142 
Farming  of  Gloucestershire. 
Live  Stock. — There  are  not  extensive  herds  of  cattle  kept  on 
the  Cotswolds,  it  being  principally  a sheep  country.  We  have 
some  breeders  of  short-horns  and  Herefords.  Amongst  the 
former  Lord  Sherborne,  Mr.  Bovvly,  and  Mr.  Game  of  Sher- 
borne, hold  a prominent  place ; and  Messrs.  Hewers  and 
Nicholls  as  breeders  of  Herefords.  The  Herefords  are  liked 
best  for  steers  and  working  oxen,  and  the  short-horns  as  heifers 
to  sell  for  the  dairy.  Most  farmers  keep  from  six  to  twelve  or 
fifteen  cows,  but  besides  rearing  their  own  calves  a great  many 
are  bought  annually  from  the  dairymen  of  North  Wilts,  so  that  a 
much  greater  number  is  weaned  and  reared  than  the  number  of 
cows  kept.  Young  beasts  graze  through  the  summer  with  the 
sheep  flock  on  the  second  year's  seeds  and  aftermath  of  the 
young  seeds  and  sainfoin,  and  are  afterwards  put  in  the  yards  to 
hay  and  straw.  Sometimes  a few  turnips  are  given  them  with  the 
straw,  but  this  is  not  a general  practice.  The  heifers  are  sold  in 
calf  to  the  dairymen  at  three  years  old,  and  the  steers  are  broken 
into  work  to  supply  the  place  of  older  oxen  that  have  been  sold 
off  to  the  grazier.  A considerable  number  of  oxen  are  worked 
in  the  spring  and  summer  months,  which  are  turned  into  the 
straw-yard  in  the  w'inter.  Four,  and  sometimes  five,  are  used 
in  a team  at  length,  and  six  or  eight  in  a team  are  yoked  double 
to  the  drags,  working  in  harness  like  horses.  When  they  begin 
work  in  the  spring  their  food  consists  of  hay  or  chaff,  with 
barley-meal;  and  in  the  summer  they  are  turned  upon  the  seeds 
and  rough  pastures.  They  are  considered  to  be  less  expensive 
to  keep,  and  more  certain  of  increasing  in  value  than  horses,  and 
can  be  put  aside  with  advantage  at  certain  times  in  the  year,  when 
the  work  at  which  they  are  usually  employed  is  done.  Hence 
the  benefit  of  working  both  oxen  and  horses.  Very  few  cattle 
are  fatted  in  summer,  or  in  yards  or  sheds  in  the  winter,  except 
by  those  who  hold  grass  land  in  the  valleys  of  the  Windrush,  and 
a few  other  small  grazing  spots  interspersed  about  the  district. 
Sheep. — Sheep,  the  principal  stock  of  the  Cotswold  farmer, 
occupy  the  greatest  share  of  his  attention.  The  Cotswold  sheep 
of  the  present  day  are  the  improved  Cotswold  and  the  new 
Leicester.  In  the  time  of  Rudge  serious  attempts  were  made  to 
improve  the  breed  of  sheep,  and  numerous  crosses  obtained, 
which,  after  discussion  amongst  breeders,  ended  in  producing  the 
sheep  so  well  known  to  the  visitors  of  the  annual  meetings  of 
your  Society  as  the  winners  of  all  the  prizes  in  the  long-woolled 
class.  Our  sheep  are  in  great  demand  in  all  parts  of  England, 
as  well  as  Ireland,  for  crossing  with  other  breeds.  Great  pains 
have  been  taken  to  improve  our  sheep  by  many  spirited  breeders, 
and  they  have  been  well  repaid  for  their  trouble.  The  prices 
given  for  their  tups,  however,  have  not  reached  those  realized  for 
the  best  Southdowns  and  Leicesters.  This  I cannot  attribute 
