Dr.  Stevenson,  This  is  surely  a  very  interesting  question,  and  one  of  great
importance  to  short  horn  breeders,  because  the  barrenness  of  bulls  and  heifers  is
ti  very  vexatious  question,  and  one  of  considerable  loss,  and  one  we  would  like  to
j^t  rid  of  if  possible.  I  think  the  Short  Horns  have  become  impotent  or  non-bear-
ing much  more  than  our  common  scrub  cattle  that  run  in  the  woods.  It  is  very
rare  you  can  find  a  little  scrub  bull  but  what  can  get  calves.  I  know  of  a  little  bull
that  ran  in  the  neighborhood  where  I  lived,  that  went  about  the  neighborhood
liowling,  and  if  there  was  a  cow  bulling  within  two  or  three  miles  he  would  find  it
out  I  knew  the  habits  of  this  bull,  and  I  had  a  couple  of  Short  Horn  cows  that  I
had  bought,  and  was  anxious  to  breed  them  right,  and  I  took  them  some  two  or
three  miles  from  home,  and  put  them  in  a  pasture  I  had.  The  next  season  they
had  muley  calves.  He  found  them  and  got  them  with  calf.  The  barrenness  of
€hort  Horns  depends  upon  the  manner  in  which  they  are  kept.  If  they  run  out  and
come  poor  during  the  winter,  I  believe  they  will  breed  just  as  well  as  if  kept  any
other  way.  If  they  are  kept  just  as  scrub  cattle  were  kept  forty  or  fifty  years  ago,
they  will  breed  just  as  well  as  the  scrub  cjittle  bred  then.  I  have  had  some  little
experience.  I  did  not  take  that  nice  care  of  ray  Short  Ilorna  that  a  great  many  did.
