284- THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 



have to help them a servant who has the inborn gift 

 of knowing when and how. For it is no less, as 

 experience will soon show. The bull calf ought to 

 have a light ring put into his nose as soon as he is 

 weaned, and as soon as the wound is healed, the 

 breaking should begin. Let one man lead him, or 

 rather try to lead him out, for he is sure to pull back 

 and resist. The smart application of a switch to the 

 region whereby youngsters are best instructed will make 

 him jump on and struggle. Pat and soothe him, the man 

 in front holding him steadily meanwhile and walking on. 

 Then if he again holds back, again the smart adminis- 

 tration behind. One or two days of this tuition will 

 ordinarily bring him to lead quietly. He should then 

 be led and exercised daily, with many interludes of 

 soothing and petting. 



The reader will remember Lord Byron's recipe for 

 dealing with a fractious flirt. " Pique her and soothe 

 her : soon you'll have your way." So, too, he must 

 conquer his Shorthorn princes. He cannot break them 

 in too soon. I had two gentle bulls last year, which, 

 being kept for home use, were not fairly broken. The 

 consequence was they could only be driven in company 

 with a cow — and not led. This, in the end, became 

 vastly inconvenient. A bull calf will, do well on good 

 pasture running by its mother. They should be driven 

 under shelter during heat. I think, too, that there is 

 something in what old breeders say, that the tail of a 

 calf that runs with and sucks his mother on the open 

 is apt to be high. It will be noticed that they 

 generally suck, swaying that appendage triumphantly 

 in mid -air. On the field, of course, they suck oftener 

 than they do when kept within doors. Hence, either 



