IN WATERSIDE HERD. 389 



February or 1st of March. The cows get grass in sum- 

 mer ; turnips and straw in winter, until within two weeks 

 of calving, when they get 2 lbs. cake daily ; and after 

 calving an addition of a good feed of bran with a little 

 nitre three times a week for three weeks. Bullocks 

 are fed at two years old, and are sold off in the 

 end of April or 1st May. 



Mr George Wilken, Waterside of Forbes, Aberdeen- 

 shire, has conducted a few experilnents in crossing. He 

 has had heifer crosses from a polled cow with Shorthorn 

 bull, from a cross cow with polled bull, and from a West 

 Highland cow with Shorthorn bull. He had heifers from 

 these three breeds in 1874, all calved at the same time, 

 and he crossed the three heifers with a polled bull. The 

 heifers were all fairly good, that from the polled cow and 

 Shorthorn buU being the best, the one from the West 

 Highlander next, and the one from the cross cow rather 

 the worst. He served them all when one year old, and 

 the result in calves was not very encouraging. The calf 

 from the polled cow's offspring was best, that from the 

 cross cow's offspring nearly as good, and the one from 

 the West Highlander's offspring was a " weed." He did 

 not manage to continue the experiment, as two of the 

 heifers became too fat for breeding. In 1878 Mr 

 Wilken bought three Ayrshire heifers, and served them 

 with a poUed bull The result in 1879 was three very 

 pretty black polled heifer calves. One of the cows was 

 sold in 1879. Mr Wilken has had two calves every year 

 from the other two Ayrshires, or in all nine calves. 

 With the exception of one this year that had a white spot 

 on its side, all have been black and polled. One is now 

 in the dairy, a fair milker, not so good as her dam, and is a 

 very pretty polled animal " In fact," Mr Wilken says, 

 " last year she went in the field with other nine pedigreed 

 heifers, and not one single polled breeder could point her 

 out, although all who visited the field or byres were 



