434 
The Management of a Shorthorn Herd. 
control over them. A herd of shy, frightened cows is one in 
which a leading principle of management has been overlooked, 
and a savage bull generally means a savage man. I have found 
herdsmen, as a rule, exceedingly kind to the cattle under their 
care, but occasionally a man — far oftener a cow-boy — needs 
looking after. 
A frequent, quick-eyed inspection of a herd, with a view to 
minor casualties, may spare many and heavy losses. An eye 
injured by a thorn in a hedge, or threatened by the ingrowth of 
the horn ; a piece of stick or dirt between the " claws " of the 
hoof ; the hoof itself cracked, broken, or over-grown ; loose teeth 
in young animals, " wolves' teeth " in those of full age ; to say 
nothing of the importance of careful watching for returns to 
service, preparation for calving, and the earliest symptoms of 
cold or illness of any kind : these are among the multitudinous 
matters for which the manager of a Shorthorn herd must be, 
either personally or by a trustworthy proxy, ever . on the 
alert. Rock-salt placed in large lumps in the boxes, and in the 
fields, for the animals indoors and out to lick ; a lump of chalk, 
securely tied, hanging (like a kitten's cotton-reel) within reach 
of each calf in its pen ; an earth sod for loss of cud, mint-tea for 
a calf that has got a chill, a raw egg occasionally for one that 
wants strengthening: these are among the hundreds of small 
particulars, which it would be impossible to enumerate here. 
In all districts but those where the climate is exceptionally 
genial during the autumn and early winter (parts of Ireland, for 
example, near the sea), cattle do much better when housed early 
in the autumn, and turned out proportionately early in the 
spring. When too well-fed and too long confined in spring they 
do not thrive so well ; and when kept too long out in the cold 
autumn nights, their hides thicken, and, in popular phraseology, 
the animals are long before they "get the cold out of their bones." 
In turning out by day in winter, too, it is most important to take 
the cows in as soon as they draw together towards the buildings, 
and not let them stand at the gate, wearing off their flesh with 
the cold, perhaps catching settled complaints, and almost cer- 
tainly ripping one another with their horns, the latter being one 
of those causes of abortion for which, perhaps, turnips get the 
blame. 
I have alluded to the necessity of keeping animals contented 
and pleased, and the bad economy of permitting disturbance or 
any sort of annoyance to the cattle. Relative to this, it is 
obvious that kindness towards the animals is of incalculable 
importance ; and it should be not only negative but positive 
kindness. Cattle are more amenable to the power of gentleness 
than would be imagined by those who are not familiarly ac- 
