The Management of a Shorthorn Herd. 397 
Temperature at Holker. 
1875. 
1878. 
1879. 
Max. 
Min. 
Max. 
Min. 
Max. 
Min. 
o 
o 
o 
o 
o 
o 
51 
18 
51 
20 
45 
13 
55 
23 
55 
26 
48 
22 
TVTii v/iT 1 
58 
24 
61 
22 
60 
21 
74 
28 
69 
27 
59 
23 
74 
36 
71 
31 
67 
25 
79 
42 
90 
35 
74 
35 
79 
43 
94 
41 
78 
47 
September 
75 
44 
82 
45 
81 
39 
77 
41 
74 
36 
72 
33 
66 
32 
70 
26 
66 
27 
57 
25 
52 
24 
56 
21 
55 
19 
46 
10 
49 
11 
Inches. 
Inches. 
Inches. 
Rainfall . . 
In 1875 40-53 
In 1878 39-31 
In 1879 
37-432 
Mr. Drewry, whose position as the Duke of Devonshire's 
estate agent afforded him the opportunity of establishing, and 
enables him to maintain under his direct personal superin- 
tendence, the well-known herd, found good Shorthorns when he 
came to Holker many years ago ; but he foresaw the advantages 
of following a different line of breeding ; and the averages of 
public sales of the Holker Shorthorns (to say nothing of private 
transactions) have emphatically vindicated his judgment. In 
the details of management, as well as in the broader principles 
of breeding, he takes a lively interest, and probably this readiness 
to become familiar with minutice goes far to account for the 
success of his undertakings in general. His plan of rearing 
Shorthorns is usually, in the first stage of life, by suckling, 
which is considered the best and cheapest method. Many 
heifer-calves are reared by putting them upon little Scotch or 
half-bred heifers. When a bull is reared for use in the herd, 
suckling is considered preferable ; when one is intended for 
sale at or under twelve months old, he has usually reason, as 
Mr. Pumblechook told Pip, to be " grateful to them which 
brought him up by hand." The calves are not often allowed to 
suck their dams more than a month, and those which are reared 
at the pail do not suck at all. The objection to the calves 
sucking their mothers is, that the cows do not come in season 
while the calves are with them. 
The heifers are generally brought to service at eighteen 
months, or from that age to two years old ; but this depends 
upon their previous growth : if they are strong and likely to 
