112 THE AGRICULTURE OF THE 



year. By a purchase at Mr Boswell's herd of shorthorns at 

 kingcausie in 1852, the Lustre family was brought to Gordon 

 Castle, where its members proved the Lustres to be sound, 

 regular breeders, strong, well-fleshed animals. The first of the 

 Itosewoods, one of the best and oldest tribes in the herd, was a 

 cow, " Eosewood," purchased at the Eden sale in 1854, when 

 two vears old. The Eosewoods were all notable breeders, and 

 the first cow produced 10 fine heifer calves in ten years. They 

 were also famous for depth of rib, wealth of flesh, and superior 

 milking properties. The matron of this tribe, " Eosa," won a 

 second prize at Kelso in 1863 as a yearling, first as a cow at 

 Inverness in 1865, and was sold at 74 guineas. One of the 

 most valuable additions w^as made to the herd in 1875, in 

 '* Queen Esther," purchased foi 71 guineas at Mr Bowman's sale 

 at Sandwith, Cumberland. She was almost pure Booth blood, 

 being after Squire Booth, bred by Mr Mitchell of Cleasby. 

 " Lustre," after the Booth bull Eoyal Hope, bred by Mr Pawlett, 

 was the dam of Chief Lustre, a well-known heifer after Chief 

 Officer, which gained many valuable prizes. The sires used in 

 the herd have been of the famous Matalini and Fame tribes, 

 including "Eoyal Hope;" and were these "Chief Officer," after 

 Borough Member, "White Duke," "Baron Colling" and "King 

 Butterfly!" These have all done valuable service in the herd. The 

 present stock bull is " Good Hope," after Peter the Great, out of 

 Fairy Queen, and bred by Lord Polwarth. He won the first prize 

 in his class at Banff, Turriff, and the Highland Society's show at 

 Stirling, in 1881. The principal prize takers at the shows of 

 1882 were— "Good Hope," "Queen Esther" (a broadly built 

 cow of excellent shorthorn character), " Peach Blossom 10th," 

 after Chief Officer and out of Peach Blossom 6th, and " Peach 

 Blossom 14th." a tidy red two-year-old heifer, and a yearling 

 heifer " Chief Lustre 1st." His Grace has not been showing 

 quite so extensively this year as he had formerly been. As an 

 indication of the high character and superiority of the Gordon 

 Castle stock, I may mention that in 1877 it won no fewer than 

 thirty-eight first prizes^ ten seconds, five silver medals, and two 

 silver cups ; and in 1878 forty-two first prizes, tw^enty second 

 prizes, four silver challenge cups, eight silver medals, and thirteen 

 special money prizes. In the same year " Chief Lustre " was 

 exhibited at Kilburn, and won the second premium. 



A w^ord as to the home of the herd may be of interest. The 

 home farm of His Grace the Duke of Eichmond and Gordon at 

 Gordon Castle, Fochabers, extends in all to about 1000 acres. 

 Within the walls there are about 805 acres, excluding 500 acres 

 of deer park, and outside there are some 45 acres of arable land 

 and about 150 acres of riverside pasture. Only about 450 acres 

 are wrought under a regular rotation, the five-course system 



