Year: 1867

Mr.. VIM. McCombie, who is well
known as the most successful OF the
breeders and exhibitors of Polled cattle
in the North of Scotland, while as
| feeder he has not been excelled by an"
one in Europe, has just published q
book Oh cattle and cattle breeding
Judging from the extracts from it, IN
the North British AgriculturiSt, it must
be Just such work as would be expect,
ed from so good ajudge of stock, ana
SO practical an agriculturist. Thus, on
the subject at our head, we have the
following hints to buyers: 49,,


"To be good judge of store cattle
is exceedingly difficult. We have many
Judges of fat cattle among our farmers
and butchers, and few good judges oi
breeding stock; but our really good
Judges of store cattle ought to be
able to say at a glance how much the
animal will improve, how much addi-
tional value you can put on him on good,
bad or Indifferent land, and on turnlps,
| in three, six or twelve months. Unless
grazier is able to do this, he is work
ing in the dark, and never can attain
eminence in his profession. Since my
first speculation, already referred to-
the .halfof the G12 tield--I have bought
and grazed store cattle for 45 years.
No one has been able to put upon paper
clear definition, such as can be
understood by the reader, of the charac-
teristics of good store beast. 1T IS
only practice and natural gift that
can enable any one to master the SUBJ
iect. There are few rules, however,
that the buyer of store cattle should be
acquainted with. He ought to know
how they have been kept for the pre-
yious six months, otherwise their keep
may be entirely thrown away. | make
it an almost universal rule, (and have
never departed from the rule except
with loss,) that l will Craze no
cattle except those that have been
kept in the open strawyard, and
have been fed exclusively on tur-
nips and straw. If you can get
them off yellow turnips it will be de-
cidedly to your advantage. l have
seen this proved by dividing twenty
beasts, and keeping one.half on yellow
turnips, and one half on Swedes, both
getting full turnips. Those on the
Swedes shot far ahead in the strawyard
of those upon the yellows. When taken
up from grass, however, the battle fed
upon the yellOws were equal to those
fed on the Swedes. They were grazed
together. The difference of improve
ment in different lots of cattle must
have often struck every observer"


There are few words for the benefit
of sellers also:


"In selling lean cattle there is a great
deal to be gained by choosing a favora-
bic stand and showing them off proper
ly to the buyers. Cattle look best on
the face of moderate sloping bank, and
worst of all at a dead wall. The larger
the number shown in lot, especially
of Polled cattle, as they stand close to-
gcther, they lo9k the better. l never
liked to show less than forty in q lot,
but sixty will look better than forty,
and eighty better still. | never would
break q lot of beasts except for a consid-
Grafton in price, as the cattle left behind
The dealer likewise knows that cattle
look largest OH the off.side. Many buy
ers like to see every beast in lot go
past them; and if the dealer can get the
buyer to inspect them on the off side, it
is to his own advantage. Cattle and
sheep are the better of good rise up
when the buyer is inspecting them.
have often seen quarreling between the
buyers and the drovers, the buyers in
sisting on the drovers letting them
alone, while the drovers will not let
them stand. / have seen clever man
keep some of the best beasts always in
view of; the buyers, stick with awhip-
cord being used for the purpose"