42G 
Management of Cattle. 
at a very early age to the yoke, would be an unwise and unprofit- 
able expenditure of those qualities, to obtain which so much 
trouble has been taken and so much cost incurred. 
The feeding propensities of the improved Short-horns are well 
known and almost proverbial. There is something in the very 
touch of the flesh and silky hair of a good Durham which tells us 
that the animal must get fat, and in fact forms the grand charac- 
teristic of the improved over the original short-horns ; and who- 
ever has felt the short, wiry hair and hard flesh of the old York- 
shire and Lincolnshire breed will be sensible of the difference I 
have endeavoured to describe. 
It is, however, necessary to use some caution in this nice point 
of handling, for even the qualities to which I have referred may 
be carried to an extreme, and the light fleshed, thin skinned 
animal ought to be avoided by the grazier almost as much as one 
of an opposite character. The improved Short-horns possess not 
only the greatest aptitude to fatten, but they are capable, not- 
withstanding their large size, of being returned or made fit for 
the butcher at a very early age. It may perhaps be a question 
whether the present system of feeding animals so young has not 
tended in some degree to cause the existing scarcity of neat stock 
in this kingdom. I shall not, however, enter into this discussion ; 
but it cannot be disputed, that a well-bred Short-horn of the im- 
proved sort possesses in an eminent degree every qualification for 
an early maturity. Short- horns of three years old, or a little more, 
will often weigh from 80 to 90 stone (of 14 lbs.), and when kept 
longer and fed for the Christmas market, from 120 to 130 stones 
is l)y no means an unusual weight for them to attain. 
It is said that Short-horns will not thrive except upon very good 
land ; but, although this observation is to a certain extent true, it 
does not apply exclusively to this particular breed, as it would in 
any case be impossible to graze an animal, capable of weighing 
80 stones, upon a sheep-walk or rough dairy-pasture ; and no 
matter what its breed, an ox of a large frame ought to be grazed 
upon pastures of good quality. Besides which, when we look at 
the immense weight of beef which is annually produced in yards, 
stalls, and boxes during the winter season, upon turnips and 
artificial food, the objection which has been urged against the 
Short-horn ceases to be one of any moment. It is likewise some- 
times asserted, that Short-horns consume a large quantity of food ; 
but, even assuming this to be the case, it may be answered that 
they produce beef in proportion, and, if we examine the facts a 
little more closely, it may, I am persuaded, be shown beyond 
doubt, that the well-bred Durham ox does not consume more 
food than any similarly large animal, and probably not so much. 
It would, of course, be unfair to compare the daily consumption 
