CHAP. iv. STORE CATTLE. 105 



Shorthorn. The age of the store cattle is a point which should be 

 considered. It is stated that, although no doubt a two-year old will 

 put on more meat than a three-year old, and for a " long keep will pay 

 as well," yet he prefers matured cattle, as they " get sooner fat, are 

 deep on the fore-rib, and take less cake to finish them off." For the 

 more southern parts of the kingdom there is a wide choice amongst 

 the breeds of the Shorthorns, Herefords, Devons, Sussex, Welsh, and 

 the Red Polled, with their crosses. 



Though Mr. M'Combie's views are interesting as showing his own 

 practice, many of his ideas are repudiated now, even in the county 

 where he lived and worked. His opposition to covered yards, for 

 instance, meets with no support in Aberdeenshire, as all the farmers 

 in that county would gladly use covered yards if they could get 

 them, and many of them now have covered yards. In the same way 

 his argument against the buying of store cattle which had got any 

 allowance of cake or corn during the previous winter is abundantly 

 disproved by the everyday practice of thousands of farmers throughout 

 the country. He had a wide connection among the Aberdeenshire 

 farmers through supplying them with Aberdeen- Angus bulls, and he 

 went largely about among them for the double purpose of buying and 

 selling pure-bred stock, and buying up their cross-bred stock for 

 feeding in his own folds or pastures. In that way he knew precisely 

 how the cattle which he bought were reared. But the practice of going 

 about buying up the stock of the breeders is now mainly monopolised 

 by the dealers, so that the farmers have as a rule to go to the auction 

 marts, and must be guided solely by their own judgment and the 

 appearance of the stock. 



The management of store cattle, like that of other departments of 

 stock, varies, as we have already remarked, with climate, locality, and 

 soil, and the grazier must keep such point always before him if he 

 would be successful. For observations on the " Principles and 

 Practice of Breeding " the reader is referred to the Book on Horses 

 (Chapter III., page 417). 



CHAPTER IV. 



Or THE BULL. 



FT! HE bull generally attains the age of puberty as early as twelve or 

 JL fourteen months, and may be used moderately at this age without 

 injury. Young bulls which have been suckled on the cow in a pasture 

 will generally serve cows more readily at an early age than those reared 

 in the house. It is not advisable to put old or heavy bulls on young 

 heifers. Neither is it well to allow the bull to run in the pastures with 



