FRENCH RACING BULLS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXX, Issue 8578, 4 September 1888, Page 7

FRENCH RACING BULLS.

In France there is a breed of cattle called the Landaise. , These animals are peculiar to thei . department of Landes, where the grass .is Lard and scanty, and where the agriculture is rude indeed- On many of the farms these cattle are fed by hand. There are openings with wickets in the wall of the house, which faces on the court where the cattle are kept.’ Members of the farmer's household take their places by these openings and feed the cattle from within. They -hand out mouthful after mouthful,' but so slowly that the animal puts its muzzle to the opening and has every straw carefully tucked in between its jaws. Hour after hoar is consumed in this kind of feeding. Sometimes the cow tires before it is considered she has enough. In that case a piece of turnip or choice wisp of hay is offered. ' The poor brnte raises her head to the opening only to be fooled and have tucked down her throat another bunch of coarse straw. It is said to be astonishing how little is required to keep the Landaise thrifty by these methodical methods of feeding. The Landaise cows, as well as the oxen, are worked hard in the fields and on the roads. Some of these animals are highly prized for their speed, and the most exciting features of the programmes of the fairs in Landes are the bull races. The consul who sent home a picture of a Landaise racer said their agility was extraordinary. These animals take a trot without being blown. They often make long trips, covering forty-five and fifty miles a day. At the games in Landek they are turned loose in a ring, and the athlete wins-the plaudits of the spectators by teasing and dodging one of these bulla. The performer’s greatest feat is to advance with a cigarette in his mouth. The bull charges with lowered horns. The athlete, -nicely calculates the distance, and Inst as the bull reaches him he places a foot between’the horns and vaults over the hall’s back, being aided in the jump by the upward toss of the animal's head.