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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



good and regular supply of cows. 1 have used a bull 

 which was fed simply on barley-straw and half-a-bushel 

 of cut swedes daily. On this diet he would serve a cow 

 a day, and stop them ; but double his allowance of 

 swedes, and give him 3 or 4 lbs. of linseed-cake daily, 

 with hay, and he would soon cease to serve. Another 

 bull, apparently short of stamina, would not serve at all 

 on low diet, but stopped his cows when he was allowed 

 4 lbs. linseed-cake daily, with swedes and hay. It some- 

 times happens that a bull which is ready and active at 

 serving cows, and apparently labours under no defect, 

 will not get the cows with calf. I have never been so 

 unfortunate as to use a bull of this description ; but I 

 know gentlemen who have, and who could in no way 

 account for the bull's incompetency. When breeders 

 have only one working bull, it is extremely mortifying 

 to find him so worthless, as a whole herd of cows may 

 lose a season before it is clearly ascertained where the 

 fault lies. 



Bulls cease to work at different ages. Many fail to 

 serve at five or six years, whilst others work satisfac- 

 torily until ten or twelve years old, Mr. Bates' " Btl- 

 videre" served well and got calves until sixteen. Mr. 

 Henry Smith, of Drax Abbey, used " Pilgrim" 

 (4701), and " Captain Shaftoe" (6833), until each of 

 them were thirteen years old ; and I have Mr. Smith's 

 authority for saying that the late calves by these bulls 

 were quite equal to the early ones. Mr. Richard Booth's 

 " Baron Warlaby," calved in May, 1845, I believe is 

 serving cows at this time; and his " Vanguard," calved 

 in April, 1847, is let out on hire at a great sum, and is 

 working well. I have proved, and my opinion is con- 

 firmed by the most experienced breeders, that a bull in 

 full vigour and health will serve six cows a week, and is 

 quite as likely to get all of them with calf asif he only 

 served one cow a week. 



In-and-in breeding is considered detrimental to the 

 working of bulls, and cases are cited of bulls closely 

 bred which have proved slow and bad servers. Yet we 

 must be cautious how we pronounce a strong condemna- 

 tion against close breeding. We all know how nearly 

 the late Mr. Bates' shorthorns were allied, the daughter 

 being sometimes bulled by her sire, the dam by her own 

 son, and so on. Yet Mr. Bates' blood, at several sub- 

 sequent sales, realized enormous prices ; and the best 

 strains of his stock are still eagerly contended for. 



The herd of Mr. Booth, of Warlaby, is a remarkable 

 example of breeding from the same stock for a long 

 period, the bull Exquisite (8048), from the Wiseton Sale 

 in 1846, being the only animal introduced for a " cross" 

 for many years. Yet this celebrated breeder not only 

 exhibited the " best shorthorn cow," and the " best 

 yearling heifer," at our late Chester Show of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society, but his bulls are so eagerly sought 

 after that he is unable to keep pace with the demand for 

 them. The enormous sums of 100, 200, and even 250 

 guineas per annum are paid him for the hire of a bull ; 

 his calves are bespoken whilst they are yet sucking ; and 

 his income from the letting out of bulls alone (as none 

 are sold) is eqml to that of most of our country squires 

 from their broad acres. His Imperial Majesty the Em- 



peror of France, and his Royal Highness the Prince 

 Consort, each patronise this remarkable herd for a bull ; 

 and some of his numerous stock have not been seen by 

 Mr, Booth for ten years, having been moved from one 

 herd to another without I'etuniing home. 



As it is not my object to call attention to any parti- 

 cular herd of shorthorns further than to elucidate my 

 subject, I refrain from pursuing this inquiry, which is, 

 however, full of interest to the breeders of shorthorns. 



As the tempter of no animal is more uncertain than 

 that of the bull, he should always be approached with 

 caution, but without fear. The sunie man should attend 

 to him as much as possible ; and though the bull should 

 usually lie loose, he should be tied up at certain times, 

 and accustomed to bs handled by the master or by 

 strangers, as well as by his attendant. Where it is not 

 convenient for bulls to run out with the cows, exercise 

 must be given them in other ways. A strongly-fenced 

 yard adjoining tho bull's shed, into which he can be turned 

 during the day, is very essential; besides which, the bull 

 will be all the better if led out for an hour four or five 

 days in the week. A bull constantly chaimd up, and 

 not allowed exercise or liberty, is as likely to turn savage 

 as a yard dog similarly treated. From the earliest ages 

 our subject has caused anxiety and inquiry to all who 

 were interested in the breeding of cattle; and Job, in 

 his affliction, alludes to the peculiar prosperity of the 

 wicked, inasmuch as " their bull gendereth, and faileth 

 not : their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf." We 

 may safely as>iume that "high feeding," to which so 

 many of the mischances in breeding are attributed, was 

 but little known or practised in the days of Job, so far 

 as breeding animals were concerned ; yet we find the 

 man considerei fortunate and prosperous beyond his 

 fellows who possessed a bull which ''gendereth and 

 faileth not"; or a cow which " calveth, and casteth not 

 her calf." 



I have previously spoken of the value of a good cow- 

 man, and of the qualifications be should jiossess; but 

 an intelligent, vigilant, and watchful master is indis- 

 pensable in the management of a herd of shorthorns. 

 He must have a quick eye, to detect the shortcomings of 

 bis men, or the failings in his stock; and he must fre- 

 quently inspect personally the feeding of calves, milk- 

 ing of cows, management of bulls, the preparation and 

 application of food ; and note the effect of different 

 kinds of food on the animals. It is seldom also that a 

 master can go round his premises without seeing waste- 

 fulness to be checked, carelessness to be reproved, or 

 temper to be subdued. Violence to bulls should be im- 

 mediately repressed, as they do not soon forget an in- 

 jury, and will retaliate when opportunity offers. 



Few descriptions of stock require greater forethought 

 and care than a breeding herd of shorthorns. As the 

 writer of this article, I may add that I have devoted 

 much time and thought to the study of these interesting 

 animals, and I am firmly convinced that in this, as in 

 every pursuit where excellence is desired, a mail's time 

 and energies must be largely devoted to his business. 



In founding a herd of shorthorns, the young breeder 

 should commence with a choice few, and spare no pains 



