The Management of a Shorthorn Herd. 
411 
tion so extensive that it has led to an occasional foreign trade 
and the export of a considerable number of his cattle. His 
steers, more particularly, are famous for their weight and quality. 
The general herd is kept in very ordinary breeding condition, 
and it is noteworthy that the dams of those mountains of beef 
which astonish visitors to the Smithficld Club or Bingley Hall 
Shows are cows that fill the milk-pail. Mr. Bult farms about 
200 acres, in the flat vale of some fourteen miles width, between 
the Quantock and Blackdown Hills. About one-third of his 
land is arable, and 30 acres are in orchard. He took the first 
and champion prizes last year at the Kilburn International Show 
for orchard-produce. The herd numbers about forty (or two or 
three over) ; and although there is no standing flock of sheep 
upon the farm, from one to two hundred ewes are bought in 
annually to breed fat lambs, and are in turn sold to the butcher, 
and followed by other sheep for feeding off turnips and rape. 
Some black pigs are kept, one job horse, and four carthorses for 
the agricultural work. 
Mr. Bult's calves are weaned at a fortnight old, and fed by pail 
and finger, on new milk, until they are three weeks old ; then the 
quantity of the new is lessened and skim-milk added, with linseed- 
gruel in part compensation to the calf for the loss of cream ; 
and by degrees the proportion of new milk is made less, and of 
skim-milk and linseed more, until the two latter, with a few 
roots in winter, with a little barley-meal and linseed-cake, and 
as much hay as they will eat, form the diet of the calves, and 
eventually, of course, the liquid is discontinued, and the young 
stock have the solid food and water only. No common farm 
stock could live more plainly. After calfhood, they run out for 
their living. Those, however, for show, are differently treated ; 
they are housed, and each, according to its capacity, has cake 
and meal, principally oilcake and barley-meal mixed. The 
heifers (those under ordinary treatment) bring their first calves 
when from two-and-a-half to three years old. The aim is to 
have the calves chiefly in December, but sometimes an unfavour- 
able season Avill throw the cows out of course, as is the case at 
present, and the calves come at irregular and less convenient 
times. The cows lie out at nights from as early in May as the 
weather will permit to the end of October. Mr. Bult does not 
care to keep them out late in the autumn if the quantity and 
quality of his hay, and other considerations, admit of bringing 
indoors tolerably early. They do better under cover when the 
nights become chill and frosty. 
The cow at calving has bran mashes, 2 oz. of nitre in a 
bucket of water with the chill off, and her own first milk. While 
suckling, that is, during the first fortnight, she is milked (not at 
