164 BOARD OF AGEICULTIIRE. 



The Booths have done much for the improvement of the 

 short-horns. There have been several (generations of them, all 

 of whom have systematically pursued the even tenor of their 

 way and brought much to pass. The early history of the 

 noted herds bred by them often mentions the fact that the 

 cows were deep milkers ; but they were especially noted for 

 gi*eat development of flesh. One of their noted cows, Birth- 

 day, having met with an accident, was slaughtered without 

 stall-feeding, and her meat alone weighed 1,218 pounds, and 

 the flesh over her back and loin was found to be five and a 

 half inches thick. 



This brinjis us to the time and doings of Thomas Bates of 

 Kirkleavington, whose name is famous at the present day as 

 an improver of this breed of cattle. He Ijegan his work as 

 a breeder when quite young. He made his first purchase of 

 the Collings, and thus wisely began where his predecessors 

 left off. He was possessed of ample pecuniary means and 

 was able to pursue his best judgment without regard to cost. 

 Mr. Bates said of his first purchase, the original cow Duch- 

 ess, — " I secured this tribe of short-horns, as superior to 

 all other tribes of cattle ; not only as small consumers, but 

 as great growers and quick grazers, with the first quality of 

 beef." He also states that this cow calved June 7, 1807. 

 She was kept on grass only, and in a pasture with nineteen 

 other cows, and made, in butter and milk, over two guineas 

 per week for some months. We wish we had a statement of 

 pounds of milk and butter yielded by this cow, but can only 

 estimate from the money returns, rememl)ering that seventy- 

 five years ago the value of dairy products was very low. 

 One writer states that this cow gave 28 qts. per day, and 

 made from it 2 lbs. 10 oz. of butter, which would be 18 lbs. 

 6 oz. per week. She bred until seventeen years of age, and 

 was always a great milker, but failed to bring a single heifer 

 calf after Mr. Bates bought her. Losing all hope of getting 

 females from her, Mr. Bates bought her granddaughter from 

 a heifer which she had before he owned her. He was oblio;ed 

 to pay 180 guineas for the heifer, but he thought he could 

 afford it, and the sequel proved that he was correct. He 

 called her Duchess 1st. She was got by Comet 155, the 



