[f. CULL v.1]
† 1. The act or product of culling; a selection.
a. 1618. Sylvester, Bethulia’s Rescue, IV. 383. Some curious Cull Of Croton Dames so choicely Beautifull.
1643. Sir J. Spelman, Case of Affairs, 17. This man … presents the world with a cull of all the irregular times of our unfortunate Princes.
1692. R. L’Estrange, Josephus’ Antiq., XII. ii. (1733), 303. To make a Cull out of your several Tribes, of six Elders out of each Tribe.
2. Farming. An animal drafted from the flock as being inferior or too old for breeding; usually fattened for the market. Cf. CULLING vbl. sb.1 2. (Usually in pl.)
The use in quot. 1791 is peculiar.
1791. Young, Ann. Agric., XVI. 493. The Burford ewes are … culled every year; the oldest are fattened and the ram given to the culls, to answer the purpose of westerns.
1809. Nat. Hist., in Ann. Reg., 801/2. We have our lamb fairs … our shearling fairs, our fairs for culls.
1858. Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., XIX. I. 39. 20 fat cows each, the culls of their herds.
1880. A. C. Grant, in Blackw. Mag., April, 463/2. They were ‘culls’—that is, sheep drafted out of other flocks for some fault, or on account of age.
attrib. 1793. Young, Ann. Agric., XIX. 148. Cull ewes, generally … called draught ewes.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 322/1. The purchasing of ‘cull’ or old ewes from some good breeder.
3. U.S. (pl.) ‘Refuse timber, from which the best part has been culled out’ (Webster, 1864). b. ‘Any refuse stuff; as, in bakeries, rolls not properly baked’ (Webster, Supp., 1881).
1873. Wisconsin Rep., XXIX. 593. About 90,000 feet was not good merchantable lumber, but was what is called culls.
