THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



young and fresh, and then turn the backward animals 

 into this beautiful autUmn pasture : they will on this 

 seldom fail to get fat. The old-fashioned course is to 

 reserve the best aftermath or eddish for this purpose, 

 and, failing this, to bring them into the hovel or 

 byre for the winter. This is wofully expensive, 

 and seldom pays. If a bullock will not get fat by the 

 above process of grazing, I would advise the graziers to 

 quit him. It is customary with most graziers to re- 

 serve a few prime animals for Christmas. I know of 

 no better course than to make the same provision for 

 their benefit as for the backward ones, except an allow- 

 ance of corn meal or cake amply sufficient to promote 

 their rapid progress — no reasonable expense must be 

 spared to get up a Christmas ox. Butchers will have 

 perfection in their Christmas beef if possible, and don't 

 mind paying for it ; short of this it becomes good or- 

 dinary beef, and is bought accordingly : very good 

 certainly ; but it don't reach the top standard. To 

 achieve this most desirable point, each animal as soon as 

 the pastures are done should have a separate byre or 

 hovel where he can roam at pleasure. He must be sup- 



plied with the best of food, i. e., turnips, carrots, cab- 

 bage, hay — all of the best quality, the root cleaned and 

 sliced or pulped, and given with the greatest regularity, 

 and then the animal must be left undisturbed. If he 

 can be kept stalled or in a dark stable or hovel all the 

 better, and an occasional or daily grooming is very ser- 

 viceable. Fatting animals seldom require the services 

 of the veterinary practitioner : the chit f point to be ob- 

 served in keeping them in a thriving condition is to 

 change their keeping if requisite ; and this will be prin- 

 cipally needed in untoward seasons, or upon an extra- 

 ordinary flush of grass or similar deviations from com- 

 mon ordinary grazing, as in seasons of drought. The 

 water becomes in many localities pernicious, when it 

 will require much care to avert injurious consequence3. 

 Nearly all these matters depend upon the judgment of 

 the grazier. " It is the eye of the master that grazeth 

 the ox." The chief changes in keeping are from a 

 nutritious to old pasturage, from bad herbage and bad 

 water to an eddish or green clover or seeds ; or if dry 

 food is indispensable an allowance of straw or hay is 

 highly advantageous. 



THE AGRICULTURAL CONDITION OF AUSTRIA. 



Although Austria has never been a very large cus- 

 tomer of ours, nor are we much indebted to her for 

 raw material or produce, the present position of affairs 

 on the continent seem to render it desirable to glance at 

 its agriculture and financial condition. With a popu- 

 lation exceeding 40,000,000 souls, Austria stands in a 

 very low rank among continental nations, both as a 

 producing and a manufacturing country. The value 

 of our imports from Austria range in value from three 

 quarters to one million per annum ; and, as regai'ds 

 agricultural products, consist chiefly of from 1,000 to 

 2,000 tons of bones, from G0,000 to 100,000 quarters 

 of grain, about 25,000 cwts, of currants, 2,000 cwts. 

 of gum arable, 200 tuns of olive oil, 25,000 to 30,000 

 cwts. of undressed hemp, 17,000 cwts. of grass and 

 clover seeds, 2,000 tons of shumac, 160,000 to 

 200,000 lamb skins, 7,000 cwts. of tallow, 250 tons of 

 Valonia, or acorn cups for tanners' use, and about 

 1 ,000,0001bs. of wool. The exports of British manu- 

 factured goods sent in return are to the value of about 

 ^1,000,000 sterling. 



The transit trade of goods through Austria to Tur- 

 key and other countries has been to the value of 

 ;£ 14,500,000 per annum. A very large proportion of 

 the trade of Austria passes the frontiers of the neigh- 

 bouring German states, from whence the imports have 

 been largely increasing in importance of late years, 

 although the exports to them have been more sta- 

 tionary. 



The interests of the nation as a whole, we are told by 

 a recent official report of our minister at Vienna, appear 

 never to have been taken into consideration : the va- 

 rioHB districts and communes continue Isolated from 



«Adx Other; and while the drcultition of ths popula- 



tion is discouraged, no endeavours are made even to 

 facilitate the interchange of the produce of the dif- 

 ferent parts of an immensely extended empire; as may 

 be seen even in the immediate neighbourhood of the 

 capital, where, during a winter of many months' du- 

 ration, the roads are still allowed to remain in a state 

 which, by the time consumed in the transport of goods, 

 and by the wear and tear of horses and men, tends 

 very materially to raise the price of all articles of con- 

 sumption, and by diminishing the profits to lessen the 

 amount sent to seek a foreign market. 



In this respect Austria cannot even bear a compari- 

 son with Russia, where the main roads— at least leading 

 to the capital — have been solidly constructed, and care- 

 fully kept in repair ; and where, when winter comes, 

 the morasses freeze, and the snow provides ready-made 

 highways for the sledge of the peasant, who at that time 

 of year being debarred from outdoor field-worii, can- 

 not be better employed than in bringing his produce to 

 market. In Austria, on the contrary, although the 

 winter is sufficiently sevei'e to put a stop to field labour 

 for several months, instead of rendering intercommu- 

 nication easier, as is the case in Russia, it in most parts 

 of the country only suffices to convert into quagmires 

 the ill-made summer roads ; and either condemns to 

 idleness a large proportion of the population, or forces 

 them to wear out their cattle in dragging half-loaded 

 carts through mile after mile of mud for a very preca- 

 rious profit. 



Owing to the difficulty of raising money, except at an 

 usurious rate of interest, and the privileges enjoyed by 

 the nobility, especially freedom from arrest for debt, 

 vast districts, capable by a moderate expenditure of 

 capital of bccomiug in lbs highest degree productive, 



