408 
Illustrations of Irish Farming. 
the weather proves rainy, so that the land becomes soft, the sheep 
are removed to a grassfield, where they get turnips, a supply of 
which had previously been stored to meet a contingency of this 
kind. Those which are not finished on turnips are carried on 
during summer and autumn on grass, but all are cleared off 
before next Christmas. The average weight of the sheep is 
20 lbs. a quarter ; and the average weight of fleece of ewes and 
hoggs 6^ lbs. The wool is sent to a firm of wool-brokers at 
Leith, in Scotland, and brings usually the highest price, beating 
the best wool grown in Berwickshire. I need scarcely say that 
owing to the manner in which the flock at Cloona Castle is 
treated the per-centage of deaths is very small. 
-The cattle kept by Mr. Simson are short-horn crosses, mostly 
purchased in the fairs held in Co. Mayo. Some of them show 
evident traces of their descent from the old Longhorn blood. 
They are large beasts, with thick, sappy hides, and fatten readily, 
weighing 8 and 9 cwt. of beef when 3 J to 4 years old. Mr. 
Simpson also keeps a well-bred short-horn bull ; and a number 
of calves, generally about twenty, got by him, are reared annually. 
I may state that Mr. Simson prefers a white bull, if he is 
thoroughly well bred, finding that a bull of that colour is more 
apt to get roan calves than a bull of a more fashionable colour. 
The system which Mr. Simson pursues with regard to the 
bulk of the cattle kept on his farm is to buy 100 two and a half 
years-old bullocks in October. These are run on coarse bottom 
pastures until February, and then take the place of the fat stock 
that have gone out to market. They get, when in the houses or 
boxes, 3 lbs. each daily of a mixture of oats and barley bruised, 
and plenty of oat straw. No turnips are given to them, and 
they are run out during the day on the bottom lands. About 
the beginning of May they are turned out altogether, their 
pasture continuing to be the coarse bottom lands, and on these 
they remain until the middle of October, when they are put up 
to fatten in houses and boxes. They are then fed twice each day 
on turnips, the feeding-hours being 5.30 A.M. and 2 P.M. Be- 
tween these two feeds each animal gets on the average 11 stone 
of turnips. At 11 A.M. they get a ration of mixed food, con- 
sisting of 1 lb. of crushed cake and 2 lbs. of crushed oats, barley, 
and light wheat. After a time the proportion of cake is in- 
creased to 3 lbs. per head. A little hay is given for the first six 
weeks or two months, as they eat greedily at first of the turnips, 
and the hay serves as a corrective. They get plenty of oat straw 
and wheat straw at all times. 
The fat cattle begin to go out to market about the middle of 
January, and from that time until the middle of March. As 
they go out they are replaced by the store bullocks, 100 of which 
