THE PRICE OF LIVE STOCK. 329 



ploughing, it being the practice of our forefathers to plough 

 their land thrice, except on the rare occasions when no fallow 

 intervened. Now, says my author, the cost of a horse during 

 twenty-five weeks b between St. Luke's day, Oct. i8th, and 

 Holy Cross, May 3rd, is 12*. 5^., without forage and chaff, 

 this sum being made up by one-sixth of a bushel of oats daily, 

 valued at a halfpenny, twelve penny-worth of herbage in the 

 summer, and a penny a week for shoeing. Whereas an ox, he 

 says, can be kept for the same time on twelve penny-worth of 

 herbage, and on three and a half bundles of oats in ear every 

 week, twelve of such bundles containing a bushel. He thus 

 reckons the cost of an ox at y. yd. for the same period. 

 Besides, he says, when an ox gets old you may fatten and 

 eat him, and get something considerable for his skin, whereas 

 there is no such economy in a horse, whose flesh is worthless 

 and hide of little value. 



The same author gives the following advice as to breeding 

 cattle. Bull calves for the first month should have the whole 

 of the cow's milk, and afterwards a teat should be taken every 

 week, so that they should be weaned by the end of the second 

 month care being taken that plenty of food be supplied to the 

 calf, and that he be encouraged to eat. Cow calves, on the 

 other hand, should have all the milk for three weeks, and then 

 be weaned in the same gradual manner as the bull calves c. 

 While they are young, calves should be supplied with abundance 

 of water, since nothing is so likely to produce lung disease as 

 lack of water. If however, despite all your care, sickness 

 overtakes your cattle, spare no pains and expense to meet the 

 evil in time; and remember the proverb" translated in the 

 Latin version, Benedicts nummus c^ul sal-vat solldum^ but infinitely 

 more expressive in the Norman-French "Beneyt le dener ^e 

 salue le deus, Blessed is the penny which saves two." It is a 



b The period is really twenty-eight weeks. 



r It should be observed, however, that milk is often purchased and sold in order to 

 supply the calves ; and as a rule, to which there are very few exceptions, at a penny the 

 gallon. As this kind of entry is often found in manor accounts, it gives indirect evidence of 

 the fact that cows were generally kept by the snull proprietors. 



