56  The  Origin  of  some  Old  Agricultural  Words. 
Calves  are  generally  kept  on  the  cow  for  a fortnight,  and 
then  weaned  on  skim  milk  and  calf  meal.”  If  the  milk 
is  not  required  they  may  be  left  on  the  cow  a month  or  more. 
The  bull  generally  runs  with  the  cows  on  the  meadows  and 
in  the  yard,  and  is  therefore  less  likely  to  be  vicious. 
By  careful  breeding  and  selection  the  average  weight  of 
milk  given  by  my  cows  in  the  year  has  gradually  increased  in 
about  fifteen  years  from  7,000  lb.  to  over  8,000  lb. 
Many  breeders  of  Red  Polls  have  proved  that  by  judiciously 
selecting  bulls  from  parents  having  large  milk  records,  milk  can 
be  bred  into  and  retained  in  a herd.  However,  when  the  large 
supply  of  milk  is  alone  studied,  the  size  of  the  animal  deterior- 
ates. It  is  therefore  wise  to  use  in  the  herd  two  dairy  bulls 
in  succession,  and  then  to  employ  the  services  of  a large  bull 
of  prize-winning  blood,  which  would  in  most  cases  bring 
back  to  the  herd  the  size  which  had  been  lost  in  previously 
breeding  by  dairy-bred  sires. 
Fresh  air  is  regarded  as  of  the  utmost  importance  in  the 
health  of  a cow.  In  1899  my  herd  of  twenty-six  cows  were 
tested  with  the  tuberculin  test,  and  three  which  reacted  were 
at  once  drafted  out. 
In  1904  the  herd  of  twenty-eight  were  again  tested  and  none 
reacted  ; and  a similar  operation  in  1910  found  them  also  im- 
mune. The  bracing  air  of  the  eastern  counties  and  the  open  yards 
make  the  native  Red  Polls  one  of  the  hardiest  and  healthiest 
breeds  in  England. 
J.  B.  Chevallier. 
Aspall  Hall, 
Debenham,  Suffolk. 
THE  ORIGIN  OF  SOME  OLD 
AGRICULTURAL  WORDS. 
I AM  given  to  understand  that  one  of  the  difficulties  now 
experienced,  in  the  course  of  the  great  improvements  that  are 
being  made  in  the  advancement  of  agricultural  science,  arises 
from  the  lack  of  precision  in  the  terms  employed  by  practical 
farmers.  This  is  a difficulty  that  must  have  arisen  in  every 
department  of  science,  and  it  obviously  has  to  be  considered, 
and  if  possible  to  be  overcome. 
In  all  such  cases,  terminology  must  ultimately  be  regulated 
by  general  usage,  controlled  as  far  as  possible  by  authority. 
And  of  course  one  difficulty  is  to  establish  authority  where  it 
does  not  actually  exist.  We  must  therefore  first  consider  what 
sort  of  authority  we  already  possess. 
