The  Cost  of  Winter  Grazing  in  East  Norfolk.  Dl 
good  doers  and  that  will  grow,  as  well  as  fat,  whilst  grazing, 
and  further,  on  subsequent  judicious  management. 
Three  complaints  are  frequently  heard  about  the  present 
supply  of  stores.  In  the  first  place  there  is  their  high  price  ; 
secondly,  that  the  Government  veto  prevents  the  importation 
of  Canadian  lean  cattle,  which  is  generally  supposed  to  be  the 
cause  of  the  former  complaint ; thirdly,  local  graziers  say  that 
they  can  only  get  the  “culls,”  the  best  of  the  animals,  bred 
either  in  Ireland  or  in  our  grassland  counties,  being  either  sold 
and  killed  straight  from  pasture  or  otherwise  disposed  of  else- 
where. Those  that  arrive  at  Norwich  Hill  are,  they  say,  mixed 
up,  originating  from  various  localities  and  strangers  to  one 
another,  and  they  consequently  take  some  time  before  settling 
down.  The  practice  of  dishorning  full  grown  bullocks  is  no 
longer  cai’ried  on,  but  the  presence  of  a bull  in  a yard  of 
turbulent  horned  bullocks  is  held  to  ensure  order  and  quietude. 
There  seems  to  be  a general  consensus  of  opinion  in  favour 
of  single  boxes  over  open  yards  or  closed  sheds  in  which  a 
number  of  beasts  are  tied  up.  Those  grazed  in  the  latter  fashion 
are  said  not  to  develop  their  forequarters  proportionately. 
The  use  of  rock  salt  is  not  at  all  general,  and  I have  neither 
seen  nor  heard  of  a lump  of  chalk  being  supplied  to  small 
beasts  as  used  to  be  the  almost  regular  practice  with  Essex 
calf-rearers. 
In  spite  of  the  precautions  taken  against  cruelty  on  Norwich 
Hill,  I believe  that  many  pounds  are  lost  to  graziers  by  the  nose 
and  hide  soreness  of  animals  that  have  been  unnecessarily 
knocked  about  at  market. 
Very  few  home  breds  are  locally  reared.  The  purchase  and 
upbringing  of  calves  has  been  experimented  with,  but  pastures 
hereabouts  are  few  and  flies  are  plentiful,  and  moreover,  our 
comparatively  short  annual  rainfall  does  not  encourage  the 
continual  growth  of  grass.  Some  few  heifers  and  calves  are 
fatted  together,  but  not  so  many  as  formerly,  although  a hand- 
some return  generally  results  as  compared  with  the  average 
profit  arising  from  steers,  whilst  on  the  other  hand  there  are, 
of  course,  some  extra  risks  incurred. 
It  is  interesting  to  remember  that  in  Kent’s  Norfolk  Tour, 
published  in  1808,  an  acre  of  roots  is  said  to  have  produced 
from  thirty  to  forty  three-horse  cartloads,  which  would  fat 
a 40  or  50  stone  Scotch  bullock.  We  do  more  than  this  now. 
In  Marshall’s  Rural  Economy  of  the  county,  1787,  we  find 
that  the  present  preference  of  our  chief  graziers  for  large  and 
forward  stores  was  even  then  the  vogue.  He  says:  “Mr.  R. 
always  buys  a good  bullock.  If  a man  don’t  buy  a good  thing, 
he  can  never  expect  to  have  anything  capital  ; he  does  not 
mind  a few  shillings  at  St.  Faith’s  ” (fair  held  in  October). 
