428 
Farm Reports. 
Cattle. 
The breeding herd consists of about 100 pure-bred Shorthorn 
females of all ages — namely, 40 cows put to the bull, 15 heifers 
put to at about 22 months old, and an average of about 45 
yearling heifers and heifer-calves. 
In winter they are kept in loose boxes, or are divided into 
small lots (from 6 to 8) in the foldyards. They live on chopped 
straw and pulped turnips, the heifers getting in addition a small 
allowance of oilcake, generally about 3 lbs. each per diem. In 
the summer they are kept on the pastures at Aylesby and Riby, 
until about three weeks or a month before calving, when they are 
taken into loose boxes, and put upon dry fodder, being given 
doses of Epsom salts and treacle twice a week. Independently 
of this special treatment it is the general practice on the farm to 
give the high-bred females half an ounce of saltpetre in a small 
bran mash once a week. 
The bulls are kept in loose boxes, and get a liberal allowance 
of oilcake and meal, with pulped turnips in winter, and mangolds 
and bran in summer, a certain quantity of mangolds being 
reserved expressly for them. In addition to the weekly nitre- 
mash they occasionally have a gentle dose of Epsom salts and 
aloes. Nearly all the bulls are sold when young, generally as 
yearlings, more than 200 having been thus disposed of at an 
average of about 50/. each. 
The calves are all reared by suckling, and, as many pure 
shorthorns are not allowed to rear their own offspring, nurse-cows 
are bought for the purpose. The calves are generally kept in 
loose boxes, and the nurses taken to them twice a day ; some, 
however, are turned into the pastures, but the former plan is con- 
sidered preferable. 
Most of the male calves are kept for bulls, sixteen having 
been thus reared this year. These bulls are generally sold as 
yearlings, and very rarely let for hire. Those at present in 
service on the farm are "British Crown" (21,322), "Breast- 
plate " (10,337), " Fitz-Royal," and " Governor-General,"— by 
" Commander-in-Chief," from Mr. Booth's " Bride of the Vale," 
which was recently sold for 1000 guineas to go to America. 
The present herd dates back nearly thirty years, its foundation 
having been laid at Riby in the year 1840, when " Golden Beam," 
the ancestress of the celebrated G. tribe, was purchased from the 
Caedby herd. This cow, calved in 1831, was got by " Prince 
Comet " (1842), dam by " Count " (170). Since then seven or 
eight crosses of pure Booth blood have been implanted on this 
stock with successful results. The system of breeding commenced 
in 1840 with this tribe is simply to get a first-rate female of pure 
