Red  Poll  Cattle. 
55 
is  impossible  to  take  up  a recent  Journal  of  the  R.A.S.E.,  or 
a catalogue  of  the  Smithfield  Club,  without  finding  some 
distinction  attached  to  their  names,  and  they  have  had  their 
share  of  success  at  the  Summer  Shows  of  1910. 
Each  in  turn  has  brought  forward  excellent  specimens  of 
the  breed,  some  of  which  have  been  recently  exported  at  high 
prices,  while  others  are  spending  their  life  quietly  at  home, 
passing  on  to  the  coming  generation  the  symmetry  and  dairy 
qualities  of  their  ancestors. 
This  article  does  not  pretend  to  be  exhaustive,  and  want  of 
time  and  space  must  be  the  excuse  for  omitting  longer  notice 
of  these  and  other  excellent  herds  belonging  to  notable  owners 
like  the  Earl  of  Lonsdale,  W.  E.  Balston,  J.  E.  Quested, 
G.  Dudley  Smith,  and  many  other  members  of  the  Red  Poll 
Society. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  a few  remarks  about  rations  and 
treatment  may  not  be  out  of  place.  As  far  as  feeding  is 
concerned,  there  must  be  quot  homines , tot  sententice ; but 
I venture  to  describe  the  practice  that  is  observed  in  the 
Aspall  Hall  herd,  which  is  kept  for  dairy  purposes. 
The  cows  have  a bait  morning  and  evening  throughout  the 
year,  at  milking  time,  consisting  of  J peck  of  meal  (generally 
3 parts  oats,  1 part  bean  meal)  mixed  with  about  1 peck  of 
chaffed  hay  or  oat  straw  and  hay  chaffed. 
In  August  and  September,  when  the  pastures  get  bare  and 
parched,  this  may  be  supplemented  by  green  maize,  cut  tap, 
about  ^ bushel  of  which  is  mixed  with  the  peck  of  chaff  above 
mentioned. 
In  October  and  November  cabbages  are  thrown  on  the 
meadows,  about  one  cart  load  to  ten  or  twelve  cows,  and 
this  is  continued  as  long  as  that  valuable  crucifer  is  avail- 
able. 
After  the  cabbages  are  finished  mangolds  are  used,  and 
about  a bushel  of  them  sliced  is  added  to  the  morning  and 
evening  bait. 
The  cows  go  out  for  some  time  on  the  meadows  every 
day  throughout  the  winter,  in  snow  or  rain,  unless  the  weather 
is  outrageously  stormy  or  wet.  Then  and  at  night  the  cows 
are  loose  in  a large  covered  yard,  and  have  hay  in  the  racks, 
about  one  truss  to  five  cows.  The  roof  of  the  yard  is  con- 
structed of  tarred  planks,  between  which  there  is  a space  of 
about  i in.  ; this  gives  free  scope  to  ventilation,  but  does  not 
allow  much  rain  or  snow  to  penetrate. 
In  the  spring,  about  April,  before  the  grass  begins  to  grow, 
whole  mangolds  are  thrown  on  the  meadows  for  consumption. 
Cake  is  very  rarely  given,  but  is  a useful  reserve  food  if  the 
grass  is  very  lash  or  the  cows  purge  too  much. 
/ 
