AGRICULTURE ON THE RHINE. 145 



nous in these hills, and cows are drawn from the Wester- 

 wald to distant parts of Germany. On the mountain- 

 roads that we have described in the neighbourhood of 

 Siegen, as on those of the Odenwald, Black Forest and 

 great part of the Taunus range, the light compact ox of 

 the Westerwald breed does excellent service. The pas- 

 tures on the hills are mostly village property, and being 

 seldom more than six months in the year productive, 

 neither butter nor cheese can be made for distant sale. 

 The neighbourhood of the larger towns on the Rhine, 

 however, where there is a considerable demand for 

 butcher's meat, causes stock -feeding to be a profitable 

 branch of farming. The meadows along the banks of 

 the Wied, after it leaves the mountains, furnish the rich 

 peasants and farmers of the low lands with summer 

 grass and the necessary supply of hay for the winter. 

 Of the latter article the German farmer is chary, and he 

 depends fully as much upon the produce of his distillery 

 mash-tub, as upon that of his meadows. Distilling is in 

 this district only carried on to assist the fattening of the 

 cattle. 



The consumption of meat is both too limited, even in 

 towns, and too little attention is paid by the consumer to 

 quality, to make it worth the farmer's while to use the 

 exertions that English and Scotch graziers resort to in 

 order to produce gigantic specimens of cattle in the 

 shortest possible time. The ox (and often the cow) re- 

 pay their keep by labour in the field or on the road 

 until the period for slaughtering arrives. Two and 

 sometimes three years' run are given to the calf, if he be 

 destined for draught: from three to seven, he is supposed to 

 be in his prime for work, and the sooner he finds his way 



