278 9 CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



Flat and barren ground (moorlands). Mean temperature in summer, 

 72; mean temperature in winter, 44. 



THE LIMOUSIN CATTLE. 



Description. Buff color, with a paler hue at tlie inner part of the 

 limbs ; large soft eyes, surrounded, as well as tl^e muzzle, by a whitish 

 circle. Smaller than the Garonnais, but larger than the Bazadais, thus 

 giving an average height of about 4 feet 6 inches for the cow and 5 

 feet for the bull. There is a great variety in the size of the animals, 

 owing to the places where they are raised. They have a softer skin anc? 

 are much finer and less bony than the Garonnais. Body rather long , 

 withers high and not muscular; hind quarters narrow; short neck; 

 thick head ; horns pale, with brownish tips, flattened towards the base, 

 not always well bent, turned forward and often downward. The cow 

 is small, delicately shaped, and would be remarkably fine if not over- 

 worked. She has round ribs and well-made hips; is very spirited, and 

 works much more quickly than the ox, which goes slowly and lazily. 

 The cow gives scarcely any milk. The cause of this difference is that 

 the cow is the exclusive product of the locality, which is poor, whereas 

 the male calves and young oxen are the objects of an active trade, and 

 are bought by persons who take them into richer countries, where they 

 are fed preparatory for work and the slaughter-house. The difference 

 in the diet makes the difference in the size. The Limousin makes flesh 

 more rapidly than the Garonnais, and the quality of the meat is superior. 



A pair of working oxen bring from $240 to $280. When specially 

 fattened a Limousin ox will weigh about 2,200 pounds. 



Grazing grounds of the Limousin. The altitude of the country is 

 300 feet above sea-level. 



Highest temperature in summer 90; lowest temperature in winter, 

 10. Soil of the primitive period, formed by the desegregation of 

 granitic, gneissoid, porphyric, and feldspathic stones. 



The arable ground is clayish, gravelly, or sandy, without a sufficient 

 thickness, which causes many large plains to be covered with heath. 

 The substratum is clayish or loamy, rather permeable. 



The cultivation is biennial. First year, fallow, black wheat, radish, 

 and potatoes ; second year, rye or wheat. 



The soil is undulating, the climate damp and cold, and liable to great 

 variations of temperature. 



Besides the above principal breeds, this district contains a few other 

 of lesser importance which never come on the market of Bordeaux, and 

 which, for that reason, are not known. 



HOW TO EXPORT CATTLE PROM BORDEAUX TO THE UNITED STATES. 



The best and only method of direct exportation to the United States 

 from Bordeaux is by the Bordeaux Steamship Company, which makes 

 regular monthly voyages. The conditions of the company, submitted to 

 the emigration laws, are the following : 



(1) Only ten head of cattle can be carried at a time. 



(2) The animals will be placed on deck. 



(3) The freight for each animal will be $80, including shipping, land- 

 ing, attendance on board during the passage, and accommodation. 



\4) The food will be provided by the shipper. The daily food re- 

 quired for an animal on board is 10 pounds of hay and 8 pounds of 

 bran. The wholesale price of hay is about 80 cents per 100 pounds. 



