THE OX AND THE DAIKY 83 



that of North Devon; there are, however, certain points of 

 difference ; and, on the whole, the Sussex ox is a heavier and 

 coarser animal than the Devon, but equally valuable for 

 farm-labour, and for the fineness of the grain and the mar 

 bling of the flesh. 



Sussex is not a great dairy county; but it contains rich 

 marh-lands, well adapted for the pasturage of sheep and oxen, 

 and down-lands, where a thin soil overlays the chalk, and pro- 

 duces grasses admirably fitted for the peculiar breed of sheep, 

 " the South Downs," which are so celebrated for the excel- 

 lence of their flesh. In some parts of the downs, along the 

 slopes of the hills and in the hollows, there is excellent arable 

 land, on which oxen as well as horses are worked, the former 

 being preferred by many. 



The centre of the county constitutes the wealden district, 

 composed of various clays and sands, with subordinate beds 

 of limestone, grit, and shale. Here the land is poor ; but, in 

 some parts, tolerable crops of wheat, oats, and clover are ob- 

 tained : there are extensive woods of fir and birch, and moor- 

 lands overgrown with heath and the bilberry plant. 



The centre of this county, as is evident from its present 

 state, was once almost impenetrable from its dense forests, 

 heaths, and morasses. Here, from remote times, the peculiar 

 breed of ox still prevalent has existed. Its colour is of a uni- 

 form blood bay, or chestnut red ; the horns are well-set and 

 tapering ; the head is small, the eye large, the throat clean, 

 the neck thin ; but the shoulders are thick and heavy, and the 

 forelimbs rather coarse, that is, less fine in the bone than in 

 the Devon. The barrel is well formed and capacious ; the 

 back straight; the hips wide and well covered; the tail is 

 thin, and tufted at the extremity, and is set on nearly as high 

 as in the Devon ; the hide is mellow and fine ; the coat is 

 mostly sleek, but sometimes wavy. 



The Sussex cow is kept principally for the sake of breed 

 ing: her milk, though excellent in quality, being small in 

 quantity; hence her place in the dairy is supplied by various 

 crossed breeds, which are found to answer best for the pail. 



The cow is lighter in the shoulders than the ox, and her 

 neck is thin ; but altogether her contour is not so good : 

 there is, moreover, a wildness in her aspect, and a restless- 

 ness in her temper, which render her not very manageable ; 

 yet, when dried, she fattens with extraordinary rapidity, and 

 becomes well covered with flesh. 



