218 Stock at Cliftovr-on-Bowmont. 



Cattle.— During the first twelve years very little breeding of 

 cattle was carried on. The necessary number oi cattle for 

 breaking down the straw was bought during October in each year 

 and wintered on straw and cotton cake. A portion of them was 

 sold in the spring following, and the remainder was grazed and 

 sold in the autumn. As the profit under this system was 

 uncertain and very variable, it was decided to. make the farm 

 self-supporting in the way of cattle, by breeding what was 

 required. A start was made by retaining some of the heifer 

 calves from the best shorthorn dairy cows, from the Home Farm, 

 and these along with a few pedigree shorthorn cows which were 

 purchased formed the foundation of the present herd. The 

 cows are all put to a pedigree shorthorn buU. The heifers 

 are served to calve at 2 years old, and suckle their calves, as 

 three and four year olds. They suckle two calves each and are 

 generally drafted as five year olds, being served so as to calve 

 early in the year in which they are drafted. The calves are 

 weaned in November, and are wintered on a few turnips and 

 some hay, with a daily allowance of liaseed-cake and crushed 

 oats. In May the steers are sold,, as also any heifers not required 

 for stock purposes. The bull calves from the pedigree cows are 

 brought out for sale and sold at the annual bull sales in spring. 



Horses. — None are bred on the farm as the stony nature of the 

 ground is unfavourable to the proper development of the foot of 

 the young horse. 



Pigs. — A few sows of the large white breed are kept and their 

 produce sold at about eight weeks old. 



In the writer's opinion, a half-bred stock on the lower land, 

 with a Cheviot stock on the outer portion of the farm, is the 

 system which wiU pay most rent, and there seems no reason why 

 the fertility of the land should not be as well maintained under 

 this system of stocking, as it would be were it under a stock 

 consisting entirely of Cheviots. 



