52 Cross-Breeding Cattle. 



ox is fitted for a large amount of bulky food not necessarily all 

 of a very nutritious kind. This must be filled before he lies 

 down to ruminate contentedly. He can and will eat as much of 

 rich food as of the comparatively innutritious sort, but not with 

 an equally good effect. His system cannot assimilate more than 

 a moderate quantity of the flesh or fat forming substances con- 

 tained in rich food, and consequently it becomes overloaded and 

 irritated so that scouring is produced, especially at the first. All 

 who are acquainted with the feeding of cattle know that when 

 first put upon turnips— as many as they can eat — they for a 

 considerable time get worse in condition, instead of improving. 

 This is particularly the case with cattle low in condition, and could 

 be entirely avoided by the judicious use of the pulper. Besides, 

 the argument for its use at first, applies with no less force to its 

 general adoption. Although the cattle with which we have to 

 do are seldom low in condition, still we consider it a duty to 

 economise as much as we can the available food for live stock, 

 as a means of increasing the number of our cattle and, conse- 

 quently, the supply of beef for the public. The demand for 

 beef and mutton is not met by a corresponding supply ; let us 

 then welcome every implement which can help us to either to 

 grow more food or economise its consumption. 



Y.— On Cross-Breeding Cattle. By G. Murray. 



I PROPOSE in this paper to consider briefly the chief means 

 within our reach for cross-breeding, and the chief inducements 

 which encourage us to make the attempt; to take a rapid survey 

 of the principal changes already wrought, casually or designedly, 

 in various counties in England and in Scotland, and of the most 

 important breeds employed to that end ; that after this intro- 

 duction I may direct more special attention to a scheme for 

 establishing a new breed, which has been carried out deliberately 

 and systematically under my personal observation. 



Although the improvements of our breeds of cattle has long 

 received the close attention of a few energetic agriculturists, it is 

 only of late years that our efforts have become general, scientific, 

 and systematic. 



The modern breeder has now a great advantage over his pre- 

 decessors, because the pains taken by one generation has much 

 facilitated the labours of their successors and enabled them to 

 enlarge their sphere of operations. The first point was thoroughly 

 to establish certain breeds of indubitable purity, as attested by 

 authentic records : this was a work of time, yet it was a necessary 



