Sussex Cattle. 
121 
excellent show animals, but they are not the stock to which 
a young breeder should look to found a herd. Given a good 
pedigree let him choose rather the best breeders and mothers, 
having obtained these, let him manage them in such a way that 
their lacteal qualities be developed. This he may do, follow- 
ing the advice of Mr. A. Heasman, who says “ By this method 
of management a cow rears two calves and rarely proves 
barren.” The writer once bought a cow of the Prebble tribe, 
which, after rearing a splendid heifer calf, brought up six 
others in succession. 
Even with the first calf the udder should be relieved at least 
twice a day, preferably before the calf sucks. By this custom 
the calf obtains a fresh supply and the last of the milk, which 
we know to be the richest and best. Further, when the cow 
has brought up her one calf which is weaned at five or six 
months old, she should not be turned off into succulent 
pastures without any attempt being made to utilise her milk. 
Only this year the writer saw cows so treated, with milk 
running from them, and in such a state that had they been in 
a public market, their owners would have been liable to prose- 
cution. Cows should always be milked after their calves are 
weaned until within at least three months of their calving time 
or, better still, may bring up another calf. I do not charge 
all, but the majority of breeders do their best to make the 
Sussex cows live up to the bad character as milkers, which, 
exaggerated beyond justice, they have been given by the public. 
They are allowed to calve in the meadows in summer time, the 
calf is left alone with the dam, taking what milk it requires, 
while no attempt is made to relieve the udder of the surplus 
milk which the calf cannot take. 
Such practices as the above lead to over fatness and conse- 
quent difficulty in reproduction. 
We have referred previously to the records of the breed at 
Smithfield, and we have noticed for several years that the press, 
both agricultural and other, has called attention to the gradual 
improvement in these cattle, both as regards greater symmetry 
and compactness, which must be evident to all who are interested 
in the breed. On the other hand we have heard breeders 
deplore the loss of size, particularly in the cows, which they 
say has occurred in the last forty years. This is very possibly 
the case, but we hold that for all useful purposes the Sussex 
cow is large enough, and we do not really believe that she has 
lost in weight, while she has certainly gained in symmetry by 
losing the coarseness of shoulder, length of leg, &c., that 
formerly distinguished her. 
It sometimes occurs that at the annual summer shows, the 
breed is represented by small classes only, owing to their being 
