in May, or 

 early in June, as the heifer then has the advantage of a 

 summer's run at grass, and the season of year is most 

 favourable for cow and calf. July and August are ob- 

 jectionable months for heifers to calve in, owing to the 

 heat which usually prevails, and the greater tendency to 

 inflammation after calving. For this reason, I should 

 let a 20 months' heifer pass for two months before I 

 put her to the bull, rather than she should calve in the 

 hot weather. A heifer served at 15 months is liable to 

 be checked in her growth, and frequently proves a mean 

 little cow ; a heifer served at 20 months old is more 

 likely to stand to her bulling, and to be a regular breeder 

 afterwards, than one which is two years old before she 

 is bulled, and with good keep the growth of the former 

 is not checked. The two years old heifer will be getting 

 fat, if well bred, and frequently is very troublesome to 

 get to breed. Of the means to be employed to ensure a 

 heifer being in-calf, I will speak presently. A cow 

 usually goes 280 days, or 40 weeks, with calf. Should 

 she exceed this time, she generally produces a bull calf. 

 Assuming, then, that our heifer, 20 months old, is 

 served and in-calf on the 1st of August, she will be due 

 to calve on the 9th of May following ; and if all goes on 

 well, she will keep her time within three or four days 

 under or over that date. A " calving-table" is given 

 annually in that useful work, "Johnson and Shaw's 

 Farmer's Almanac" ; the calculations are made for forty 

 weeks, and a reference to this table will save time in cal- 

 culating dates. After the heifer has calved six weeks, if 

 she is healthy and strong, she may again be put to the 

 bull ; and as soon as it is ascertained that she is in-calf, 

 which will most probably be the case if she passes six 

 weeks after being served without coming in season, I 

 should advise her being gradually dried of milk, and put 



the calf to nurse. This will give the heifer a good rest, 

 and by the time she is again down calving will have reco- 

 vered her condition, and grown into a fine cow. But 

 the heifer should not be dried until it is ascertained as 

 correctly as possible that'she is safe in-calf, as a heifer so 

 dried is very difficult to be afterwards got with calf. 



Similar shelter and yard-room to that suggested for 

 yearlings is also desirable for heifers in-calf. From 

 three to six can lie together, according to the size of the 

 yard and shed ; but they should have room to move 

 about freely. If such yards with open sheds do not ex- 

 ist, the heifers should lie in separate boxes at night, and 

 be turned into a foldyard or paddock during the day. 

 A mixture of hay and sweet barley or oat straw cut into 

 chaff, from half a bushel to a bushel of sliced swedes, 

 given at twice, and 3lbs. of linseed cake per day, is my 

 usual winter food for heifers in- calf. 



The linseed cake can be entirely withdrawn when the 

 heifer is within three months of calving, if she is in good 

 condition, and has a tendency to lay-on flesh ; but if 

 otherwise, this moderate quantity of oilcake will help to 

 keep her bowels open, and her body healthy, without 

 making her gross. I should prefer reducing her supply 

 of dry food, and mixing brewer's grains with the chaff, 

 to taking off the oilcake altogether. In February I 

 substitute wurzel for swedes, mixing the roots at first, 

 and I do not exceed three pecks of wurzel at the two 

 meals. In turning heifers in-calf together in a yard for 

 the first time, they should be watched, to prevent fight- 

 ing, and any vicious animal should be removed ; the 

 sudden attack of one heifer on another being quite suffi- 

 cient to produce the " slip," which is so serious a draw- 

 back to the breeding of shorthorns. The constant use 

 of linseed cake, in addition to roots and mixed chaff, for 

 winter food, may be considered expensive feeding for 

 breeding heifers, especially by those breeders who turn 

 their young stock into open yards for the winter, and 

 give them a few turnips and straw only. That heifers 

 will live on this low diet I do not deny, but they will not 

 thrive; and linseed cake not only improves the condi- 

 tion of the animals, but it keeps them in health, and 

 heifers when so fed are always fit for a purchaser's in- 

 spection. At no age does the shorthorn show to greater 

 advantage than from 18 months to 3 years ; therefore it 

 is sound policy to keep heifers in a fresh and blooming 

 state, that the breeder may ensure a high price if he has 

 such stock to part from. Heifers can seldom be turned 

 out to grass in the spring before the 1st of May ; it is 

 not desirable to leave them out for the night until all 

 fear of frost is over, as much grass is checked and de- 

 stroyed by stocking too early. Heifers are generally 

 housed for the night by the 1st of October; but the 

 weather must entirely guide the breeder in this matter. 

 In fine and mild seasons, stock may remain in 

 the fields until November, whereas heavy rains in 

 the month of September may render it necessary to 

 house your stock before INIichaelmas day. The autumn 

 of 1857 was remarkable for mild and dry weather, and 

 for the great abundance of grass, enabling the breeder 

 to let his choicest animals remain in the pastures day 

 and night (with the exception of two or three days) un- 



