THE FEEDING AND CARE OF BULLS I27 



been satisfactory, those seeking males should unques- 

 tionably prefer them to males untried. Their useful- 

 ness should continue for several years, or as long as it 

 is usually desirable to retain them in the herd. 



AA'hen purchasing such males, careful attention 

 should be given to the character of the previous feeding, 

 and to the methods by which they have been managed, 

 and in both respects violent changes should be avoided 

 lest the begetting powers should be harmed. These 

 have, in many instances, been impaired and even de- 

 stroyed by such changes. 



When aged bulls are to be sent to the shambles it 

 may be in the castrated or uncastrated form, that is, as 

 stags. Usually it will be more profitable to sell them 

 uncastrated, unless when sold quite young, as the dif- 

 ference in the price paid for the meat of stags as com- 

 pared with that paid for the meat of bulls is not enough 

 usually to justify the trouble of castrating before the 

 final fattening begins. The degree of the fattening to be 

 sought should be regulated by the age of the animals, 

 and by the prospective price of meat. The older the 

 bulls and the lower the price of meat, the less the profit 

 resulting from giving the animals a good finish. 



