State of Agriculture in Northumberland. 177 



towards the spring turnips with straw. A better pasture is al- 

 lowed them next summer, and in autumn they are put into open 

 folds to full turnips, coming out in the spring months lit for the 

 butcher^ and weighing on an average about 70 stone of 14 lbs., 

 although many steers of three years old are seen in the months 

 of April and May, at Wooler and other places of sale, from 80 

 to 90 stone ; the heifers are generally about 10 stone less, and this 

 with a very small quantity of cake in the last six weeks of their 

 feeding. In some cases it is found more profitable to push the 

 young cattle forward in the second year than to keep them till 

 the third, in which case cake is indispensable from the month 

 of January or February at latest. In the spring of last year 

 Mr. George Grey sold a lot of steers, two years old, grazed on 

 my property on the Tweed, for 21/. each, weighing 62 stone; 

 part of them were a cross from a short-horned bull and West 

 Highland heifers, and not quite so heavy as the pure short-horns. 

 It would have required good food to make them pay for keeping 

 another year. A large and good breed of cattle existed in this 

 county long before the present race was introduced from Durham, 

 which attamed immense weights. The two famous oxen bred 

 and fed at Howick by Sir Henry Grey weighed above 150 stone 

 each, of 141bs. ; and a heifer 132 stone (the beef only), but then 

 they were seven years old. Oxen are not now allowed to attain 

 such venerable age, the object of the breeder being to obtain 

 early maturity in an animal which lays its beef upon the most 

 valuable parts and produces least of coarse meat and offal. The 

 custom of keeping animals tied by the head in stalls, during the 

 whole time of their being fatted, is quite abandoned ; and they 

 are put in folds in small numbers together, having well-littered 

 sheds open to the south to lie in, and the power to walk about at 

 pleasure. The custom of ploughing with oxen is also exploded. 



The horses used in this district are below the size of draught- 

 horses in general, short and clean legged, with small heads, light 

 necks, and thick middles, capable of enduring long journeys and 

 great fatigue, though not of moving such heavy loads as some 

 others. The real black cart-horse, with thick legs, round quar- 

 ters and heavy shoulders, though capable of throwing great 

 weight into the collar, would cut a poor figure after going in 

 the plough, making turnip- drills for 10 or 11 hours a-day, in 

 the warm month of June, at the top of his walk. The lighter 

 and more nimble horse, which moves quickly and with little 

 trouble, is much more fitted for the great exertion required of 

 him in turnip cultivation. A pair of such horses in preparino; 

 turnip-land will plough IJ acre, and in large fields where the 

 turning is less frequent, 2 acres a day for days together ; but the 

 pace common in making and splitting the drills in seed-time is 



