NEAT STOCK. 263 



of the dairy, the draught and the shambles combined, the 

 Durhams or " improved short-horns," are the best calculated. 



Although for the dairy, the Ayrshires, the Jerseys, and the 

 Devons, and perhaps the Herefords, too, — all have their friends 

 and admirers, yet for the grazier and butcher, they cannot 

 compete with the short-horns, whose early maturity, great apti- 

 tude to fatten, and large size, place them beyond competition, 

 while as milkers we believe the short-horns, and the grades, 

 on the whole, will stand pre-eminent. The steers are generally 

 docile, easily trained, very powerful, and though not so quick 

 and springy as the Devons, make excellent working oxen. 



This, at any rate, seems to be the opinion of the ftirmers in 

 this Valley, and it will not be easy to have this noble breed 

 superseded by Ayrshires, Jerseys, or Devons, so long as Paoli 

 and Wells Lathrop can show such superb stock as we examined. 



WORCESTER. 



From the Report of the Committee on Working Oxen. 



Are not our working oxen turned to the slaughter at too 

 early an age ? Steers are usually brought into the work at 

 three years old, but not to hard labor generally until they are 

 five years old ; and oftener than otherwise, they are slaughtered 

 at six years old. 



At six years old the ox is fitted for all work, but not for the 

 same amount of endurance as the ox of seven years old. Most 

 oxen do not come to maturity till they are seven years old ; 

 and from seven to nine years old will perform an equal amount 

 of labor with the five years old ox, with less fatigue ; with the 

 same fatigue he will do a greater amount of work in a given 

 time. We can place more confidence in an ox eight years old, 

 than we can in an ox of four years old only, at which age 

 many are brought to the test, and often severely injured. If in 

 our work we farmers come to a " hard pull," the old ox generally 

 has to take it, because he is better able to stand under it. 



The reason generally assigned for the early slaughter of the 

 ox is, " he has come to his growth." So when there is no 

 more increase of bone to be made, the poor animal is laid 

 aside. Now, we think that this is a great mistake, for he is 

 laid aside just at the time when he is becoming the most profit- 



