STUDLEY PRIORY HERD. 335 



arrived at a most unfortunate time, as our grass was bad, 

 and partially flooded with the incessant rains, while a 

 most severe winter followed. The animals, however, got 

 nothing but what they could pick up, except a feed of 

 hay twice a day when there was snow on the ground. 

 They had only an open shed for shelter ; still they kept in 

 good condition better than my Shorthorns, which were 

 having plenty of mangels, etc. I felt so satisfied with my 

 short but trying experience of the polled breed that in 

 April 1880 I purchased other ten heifers, all pure bred. 

 Writing now in April 1882, I have had two seasons' 

 experience of the breed, and I find they do better on the 

 same grass land than the Shorthorns. They are more 

 contented, and they are a stronger and hardier race. I 

 find their calves are easier to rear. I do not use the 

 polled breed for the dairy, but I make every polled 

 mother suckle two calves a foster calf in addition to her 

 own calf; and almost invariably the polled calf is much 

 stronger than the Shorthorn, both being suckled by the 

 same cow. No better test can be had of the superior 

 vitality and strength of the polled over the Shorthorn 

 breed, than the wonderful difference of the two breeds in 

 undergoing the painful operation of castrating the bull 

 calves. The strength and hardihood of the polled I have 

 observed to be amazingly greater. I have tried the experi- 

 ment of crossing the Shorthorn heifer with the polled bull, 

 and this cross has produced very big, strong calves, hardier 

 and easier kept than the pure Shorthorn. I have still faith 

 in the " Blackskins " suiting my land and my roots, and 

 that they will be profitable to me. In these days of keen 

 competition, a farmer cannot afford to indulge his fancies 

 in breeding stock ; he must find out what pays best, and 

 stick to that. Last week I was fortunate in securing, at 

 the Aberdeen sale, one of Mr James Argo's young bulls, 

 Icon, and I trust by another year to have made a start at 

 realizing some money from the herd, and begin to test 



