tjsiEaQQW ami? the dairy. 



33 • 



a, spfi skia i» not a new disicpyefy, tut •waapeifec%, yell knoWA to .the. husban4-' 



'.|9en pf ancient Italy." These are the a^seryation^ of Sir J'o|(n;S,inclair, who adds , 



''the fpUowhig ap a summary of gpodpomts tphftattended 'Ip'ih choosing cattle :> 



; f They should be— ^1. Of a m^oderatesize, unless where thefood is of anatute pe- 



■.ciUiarly foVclngi 2.. Of a shape the iaost.^i.^ely to yieli profit to the farmer; 3., 



i'pf i docile dlspositipn, without being deficient in spirit ; 4. Hardy, and pet liable 



,.ip, dj'sease ; 5. Jla'sily maintained, and on food, not of a costly nature ; 6. Arriving 



.soon at maturity ; '7, Producing considerable quantities of milk ; 8. Having flesh 



of an excellent quality ; 9. Having a tendency tp j£ake on fat ; IQ. Having a v^ilu-.' 



"^hle hide ; and^ lastly, Calculated (shpijldil be judged necessary) for wojrking.'"' 



.It;is thought best to begin to break-in tjxen 4t three ye?^rs old, and to give them 



;fiiU.Svpr]£.at/oiM-;^,;,.'v.. ",• :., ';.,., ,...,. ,,.'," " '," , ,,'''- . , ., • 



With respect'tojudgihg of ca'ttte'by their horns and teeth, Tfe.ofler the follow-; 



ing observatipns byMr. Hickey: ' ■ ' '''''"''', 



"The ordinary guide for ascertaining the precise lage ef cattJe is the hprn,i 



^vihioh' is akp indieative pf the b^eed ; at three years.old (this is laid dpwn as a 



rule) jthe horns are perfectly. sflapfllh, lifter this a. ring appears near the rpot, and, 



annually afterward a new «irele,.so that, by, stddipg two years to the first rjpg,,' 



the age is cajiqulated ;.but it has been clearly showuithat this is a very uncertayi . 



rjnbde of judging ; ' that the ripgs;.a.re only distinpl ill, the Cow ; ' and thjtt 'if a, 



^eifef :goes to the Bull when .she is t^P years pld, pr a little before pr after that- 



tirne,v.there, is an immediate, change in the horn, and the first ring appears ; sp; 



that a real three-year pld w.otsld carry the ma,rk pf.afpur-year pld.' 'In the Bull 



they are ei;the):.;not seen UBfil;fiyei,,-or they caawpt be.Uaced at all ;' npr jn the Ox; 



dp they 'appear until heis fiyie yeaTs old, and they are often cpniused ;' besides, 



f there is alsp aft instrumeat called a rasp, which Jbas been said tp make.many an 



arm ache a little heiorp a. l^i^eS^ix.'i Wiihtputany delusive intentions, however, 



an ugly set inth? homs of young ca.ttle is often remedied by filing a little off the) 



sides of the tips opppsite tp the directipn whiqh it ia desired that the h'prns shpuld 



take...-'; ■,-^- ,-,■,-■■, ■■■,•--■.■ .■;; . '■ 



" Spme men have an antipafliy tp hprns. altPgether, and wpuld even carry their 

 dislike so fiir as to extirpate;thet?i frpm the brpyrs of all. tlieir cattle ; they can ih-5 

 dulge; their taste by paring piff the tpps pf theliPtns when they first break through, 

 the skin. Perhaps it is npt generafly known that the larger the horn the thinner 

 ,.the skull. ", ; '■ i; 



." The age is Lidicated with unerxifig certainty bythp teeth, to those who. have', 

 judgw^nt and experience, until the .animal reaches the. age of six or seven ; until 

 two- years oi4,, no teeth are ca^t ; :^t tTia.t age, two new teeth are cut ; at three,! 

 two more are cut ; and,, in the two .succeeding years, two in each year ; at five 

 the' mouth is said to be full, though not completely sptmtil six, because until that 

 peripd the twp cprner teeth (the last in renewal) are npt perfectly up. The frpnti 

 or mQisor, teeth are thpse cpnsidered, fpr a,,full-grpwn beast has altPgether thirty- 

 twp teeth." . . 



Method of Ascertaining the Weight of Gattle while Living. 



" Thiis is of the utmost utility fpr all thpse who are not experienced judges by;- 



,,{h!e eye ; and, by the following 4(^e.ctions, the weight caabe ascertained within? 

 A mere trifle :— Take a string, piit it'round the beast, standing square, just behind.^ 

 the shpulder-blade ; measure pn a fppt-ruk.,the feet and inches; the animal is in^ 



vcireumferjefloe — this is called the girth ; then, yith the string, measure frprn the; 

 bppe of the tail which plumbs the line with the hinder part of th^ buttock ; direct, 

 the line along the back to the fdre patrof-theshoulder-hlade ; take the dimen-f 



I' sidns on the foot-rule as before, which is the length, and wprk the figures in the^ 

 fpUowing manner :— Girth of the btiUpcR, 6 feet 4 iiiches ; length, 5 feet 3 inches ;•; 

 'Which, rhultiplied together, raake 'Si square superficial feet ; that again multi- 



■ipliei-by.23 (the number of poiiiid? allowed to each superficial foot.of cattle meas-,' 

 uring less than 7 and more than 5 in girth)',' makes 713 pounds ; and, allowing;; 

 14 pounds to the stone, is 50 stone 13 pounds. 'Where, theaniHBal measures less' 

 than 9 and more than 7 feet in ]girth, 31 is the number of pounds to each super^' 

 ^ficial foot. Agam, suppose a'ipig or any small' beast sheuld measure 2 feet in? 

 girth, and 2 feet alpng the back, which, multiplied tpgether, make 4 square feet ; 

 that, multiplied by 11, theimHiber'pf p'bunds allpwed for eafch square foot of cat-^ 



