SECRETARY'S REPORT. 123 



soon acquired a wide spread fame and -bronglit enormous prices ; 

 and the sums realized for choice specimens of this breed from that 

 time to the present have been greater than for those of any other. 

 Much of their early notoriety was due to the exhibition of an ox 

 reared by Charles Colling from a common cow by his famous bull 

 "Favorite," and known as the "Durham" ox, and also as the 

 " Ketton" ox, (both which names have since then been more or less 

 applied to the breed^ but which are now mostly superceded by the 

 original and more appropriate one of Short-horn,) which was shown 

 in most parts of England and Scotland from 1801 to 1807, and 

 whose live weight was between three and four thousand pounds 

 and which was at one time valued for purposes of exhibition as 

 high as $10,000. 



The old Teeswater cattle were remarkably deep milkers, and 

 although it does not appear that good grazing points necessarily 

 conflict with excellence for the dairy, the fact is, that as improve- 

 ment in feeding qualities was gained, the production of milk in 

 most cases fell off; and although some families at the present time 

 embrace respectable milkers, the great mass of them have deterio- 

 rated in this respect about in proportion to the improvement effected 

 as meat-prdducing animals. The earlier Short-horns brought into 

 Maine were from the very best milking families, and their descend- 

 ants have usually proved valuable for dairy purposes — most of 

 those more recently imported are quite unlike them in this respect. 

 Several thorough-bred Short-horns were introduced into the State 

 upwards of thirty years ago, the first of which was an aged bull 

 "Denton," or "Young Denton" of the Herd book, imported by 

 Mr. Williams of Massachusetts, and bred by Mr. Wetherell of 

 Leicestershire, England ; a remarkable animal for its combination 

 of milking and feeding properties. The next, were several bred by 

 Col. Jaques, and sired by his imported bull Coelebs,* soon after 

 which R. H. Greene, Esq., of Winslow, Sanford Howard, then 

 residing in Hallowell, and others also introduced more or less. 

 By crossing the males upon the common cows of the country the 

 progeny inherited increased size and symmetry of form, more 

 quiet dispositions, greater aptitude to feed and earlier maturity. 

 They unquestionably effected great improvement, and the enter- 

 prising men who introduced and bred them deserve the gratitude 



* The sire which he coupled with an excellent common cow as the foundation of 

 his "Creamijot" breed. 



