FARMERS' RECtISTER— OF THE BULL. 



209 



"Neat cattle cast no teeth until turned two years 

 old, when they get two new teeth^ at three they 

 get two more; and in every succeeding year get 

 two, until five years old, when they are called/if iZ- 

 mnullied, though they arc not properly full-mouth- 

 ed until six years old, because the two corner teeth, 

 whirh are last in renewing, are not periectly up 

 unlil they arc six."* • . 



The horns of neat cattle also supply anotlier 

 criterion by which the judgement may be assisted, 

 atler the signs alTorded by the teeth become uncer- 

 tain. When three years .old, their horns are 

 smooth and handsome; after which period there 

 ajjpears a circle, or Wrinkle, which is annitally in- 

 creased as long as the horn remains; so that, ac- 

 cording to.the number of these circles or rings, the 

 age of a' beast may be ascertained with tolerable 

 precision, unless such~ wrinkles are defaced, or 

 artificicilly removed, by scraping or filing; a fraud- 

 ulent practice-, which is but too frequently adopted, 

 in order to deceive the ignorant or ine.x|ierienced 

 purchaser with respect to the real age of the ani- 

 mal. These circles, however, must not be con- 

 founded with those ringlets which are sometimes 

 found at the root of the horn,, and. which are a 

 pretty sure indication that the animal had been ill- 

 fed during its growth: another cprnmon consequence 

 of which is, that the horns are crooked and un- 

 sightly. There is also a tip at the extremity of the 

 horn, which falls otl" about the third year. 



The bull is termed a 6«//cfl7/' until he is one year 

 old, and then a yearling bull, or, in some places, a 

 stirk, and afterwards a two, thrw, four, aiid five 

 years old bull, until. six, when he is aged. When 

 castrated, he is called an ox, or stot-calf, until a 

 yearling, and then a steer, until four, when he be- 

 comes an ox, or bullock. The cow does not assume 

 that name until four years old, previous to which 

 she is called, first a cow-calf, and then a yearling, 

 two, and three years old heifer, or qiiey.- 



Of the Bull, ' , , 



In the precedingchapter,3ome general remarks 

 on the purch-asing of cattle have been made, and a 

 few characteristic features have been pointed out, 

 in order to assist the young adventurer in this 

 branch oC rural eccfnomy. But, as the 7nale of 

 every species is the principal in the breed and ge- 

 neratioji, it will not be uaeless to give an account 

 of that form or shape Ayhich is soessential to the' 

 constituting of a perfect animal. 



A bull, then, ought to be the most handsome of. 

 his kind; he should be tall and weilinade; his head 

 should be rather long, but not coarse, as fineness 

 of head indicates a dispos'tion to fatten; and, as it 

 is designed by nature to be the chief instrument 

 both of offence andof defence, itoiigiit to present 

 every mark of strength;! his horns clean and 

 bright; his large black eyes lively and protuberant; 

 his forehead broad and close set, with short, curled 

 hair; his ears long and thin, hairy within and with- 

 out: muzzle fine; nostrils wide and open; neck strojig 



* CuUpy on Live Stock, pp. 208; 200. 



t The Ayrshire dairy farmers, however, who pay 

 very close attention to the perfection of their breed, 

 prefer their dairy balls according to the feminine aspect 

 of their heads, necks, and fore-qnarters; and wish them 

 noti-ound behind, but broad at the hook-bones and hips: 

 they also like those best that are full in the flank. — 

 Aiton's Dairy Husbandr}', p. 27. 



Vol. II.— 18 



and muscular, not incumbered with a coarse, 

 wreathy skin, but firm, rising with a gentle curve 

 from the shoulders, taperins: fo the part where it is 

 connected with the head; dewlap thin, and but lit- 

 tle loose skin on any part. His shoulders should 

 be deep, high, and inoderately broad at the top; 

 the bosom open; breast large, and jirojecting well 

 before his legs; back straight and broad, even to 

 the setting on of the tail, which should not extend 

 far up the roof, but be strong and deep, with much 

 lank hair on the under part of it; ribs broad and 

 circular, rising one above another, so that the last 

 rib shall be rather the highest; the fore thighs strong 

 and muscular, tapering gradually to the knees; the 

 belly deepj straiglit, and also tapering a little to 

 the hind thighs, which should be large and square; 

 the roof wide, ]}articularly over the cliine and hips; 

 or hooks; the legs straight, short jointed, full of 

 sinews. Clean and fine boned; knees round, big, 

 and straight; feet distant one from another, not 

 broad, nor turning in, but easily spreading; hoofs 

 long and hollow; the hide not hard, or stubborn to 

 the touch; the liair uniformly .thick, short, curled, 

 and of a soft texture; and the body long, deep, 

 and round, filling well up to the shoulder end into 

 the groin, so as to form what has not improperly 

 been termed a round, or barrel-like carcass. 



The bull attains the age of puberty generally at 

 theend of from twelve months to two years; but 

 it has been thought advisable to restrain him from 

 the propagation of his species until he has arrived 

 at his full growth, which is about four years; for, 

 if this animal be suffered to breed earlier than 

 three years, the stock is liable to degenerate. It 

 must, however, be admitted, that a contrary opin- 

 ion prevails amongmany eminent breeders; who 

 maintain that the bull is in his full vigor at eigh- 

 teen months old, at which age his progeny will 

 display the most strength; and a prominent instance 

 in point has been adduced in the practice of Mr. 

 Vandergoes, . of the Hague, who is reported to 

 have had the finest stock of dairy cows in Holland, 

 and wlio attributed the excellence of his breed to 

 his using none but young bulls, which he always 

 sold at three years of age. Others again contend, 

 that the offspring of a bull, if well bred, becomes 

 generally better until he reaches seven or eight 

 years, and indeed, untd his constitution is impaired 

 by age.* Nor ought more than twenty cows to be 

 allotted to one bull'J or this animal be permitted to 

 serve more than two cows in one day; for, although 

 the cupidity of persons who hire out bulls, very 

 generally exposes them to much greater trials of 

 strength, it yet exhausts them, and the}' can no 

 longer" be depended upon as sure getters of stock; 

 nor will the stock, if produced, be of equal vigor 

 as when the number of cows is limited. 



The bull, as well as the cow and ox, generally 

 lives about fourteen years;but the progress of de- 

 cay is usually perceptible. after he has attained the 

 age of teii. His temper is naturally fierce and im- 

 governable, which is not a little increased by hig 

 being usually permitted to live quietly in the best 

 pastures, without being applied to any useful pur- 

 pose but thatof propagating his species. Hence 

 this animal, naturally vicious, often becomes so 

 mischievous as to endanger many valuable lives, 

 an evil which, we conceive, might be remedied by 



* See Sir John Sinclair's Code of. Agriculturej .3d. 

 Edition 1821, p. 108. 



