GRAZING. 



Ijcing Urii'c.ht, tlicy are mod JifpofeJ to thrive. This has 

 liccii found to be the cafe in praftice in different parts of the 

 kingdom," as has been fhewn in various publications on 

 agriculture. 



" In lean beads alfo, when the hair of the hides is curled, 

 lhey commonly keep thcmfclves in better condition than 

 where the contrary ii; the cafe. In all cafes a difpofition in 

 the animals, of whatever fort they may be, to wildncfs, and 

 not remaining quietly in their pailures, forms an infur- 

 mountable objection lu this fyftem of management ; as no 

 animal over fattei s well that has a tendency to ramble : 

 it is quietnefs, feeding quickly, and lying much, that 

 has the greatcll tendency to make them become fat in a 

 fhort time ;" a fa£t which is fully confirmed by what hap- 

 pe!is in the new Leiceller or Difhley breed of (heep, 

 v\hich are fo tame and quiet as fcarcely to m.ove over a com- 

 mon gutter in the paiture. And, " from the refult of actual 

 experiment with fof:r different bealls, in which the lead pof- 

 fible diirereuce could not be difcovered on the mod minute 

 cx-cimination, it has been (liewn tliat too much attention can- 

 not be bedowed in the choice of tlie breed of fattening dock, 

 as, though they were in every refpett the fame in appear- 

 ance, two, from their fuperior dilpofition to fatten, were 

 found to afford aproiit in the proportion of fifteen fliillings 

 tlie week, while the other two did not yield more tlian about 

 five (hillings and ten-pence." This fatl is recorded in the 

 Annals of Agriculture, and clearly diews that too much at- 

 tention cannot be paid by the grazing farmer to the difcove- 

 ry of tliis propenhty in the docking of his padure, or other 

 grafs-lands. 



Notwithftanding it mud often happen that the gra/.ier 

 cannot fully avail himfelf of this, from tlie impolTibility or 

 vad difficulty of procuring fuch animals, and is coniequent- 

 ly under the necellity of buying in fuch as are more at hand, 

 and ready for his ufe. 



It is theufual cullomin Leicedcrdiire, and the neighbour- 

 ing didritls, to have commonly recourfe to the improved 

 lon^-horned breed of cattle, from the animals being found 

 to fatten in a ready manner, and to afford good beef. And, 

 in the adjoining county of Lincolnfhire, a mixture of the 

 large forts, of both the long and fhort-horned breed, are 

 had recourfe to as grazing dock, befides thofe bred in the 

 county, and fuch as are brought into it by the Sotch 

 d. "Overs. 



On the contrary, in SomerfetPnire, the dark-red fort, or 

 Devondiire breed, has been long much in edeem by the gra- 

 I'.iers, and have lately fpread themfelves much into the mid- 

 land diftrifts, as Lcicederdiire, Oxforddiire, and Warwick- 

 ftire, from the grazing farmers in thefe didric'ts finding them 

 to anfwer upon their padures more perfeftly. And in Suffex, 

 the fame breed is alfo held in coniiderable eftimation by the 

 farmers, as well as their own variety of it, as ihey are both 

 found to fatten kindly, and with coiifidcrable expedition, 

 i:pon their lands, and to have a ready iaie in tiieir markets and 

 fairs. 



