58^ 



NA TURE 



\u Ipril 



Fortunately, however, this earthquake was prevented 

 from being excessively destructive by the unusual slow- 

 ness of the oscillations. The period of the principal 

 movements appears to have been not far short of two 

 seconds. For a rough estimate of the greatest velocity 

 and acceleration we may treat the 43 centimetres move- 

 ment as simply harmonic, and we find for the greatest 

 velocity 6'8 centimetres per second, and for the greatest 

 acceleration 21 centimetres per second per second, or -fc 

 of g, If the amplitude of motion which was recorded 

 here had occurred in conjunction with the more usual 

 period of three-quarters of a second or so, the destruction 

 would have been immense. The earthquake appears to 

 have been felt over an area of about 20,000 square miles. 



Mr. Sekiya writes : — " We are going to exhibit your 

 seismograph in the Exhibition in London, to be held 

 next May. I am sure we will get a first prize medal ! " 

 Whether Mr. Sekiya and the Tokio University authorities 

 get their medal or not they should at least excite the 

 admiration of readers of Nature for the zeal and success 

 with which they are pursuing the study of seismology. 



University College, Dundee J. A. Ewing 



EARLY MATURITY OF LIVE STOCK 



THE subject of the "Early Maturity of Live Stock" 

 is, no doubt, bucolical in some of its aspects ; but, 

 like many other agricultural questions, it is of great 

 national importance, and is closely related to scientific 

 investigations of much interest. The age at which the 

 live stock of the farm becomes sufficiently mature has 

 been considerably reduced during the past hundred years, 

 both by improved methods of feeding, and still more by 

 the altered habit of the breeds of animals — that is, by 

 their earlier maturity induced by the modern system of 

 breeding. Most persons are aware that the " improved 

 shorthorns " were the artificial creation of two eminent 

 breeders, the Messrs. Coiling; that the "improved long- 

 horn " cattle and Leicester sheep were the result of skilful 

 selection and inter-breeding by Mr. Bakewell ; and that 

 Mr. Ellman conducted similar "improvements" on the 

 Southdown breed of sheep. All these operations upon 

 the earlier types of animals were initiated in the last 

 century, and .they were so successful, from a practical 

 point of view, that both bulls and rams were raised in 

 price from about 5/. to 20/. respectively to 1000 guineas 

 for single animals of high character and esteemed pedi- 

 gree in the flocks and herds of Colling and Bakewell. 



Other breeders have applied the same arts, and espe- 

 cially the principle of selection, to some of the other 

 breeds, and their object has been earlier maturity. It is 

 obvious that a farmer must adopt that course of feeding 

 which is most economical, and as a certain amount of 

 food is consumed every day by an animal for respiratory 

 and other vital functions, it is evident that the sooner it 

 is fit for the butcher the less total amount of food it will 

 consume wastefully. In the manufacture of meat the 

 food required by an animal for its own purposes may be 

 regarded as waste ; so that the importance of saving time 

 in the process of fattening is evident. It is said, indeed, 

 that one-half of the food given to an animal under ordin- 

 ary circumstances is required for the support of life, and, 

 if that calculation be correct, then a slow-maturing ox, 

 or sheep, at four years old will have consumed twice as 

 much food to produce the same weight as an animal of 

 improved breed at two years old. The period of youth 

 is the period of growth, when the muscles, bones, and 

 other parts are in process of formation, and when the 

 waste of food is necessarily less than it must be at a 

 later period of life. For the sake of economy all animals 

 should be fattened and finished when young, and there- 

 fore the question of "early maturity" involves an inquiry 

 into the period of life when the domesticated animals 

 attain their full maturity and development. 



Prof. Low, in his " Domesticated Animals," and Mr. 

 Youatt, the famous specialist, state that the ox and sheep 

 in a state of nature attained complete maturity at from 

 four to five years old, their permanent teeth being then 

 complete. This was the stage they had reached about a 

 hundred years ago, when the country was covered with 

 woods and wastes, before the great inclosures, and before 

 the turnip became a field-crop. Stall-feeding had not 

 been introduced at that period, and summer beef, fed on 

 the marshes and natural pastures, was the only beef, and 

 was, for winter use, invariably salted. The scanty proven- 

 der of those days retarded maturity and postponed the 

 usual period of producing young by more than a year, 

 compared with the present time. At this stage the great 

 breeders took up their several subjects with results so 

 marked, and, it may be added, so remarkable, that within 

 a few generations the complete maturity both of sheep 

 and cattle — except in regard to the permanent teeth — had 

 been reached in three years instead of four. The epoch 

 of three-year-old mutton had now been reached, and 

 some persons perhaps may still remember that luxury of 

 their youth ; and, if so, they must be aware that it exists 

 no longer. In our own experience we must confess to 

 have found old mutton rather tough, and, while admitting 

 that " the grapes are sour," we see no reason why old 

 beef and mutton should be superior to old geese and other 

 poultry, or old game. But, however this may be, the 

 perseverance of modern agriculturists and the compe- 

 tition of Australia and America in our meat markets, have 

 led to still further reductions in the ages at which animals 

 are slaughtered. 



The action of our leading agricultural societies attests 

 that some very recent movements have taken place for 

 the purpose of stimulating breeders and feeders in the 

 saving of still more food and time by early maturity. 

 There must be a limit in these matters. Sheep and cattle 

 of massive build are less ephemeral than some creatures, 

 and a certain amount of time must always be required 

 by them before their periods of complete development 

 and of reproduction of the species can be reached. In 

 1S75, however, the Smithfield Club offered prizes for 

 lambs, having previously confined their favours to sheep 

 one year older at least. There is no rule without excep- 

 tion, and one particular breed of sheep has been incited 

 by arts and wiles, and, for the sake of " Christmas lamb," 

 to produce its offspring in November, and to do so per- 

 manently. Usually lambs appear in spring ; the " cattle 

 show " is held in December, and lambs at nine or ten 

 months old are now expected to exhibit themselves as 

 sheep of great weight. They have responded to the call 

 in the most wonderful manner ; they have not only out- 

 numbered the other "sheep" in the show, but they se- 

 cured the champion prize for the best sheep last year as 

 well as the year before, and their weights have equalled 

 those of the old sheep of other days, i.e. 16 and 18 Smith- 

 field stone (8 lbs.), or 3^ lbs. of mutton per week from 

 birth ! 



Cattle under two years old were first admitted in 1880, 

 and their achievements, too, have been astounding. 

 Early maturity, in short, has reached a new and unex- 

 pected stage. It has certainly been hastened, and cattle 

 arc now as fit for slaughter at two years old as they were 

 formerlv at twice that age. It is worthy of note, from a 

 scientific point ot view, that the period of complete denti- 

 tion, as it occurs in a state of nature, has not been much, 

 if at all, altered. It is true that M. Kegnault, the French 

 scientist, discovered a bull at a cattle fair in France in 

 1846 with all the permanent teeth fully developed. He 

 was led to investigate the effects of careful breeding and 

 feeding in occasioning that precocious development which 

 has been already described, and this, he says, "cannot be 

 confined to any particular organs. If every one has not 

 equally participated in it, at least they are all more or less 

 affected by it. Above all, the digestive system, the part 



