424 
The Management of a Shorthorn Herd. 
Generally, the evidence I have collected tells the other way ; 
that cows allowed to have their calves running out with them, 
or living in the same box with them, do not readily breed 
again until the calf is weaned ; but the particulars gathered 
from the Ardfert farm-books afford very positive testimony, 
extending over a long course of years, so far as the Ardfert cattle 
are concerned. The explanation I cannot attempt to offer, but 
these are the facts. Taking dates of the produce of ten cows, 
whose average age at the date of last calving was ten years and 
one month, I find that their average produce was eight calves 
each, average at date of first calving two years and ten months, 
and average length of time between the birth of the first and of 
the last calf, seven years and three months. These cows are all 
now in the herd, and, so far as I know, continuing to breed ; 
several of them are by no means old cows, and are likely to breed 
for many years ; while others may in all probability yield each 
another calf or two. Extending the calculation to cows that had 
passed out of the herd, I arrived at similar results, but found a 
greater average of calves, and of age at birth of last calf, because 
the full life of several of the cows came into the account, which 
was not the case in taking ten old and middle-aged cows from 
the herd as it stands. I may further illustrate the breeding 
power of the herd by taking (from the same source, the Ardfert 
farm-books) the last few years' records of the number of breeding 
cows in the herd, and the number of living calves produced by 
them. The following table includes, in the column for the 
number of calves, only such as were actually reared beyond what 
may be called infancy. Losses beyond that period are rare, and 
the figures show, not only ample reproductiveness in the herd, 
but also a very small percentage of losses among the calves at or 
soon after birth. When the number of calves reared is in excess 
of the number of cows in-calf, the difference (as is obvious) is 
in consequence of one or more of the cows producing twins. 
One cow had bred twins four times. 
Year. Cows in-calf. Calves reared. 
1872 49 51 
1873 52 40 
1874 46 46 
1875 38 40 
1876 46 48 
1877 40 4L 
1378 41 40 
1879 41 41 
353 347 
Thus, excepting losses which were compensated by the birth 
of twins, there was a total loss of only six calves in eight years, 
