430 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Junz, 1899. 
which sold for 100 guineas, was 8 feet 11 inches long, 6 feet 7 inches high, 10 
feet 4 inches in girth, weighing nearly 30 stones. The beasts exhibited at alll 
the earlier shows had among them a large proportion of what would be termed 
giants nowadays, but the weighbridge was not in use as it 1s now, and the 
scalings of only a comparative few have been handed down to us. ‘Two causes: 
have been in active operation to lessen the stature of beasts fed for the shambles 
ever since about the middle of the present century. The one is the rapid and general 
decline in the system of working oxen, for which no adequate reason has been 
adduced, except that it was found that lands could be ploughed and worked for 
seed beds much more speedily by horse than ox labour. When, however, against 
this was placed the fact that the ox, bred on the farm, matured into his greatest 
value for sale after performing his duty at the yoke 4 or 5 years, and that 
horses, on the contrary, would get of less value the older they grew, the adyvan- 
tages of the change do not appear so very patent, unless, indeed, young cart 
mares of some value are worked which will breed valuable foals as well as 
perform the tillage operations. 
The other cause is the change in the popular taste of beef consumers. 
requiring small joints of good quality flesh not over-larded with much fat, 
instead of what they were accustomed to have catered for them in the old days. 
To meet this modern popular demand most economically and effectively, calves 
have to be fattened while in a state of growth, so as to be matured for the 
shambles, at from 16 to 22 months old; and to enable them to come to this. 
early maturity and produce the high quality meat required, the calves would 
have to be sired by a pure-bred bull. They: would no doubt progress with 
still greater rapidity and be of still better quality by having pure blood on both 
sides, but this would scarcely be possible in carrying out ordinary grazing in 
the majority of circumstances. Unless graziers can keep cows and breed their 
own grazing stock, which the majority declare they are unable to do, they can 
only work with the material available at markets and fairs. No doubt a far 
better way of supplying themselves with an approximation at least of the right 
kind of material has been suggested, which is that of making special agreements. 
with the owners of dairy herds, the chief clause of which would be that, if the 
latter would sire their calves by a pedigree bull, the contracting grazier will take 
from them the bantlings at a given price when only a few days old. The grazier 
would rear these baby calves on milk substitutes, thickening their soups more: 
and more with meals as they grow bigger, but endeavouring in all cases to keep 
them progressing, and so to feed them subsequently that they will mature for 
the shambles at the early age above stated. 
The Sydney Stock and Station Journal has an opportune note of a “ Mam- 
moth Ox,” of the P7Y brand, which is no doubt the epatie bullock ever seen 
in Australia. 'He was bred by Messrs. Smith, Debney, and Co. at Monkira, 
Diamantina River, Queensland, and was exhibited at the Adelaide Royal 
Society’s Exhibition in 1893, obtaining champion prize. His live weight was 
3,048 Ib., and when dressed he turned the scale at 1,992 lb. At the same time 
two other shorthorns bearing the P7Y brand were exhibited, and weighed, alive, 
2,645 lb. and 2,570 Ib. respectively. The trio walked about 700 miles with a 
mob of fat cattle to Adelaide. 
QUEENSLAND BUTTER. 
A Gnascow firm, reporting on a recent shipment of Queensland butter to 
England, says :—“ The Queensland butter arrived in good order and condition, 
and, while not perfect in its manufacture generally, was saleable, and, possessing 
a particularly pale colour, was easily picked up by buyers. The greatest 
difficulty this season with the colonial butters has been their high colours. The 
butters, however, from Queensland are all pale, and on this qualification alone 
they are more easily sold. The general style of the butter was good, the 
