THE BREEDING AND CARE OF SHORTHORNS. 323 



mind that while the Colliugs were thus vigorously busy in working up their 

 herds, the older breeders around them had not been idle. The selections of 

 the Collings were made from among the cattle of these breeders, and it may 

 well be supposed that they still retained in their hands animals probably equal 

 in quality to any with which they parted ; but wanting the dash of the latter 

 established Barmpton and Kelton breeders, they failed to bring their own 

 herds into equally prominent notice." 



The herds of the county above alluded to were represented as very valuable 

 herds, of great individuality, but were bred without any reference to in-breed- 

 ing; on the contrary, had been bred adversely to that system. The success, 

 then, of the Collings in their in-breeding was due, in my opinion, to using 

 their incestuously bred bulls on cows of very different breeding than them- 

 selves. The conclusion drawn from the course of the Collings is that, while 

 they with their sagacity and good knowledge of their business, and with the 

 early bred cows without anything particularly in common so far as blood was 

 concerned, good results might reasonably be expected, but that such a course 

 closely followed by breeders of to-day, with so many generations of blood of 

 similar origin in the cattle, would be at least a subject of doubt. Even in 

 that day the practice of the Booths was to secure bulls of the Collings, which 

 had a large concentration of blood, and use them on their cows of different 

 strains of blood and characteristics, and again purchasing of the same or 

 other parties bulls for use. 



The practices of the Collings were followed by Thomas Bates, who had made 

 a purchase or two of Charles Colling from the offspring of the Duchess of 

 Stanwick cow, using bulls of similar breeding. It is a historical fact that 

 from the two or more females purchased of the Duchess family, only 31 of 

 their female descendants were recorded in the English Herd Book for a period 

 of twenty-two years. And here Mr. Bates halted and introduced the blood of 

 the Princess family, though somewhat similar through their earlier ancestry, 

 and this practice was occasionally followed afterward, as by the introduction 

 of the Matchem cow, etc. The conclusions to be drawn from this method of 

 in-breeding are that while it may prove valuable in the hands of skillful 

 breeders as a means of establishing prepotency or strong concentration of 

 blood, still it is an undoubted fact that sterility is almost sure to follow; 

 that delicacy of constitution is incident to such a course. That while 

 in some cases grand results may and have been reached, more that are dam- 

 aging have to be chronicled. Had the Stanwick Duchess of Mr. Colling, 

 whose descendants Mr. Bates so long bred, been as prolific as the well bred 

 (but not in-bred) Young Mary, by Jupiter, instead of the number of Duch- 

 esses being confined to the pitiable few now known, they would be numbered 

 by thousands upon thousands. Scrofula, consumption, and their attendant 

 diseases are frequently the result of this method of breeding. 



That the in-bred Duchesses, Kirklevingtons, and many other families 

 (which have in the past brought f^JDulous prices) are now fast declining in 

 prices is a proof that breeders are coming to look at the matter in a more 

 practical way, and that unless there is much more substantial value in them 

 than has been seen of late they will still further decline ; and this in the face 

 of the fact that they are not multiplying in any degree commensurate with 

 other well bred cattle. In connection with this in-bred or high bred class of 

 cattle, as they are synonymously called by many, and pertaining particularly 

 to values, I quote from Prof. J. P. Sheldon on Shorthorns in England. He 

 says : " It is beginning to be suspected that the days of extremely inflated 



