Management of Devon Cattle. 
331 
of Devon herd-management and has produced many excellent 
dairy Devons. The calves are not so much timed for birth 
in or about January as those of many other show herds, yet 
about two-thirds of the number fall within the first half of the 
year. The early calves go out to grass in May, weaned at three 
months old. Bull calves, kept in, have six months’ suckling, 
and as soon as they can take the whole of the cow’s milk they 
may. Calves for show have the customary good living of their 
class. Stock heifers, first winter, have hay at night, grass by day, 
a few roots when grass is scanty, or sometimes cake instead ; 
second winter, a run on grass, some barley straw, and a little 
hay. Steers are kept going,” which means liberally treated, to 
two or two and a half years old, excepting two or three months in 
the second summer, when they have grass only. They are then 
sold as they are “ finished.” A daily run on grass is the rule of 
the herd for all but bulls, cows “ dry” for calving, and young 
calves. 
Mr. T. H. Risdon, whose herd at Washford, kept for profit in 
the ordinary course of Somersetshire beef-making, has turned out 
many noted Smithfield Club winners, allows his calves, according 
to his object, and their ages and destinations, from four to nine 
months’ suckling, weans them from the cows on grass in summer, 
and in winter gives hay and roots, with about two quarts of 
corn each towards spring. For a special reason all corn is given 
whole (even the pigs being fed on whole Indian corn), the straw 
given uncut and roots whole. The reason is this : he believes 
that the free flow of saliva and its mixing with the food is one of 
the conditions of perfect health and thriving ; that mastication 
induces it ; and that to lessen the labour of mastication is there- 
fore to lessen the quantity of saliva, and proportionately to lessen 
the thi'iving of the animal. The leavings of the uncut straw 
served out as food are taken to the heap, and subsequently 
delivered as bedding in the straw-yards. He farms 280 acres, 
about one-half under the plough, and breeds some five-and-twenty 
calves each year. 
Mr. George Risdon, at Dunster, West Somerset, upon a 
well-sheltered grazing farm, has, besides his bought-in steers, 
a small steer-breeding herd. His general system of rearing 
calves, bom mostly in April and May, does not differ much from 
what we have already noticed ; but as the calves, both heifers 
and steers, grow up, the yearlings run out all day in winter, 
and have only hay under cover at night, whilst the two-year-old 
heifers lie out of doors in winter, night and day. The two-year- 
old steers in winter lie in night and day, and are fed off, from 
two to three years old, on hay and roots, and out at grass about 
