HORTICULTURAL REPOSITORY. 



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proturberant ; rumps close to the tail, the tail broad, 

 well haired, and set on so high as to be in the same 

 horizontal line with his back. Bulls should be con- 

 stantly well fed, and kept in proper enclosures, never 

 being suffered to ride before they are three years old, 

 as when the contrary is the practice, they never attain 

 so perfect a growth. It is observed by Lawrence, 

 that the above description delineates that barrel- 

 shape, which Bakewell supposed most advantageous 

 for all kinds of animals intended to be fed for slaugh- 

 ter, or even used for labor. 



The criteria of excellence in neat cattle in general 

 are thus given by John Wilkinson of Linton, near 

 Nottingham, an eminent breeder. " The head ought 

 to be rather long, and muzzle fine ; the countenance 

 calm and placid, which indicates a disposition to get 

 fat ; the horns fine ; the neck light, particularly 

 where it joins the bead ; the breast wide and project- 

 ing well before the legs ; the shoulders moderately 

 broad at the top, and she joints well in, and when the 

 animal is in good condition, the chine so full as to 

 leave no hollow behind them ; the fore flank well 

 rilled up, and the girth behind the shoulders deep ; 

 the back straight, wide and flat ; the ribs broad, and 

 the space between them and the hips small ; the 

 flank full and heavy ; Ihe belly well kept in, and not 

 sinking low in the middle, or so formed that a cross 

 section of it would resemble an oval, whose two ends 

 are of the same width, and whose form approaches 

 to that of a circle, or of an ellipsis, whose eccentri- 

 city is not great ; the whole forming, not a round or 

 barrel like carcase, as some have expressed it, for 

 this would leave a deficiency both in the upper and 

 lower part of the ribs ; the hips globular, wide across 

 and on a level with the back itself ; the hind quarters, 

 that is, from the hips to the extremity of the rump, 

 long and straight ; the rump points fat, and coming 

 well up to the tail ; the twist wide, and the seam in 

 the middle of it so well filled, that the whole may 

 very nearly form a plane, perpendicular to the line Oj. 

 the back ; the lower part of the thigh small ; the tail 

 broad and fat towards the top, but the lower part thin; 

 the legs straight, clean, and fine boned ; and when 

 the animal is in high condition, the skin of a rich and 

 silky appearance. These appear to be the most ma- 

 terial points for the formation of true symmetry in 

 cattle : there are others of a minor consideration, 

 which will readily be suggested by attention and ex- 

 perience." 



The criteria of an ox well adapted to labor, differ 

 from the above only in requiring long and strong legs, 

 and broad hardy feet and hoofs. 



Culley's marks of a good cow are these : wide 

 horns, a thin head and neck, dewlap large, full breast, 

 broad back, large deep belly ; the udder capacious, 

 but not too fleshy; the mil!;- veins prominent, and the 



bag tending far behind ; teats long and large, but- 

 tocks broad and fleshy, tail long and pliable, legs pro- 

 portionable to the size of the carcase, and the joints 

 short. To these outward marks may be added a 

 gentle disposition, a temper free from any vicious 

 tricks, and perfectly manageable on every occasion. 

 On the other hand, a cow with a thick head and a 

 short neck, prominent back bone, slender chest, bel- 

 ly tucked up, small udder or a fleshy bag, short teats, 

 and thin buttocks, is to be avoided as totally unfit for 

 the purposes either of the dairy-man, the suckler, or 

 the grazier. The most valuable cows are those 

 which are bred in Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and upon 

 the strong lands in other parts of England, and iu 

 Ayrshire in Scotland. 



The criteria of excellence in cattle as derived 

 from color, is of no importance, and all that can be 

 said is, that white and red cattle are less hardy thai, 

 the black haired. 



The criteria of age in cattle is derived from the 

 teeth and horns. At the end of about ten years they 

 shed their first four teeth, which are replaced by 

 others, larger, but not so white ; and before five 

 years all the incisive teeth are renewed. These 

 teeth are at first equal, long, and pretty white ; but 

 as the animals advance in years, they wear down, 

 become unequal, and black. These animals like- 

 wise shed their horns at the end of three years ; and 

 they are replaced by other horns, which, like the se- 

 cond teeth, continue. The manner of the growth of 

 these horns is not uniform, nor the shooting of them 

 equal. The first year, that is, the fourth year of the 

 animal's age, two small pointed horns make their ap- 

 pearance, neatly formed, smooth, and towards the 

 head terminated by a kind of button. The following 

 year this button moves from the head, being impelled 

 by a horny cylinder, which lengthening in the same 

 manner, is also terminated by another button, and so 

 on : for the horns contiuue growing as long as the 

 animal lives. The buttons become annular joints or 

 rings, which are easily distinguished in the horn, and 

 by which the age of the creature may be easily known; 

 counting three years for the point of the horn, and 

 one for each of the joints or rings. The cow conti- 

 nues useful for more than twenty years, but the bull 

 looses his vigor much sooner. It is common with 

 dealers to obliterate these rings, by shaving the 

 horns, in order to conceal the age of the beast. 



The terms applied to different ages are as follow. 

 A young castrated male, after the first year, is called 

 a stbt, stirk, or steer ; at five years old an ox. A 

 female, after the first year, is called a heifer, or. 

 quey ; at five years old, a cow. And afterwards, a 

 castrated female is called a spayed heifer or cow. — ■ 

 Certain of the Welsh and Scots cattle, of rather a 

 coarse and sturdy kind, are denominated runts. Bui- 



