Derby Prize-Farm Competition, 1881. 
531 
Cattle. — The numbers on the farm we give below : — 
December. 
21 Cows in milk. 
S Cows in calf. 
o „ barren. 
14 Feeding steers. 
5 Heifers. 
6 Yearlings. 
5 Calves. 
3 Bulls. 
May. 
20 Cows in milk. 
G Cows in calf. 
21 Cattle feeding. 
4 Heifers in calf. 
1 Stirk, barren. 
3 Yearlings, 
9 Calves. 
3 Bulls. 
70 
July. 
22 Milkers. 
24 Feeders. 
1 Stirk, barren. 
10 In-calvers. 
3 Yearlings. 
9 Calves. 
3 Bulls. 
Dairy-coios. — The usual number of cows milked is twenty. 
They are mostly bought, and are good ordinary Derbyshire 
Shorthorns, selected with regard to their milking and feeding 
properties ; for if one does not milk properly, or loses a quarter, 
she is made into beef, and another put into her place. This 
increases the amount received from the butcher, but it also 
increases the outlay for cattle and for feeding-stuffs. The 
average quantity of milk sold in the past year was 43 imperial 
gallons per day, and when we were there in May and July, the 
cows were giving about 46 gallons ; they were then having 
2 lbs. of linseed-cake a day. In the winter each cow had daily 
a mixture of 3 lbs. cake (linseed and cotton), 5 lbs. bran, 5 pecks 
grains, 14 lbs. roots, with cut chaff, and night and morning a 
little hay. The feeding cattle had 7 lbs. mixed cake, 3 lbs. 
barley-meal, ^ cwt. roots, with chaff and hay. The heifers and 
in-calvers were out at grass in the day, and had hay in the yards 
at night ; the calves had 1 lb. of cake apiece, in addition to 
their hay. 
Feeding-cattle. — In December, fourteen good heifers and steers 
were in the sheds being finished off; a first lot had been grass- 
fed, and these had followed them in the pastures. In May these 
were gone, and others were in the pastures ; in July some of 
these latter were fat, and ready for the butcher. About six 
calves are reared yearly. They have two gallons of milk a 
day for eight weeks, and then linseed-cake gruel is given, the 
change of food being gradual. Rearing-calves are not turned 
out till they are twelve to sixteen months old. Spring-reared 
calves would not go out the first summer. Mr. Rossell says, by 
giving them green clover, &c., he can keep them for smaller 
cost than if they were turned into the fields, and there is no 
danger from worm in the throat — that fruitful cause of weakness 
and mortality among calves. 
No sheep are now kept. Some have been kept up to last 
autumn, when all were sold through fear of fluke. 
