THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 351 



Manner of Selling or Disposing of Fattened Neat 

 Cattle Stock. 



In the business of selling off neat cattle after they 

 have become fat and fit for market, much nicety and 

 attention is required, in order to effect it in the best 

 manner. The most advantageous and proper times 

 for effecting the business, where there is a choice, the 

 most suitable and convenient markets or places for the 

 purpose, and the most economical and ready, as well 

 as the most favourable and least troublesome modes 

 of accomplishing the desired object, are all to be well 

 weighed and fully considered. Then the proper worth 

 of the beasts are to be fixed upon, which is mostly 

 done by the eye and feel where the seller has had 

 sufficient experience, but the most expert in this way 

 are often greatly deceived. Some sort of direction 

 and judgment may be obtained by carefully attending 

 to the length of time, and nature, and manner of fatten- 

 ing in the stock while they were at grass in the pas- 

 tures ; but the best and only true and real method 

 of ascertaining the point, is by the occasional use 

 of the cattle weighing-machine. In this way, by a 

 carefully exact comparison of the living with the dead 

 or carcase weights of the animals, their value may be 

 sufficiently well known. It is by the numerously re- 

 peated comparisons of the living with dead weights 

 of such stock, that the butcher, in many instances, has 

 so much the advantage of the grazing manager in de- 

 ciding on the worth of animals, whether in the lean or 

 fat state, as by practice his knowledge is more perfect 

 and exact. 



There are other points in this sort of management 

 in which the occasional weighing of neat fattening 



