ons to this plan on the
score of economy; but as a general rule, too much liberality cannot be
exercised in feeding growing animals; and there is nothing more certain
than that the calf which is illiberally fed will never be developed into
a valuable, matured animal. When carefully tended from their birth,
comfortably housed in winter, and abundantly supplied with nutritious
food, it is sometimes wonderful the rapid progress which young stock
make. Mr. Wright mentions a remarkable case of early maturity, which
occurred in his own herd. A young steer, one year old, exhibited all the
development of an animal twice its age. This bullock had been suckled
for three months, whereby it had not only kept its calf-flesh, but
gained and retained a step in advance. Its weight when only a year old
was no less than 50 stones; and as the price of beef at the time was 8s.
9d. per stone, live weight, the carcass of the animal was worth L21 17s.
6d. Mr. Wright offers this fact as a suggestive one to "those farmers who
think of bringing up their calves on old milk, or who would otherwise
stint their growth."

Supposing, then, that we have young stock which had been liberally
treated when in their "baby" state, how are we to most economically
maintain them throughout the winter? In the first place, they should be
kept in warm sheds, and well sheltered from both rain and wind. Some
authorities contend that exercise is necessary to young stock, and deny
that a proper development of the muscles (lean flesh) can take place if
they are cooped up like fattening turkeys during the winter. There is
some truth in this opinion; and if the animals be designed for breeding
or dairy purposes, their freedom of motion should only be partially
restrained. On the other hand, if they be intended for an early
introduction to the shambles, the less exercise they get the greater
will be the profit on their keep. I have known cases where animals were
closely housed for seven months, and yet their health did not appear
to suffer in the slightest degree. In fact, so predominant are the
vegetative functions of the ruminants over their nervous attributes,
that the only essential conditions of their existence are adequate
supplies of good air and food. That the health of these animals does
occasionally suffer when the motions of their bodies are reduced to a
_minimum_ is quite true; but in most of these instances the real cause
is, not the want of exercise, but the