However, in the more arable or tillage didricts of Nor- 

 folk and Suffolk, where turnips and artificial grafi'es are 

 more in ufe, the Kiloe, Gallov/ay, and other fmall Scotch 

 breeds, as well as thoie of the WelOi runt kind, are in pre- 

 ferable demand, from their anfwering better on thefe forts of 

 food, their more kindly difpofition to fatten, and the excel- 

 lent quahty of their flefh, which never fails to have a ready 

 f ale in the London market, where thegreated part of their 

 fat dock is fold. But the grazing farmers in the northern 

 counties have modly recourfe to their own long-horned breed, 

 raifed nii the farms, with the dilferent Scotch breeds brought 

 into the didritts, their home fort being in their experience the 



lead difpofed to take on fat and become faleable. And the 

 large Hereford fort, as \\-ell as that kind of V/eldi cattli 

 termed the Glamorgan, are alfo very advantageous grazing 

 dock ill fituations where the padures are good, and tliey can 

 be finidied with other forts of food. Great numbers of the 

 former of thefe forts are purchafed by the graziers round 

 tlie metropolis for being fattened or brought cor;fiderably 

 forward on the rich grals land», which Irdve been mown for 

 hay, and finidied with other forts of food. Yet the fmali 

 breeds of the Scotch, Welfli, or other fimilar kinds, may, in 

 many cates of the inferior forts of grazing lands, often be 

 the mod beneficial in aftordiug profit to the fanner, as he 

 can fuit them more to the nature and date of fuch lands, and 

 they have more chance of becoming fat upon them. Indeed 

 it has been dated in the tentli volume of the Bath Papers, 

 on the experience of fifteen years, that the fmall animal Jiai 

 generc.lly " a more natural dilpofition to fatten, and requires 

 (proportionably to the large animal) lefs food to make it fat ; 

 confequently tlie greater quantity of meat for confumption 

 can be made per acre." If this point was fatisfaftorily 

 proved, there could be no doubt of Imall animals being pre- 

 ferable both on this defcription of grazing land, and tliat of 

 a better quality ; but, as an able and accurate obferver has 

 upon mncli experience been induced to think differently on 

 this fiibject, tlie gra/ier diould be cautious how he has re- 

 courfe to fmall breeds upon lands that are capable of fat- 

 tening large ones, until the quedion has been fully de- 

 cided. 



In refpeCf to what relates to the fort of cattle that 

 may be employed to the greateli advantage under this 

 iydem, oxen, and fuch heifers as have been fpayed, are 

 in general confidered, by the bed informed grazier,", 

 as the bed iort of dock ; as befides being more 

 qviiet, the latter have not only tlie property of fat- 

 tening in a more expeditious manner, but with a lefs con- 

 fumption of food. They are not, however, fo neadily pro- 

 vided by the grazier. The ox is of courfe the mod com- 

 monly-, as well as mod extenfively, employed for the purpofe 

 of the grazier, as having the advantage of being capable of 

 being fattened, and of afi'ording good beef, after he has been 

 beneficially wrought in ti'e team <j(f the farmer. Cows, under 

 different circumdances, are likewife often bought in by the 

 grazing farmer for th.e purpofe of being made fat, fuch as 

 thofe that have become dry, have flipped the calf at an early 

 period, or are becoming aged; but much caution is neceffary 

 in the purchafe of this fort of grazing dock, as they fre- 

 quently turn out lefs favourably than bullocks or heifers, 

 though in fome cafes they leave a good profit. When old, 

 they rarely thrive well or get fat with any degree of expedi- 

 tion. Indeed it is, perhaps, the bell way, in all cafes, for 

 the grazier to have fuch dock as is not too far advanced in 

 age, as young animals are invariably more difpofed to get 

 fleih, and become fat, tlian fuch as are old. In the grazing 

 of both heifers and cow.s, they ihould be fuffered to take the 

 ball as foon as they have an incliiration, ar.d be ready for 

 being fold off fat feveral r.ionths before the time they would 

 have calved. Such cow or heifer dock as are in calf, may 

 lometimes be purchafed in at a cheap rate in the^^rsin the 

 autumnal feafon, and be fattened off in the early fpring 

 with a good profit. There is likewife another defcription 

 of this Iort of dock fometimes grazed, which is what are 

 termed y)vf )H.'/r//'«j, or cows tliat are barren ; but thev are 

 faid to feldom anfwer in this intention in any very advan- 

 tageoui manner. 



In relation to the moll proper flieep deck for the graziet, 

 wlien the padures are rich, and aftord full keep, the improved, 

 lurge iorg-woollcd breeds, as liie new Leiceders, may yield 



the 



