160 
Early Fattening of Cattle, 
years' trial, and its principle appears to rest on the avoidance of 
the risks and costs of purchase. The three calves produced by 
each cow are the compensation for the wear and tear of mater- 
nity. In all probability the drawback attaching to a breeding- 
herd in this respect is less in the case of these cows than it 
would be with deeper milkers ; and Messrs. Drewitt's mixed 
Devons and Sussex (a beautiful and meat-making herd) are, no 
doubt, admirably adapted for his purpose. They are of mode- 
rate size. Other sorts of cattle may produce mountains of beef, 
while these yield only hills ; but the cost of production is the 
main point. 
Mr. J. B. Lawes has shown, by a series of experiments at 
Rothamsted, that well-bred Shorthorns, Devons, or Herefords, 
consume food and make meat in proportion to their size ; and 
Messrs. Drewitt's experience has led them to the same conclusion. 
During an interesting correspondence in the ' Agricultural 
Gazette ' on the subject of " Two- Year-Old Beef," a number of 
letters appeared from practical men describing their manage- 
ment. Perhaps the following may be added to my other ex- 
amples, as showing the varieties of management in the north of 
England : — 
" Since such prices as 18?. aud 20?. a head for lean oxen came into vogue, 
there have been considerably more calves reared in Koxburgh and Berwick- 
shire. The cows kept are generally selected more on account of their milking 
capabilities than for their pure breeding, and are mostly Ayrshires and crosses 
of that breed with the Shorthorn. On those farms where it is the custom to 
rear calves, a good useful Shorthorn bull is kept, not always of high pedigree, 
but that, too, is being more sought after than formerly ; the hinds' cows and 
those of the neighbours being served on the condition that the owner of the 
bull shall have the first otter of the calf. The cows calve from February till 
May, and the calves, with plain diet, certainly without pampering, are fed off 
at 22 to 24 months old, as the case may be, aud oftener than not do not taste 
oilcake the last season till three months befire they are sold — 5'> to 60 stones 
(of 14 lbs.) are the usual weights. There are more calves reared in Northum- 
berland than in both the before-mentioned counties put together ; the breed 
of cattle — generally Shorthorns — is much superior; but here, in the souUiern 
jiart of the countj', the practice of feeding at two years old has only obtained 
during the last 20 years. When that is the object in view, it is a great jioiut 
to have early spring calves, not later than Ajiril if possible. It was the prac- 
tice on Tyneside to keep on an average-sized farm, say 200 to 300 acres, a 
dozen or more fine heavy Shorthorn cows, and, rearing their calves, to feed 
them off on j^rass the third summer. That was the plan wlieu the barc-fallovkr 
system was pursued, and fewer turnips grown than nowadays, (h'eat attention 
■was paid to the brecdin_' l>oth of sire and dam. Latterly it was found that it 
])aid better to buy Irish cattle, which were to be had good of their sort at low 
j)rice.s, and so it came to pass that on many farms the Shorthorns, the breed of 
which had descended in the family from father to son, gave jilace to two or 
three come-by-chance Irish cows, just kept to provide milk for the farmhouse 
and the cottagers. However, since the great rise in the price oi lean cattle, 
the old system of rearing a part and buying in the remainder of tlie cattle fed 
has beca recommenced ; indeed, in many cases, it had never been entirely 
