CATTLE. 389 



Crossed witli good native cows or Devons, thej make excellent 

 working oxen. Improved Stock is the aim of every enterpris- 

 ing farmer. It costs no more to raise and keep a pure " Sbort- 

 liorn" or "Jersey"' than a common scrub, but for any conceiva 

 ble purpose they are superior. They will give more milk, 

 more valuable calves, and when past service more beef, on the 

 same amount of feed. It is not, however, within the means of 

 many farmers to buy a herd of pure breeds at three hundred 

 or four hundred dollars each, nor is it necessary. Get one 

 bull and one cow of the breed best adapted to your wants, 

 or else arrange with a neighbor to purchase the one and you the 

 other. Breed your best grade cows to the bull and you will 

 soon find a great improvement in your stock. i^Tow dispose of 

 those animals that do not come up to your standard of excel- 

 lence; cows that do not conceive readily, oi tlmt are liable to 

 abortion, no matter how good milkers they may be ; breed from 

 none of the grade bulls, but keep the bulls from the two pure 

 animals first purchased for breeding purposes. It is perfectl}' 

 safe to breed in and in, unless you discover some defect in the 

 stock, when a cross can be made with some other pure bred 

 stock. None but pure bred animals are certain of reproducing 

 their characteristics in their progeny. A grade bull will some- 

 times do it, but it is mere chance work, and cannot be relied 

 upon. It will not do however, in these crosses, to breed the 

 small cow to the large bull, but the small Devon or Alderney 

 bull to the Shorthorn cow, or the large native or gi'ade cow 

 usually produces good results. Breeding Cows, that is those 

 kept for breeding choice stock, when they are discovered to be 

 in heat should be immediately put by themselves until they can 

 be introduced to the bull. This should be done in some quiet 

 place with no other animals about, and above all, no crowd of 

 men and boys, as is often the case. There should be no attempt 



