588 THE HOME, FARM AND BUSINESS CYCLOPEDIA. 



seriously, to make this "but," once and for all, understood, we have never 

 fed Shorthorns differently from others ; if we had done so, this would be 

 no experimental station. Understand what I mean by this. If we have 

 a two-year-old Shorthorn, with a large frame, weighing 1,600 Ibs., and a 

 Hereford, exactly of the same age and of a somewhat smaller frame, 

 weighing 1,500 Ibs., we feed them according to weight and size, a little 

 more to that weighing the most ; this is in agreement with all rules of 

 common sense as well as with science and physiology not breed, because 

 we do the same thing with individuals of the like breeds : But, we have 

 never fed the Shorthorn, because he was a Shorthorn, nor the Hereford, 

 or Aberdeen Poll, because of their kind. This is the true experimental 

 idea, we think. If, 'tis said, the choice of individual bulls was bad, then 

 the reply is, that three independent judges did so ; if management by want 

 of practical knowledge is charged, then the same management had to do 

 with the other bulls that have stood so well. If the Shorthorn requires, 

 on an average, more drawing-room attention than other beefing breeds, 

 then it had better be acknowledged at once and I don't think their ad- 

 mirers need be ashamed of the fact. 



We have fattened Shorthorn grades, Hereford grades, Devon grades, 

 Ayrshire grades, and Galloway grades for beef, both in the stall and on 

 pasture, and nothing equals the Shorthorn, in giving that stamp to pro- 

 duce weight in the shortest time on Ontario conditions growth of youth 

 on good pasture, and finishing in the stall. 



The Aberdeen Poll. We hold the honour of having introduced this 

 breed to Canada as put by Mr. McDonald, the clever author of "Food from 

 the West," as well as the recent work on Aberdeen Polls, and who is also 

 editor of " The Irish Farmers' Gazette." 



Our experience, thus far, is somewhat irregular : Health and breeding 

 have been very good ; milking sure, in moderate quantity and rich, with 

 plenty of flesh both in stall and on pasture, yet we have to record an in- 

 definite sort of instability, difficult to explain I speak now of the first im- 

 ported animals and their progeny, not of 1881 purchases. The instability 

 in question has reference to a coming and going of health, especially in 

 summer, as indicated by change of coat and general " staring " of the 

 whole animal, as if going through a course of medicine. Individual ani- 

 mals of any class often do so, as everybody knows, but not a whole herd 

 of one kind. There has been no sickness actually. 



Some of the indications in the feeding, etc., of cattle, gathered by 

 experiments at the Ontario Agricultural College, are thus summarized : 



