406 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



tivation, and the absolute, and, so to speak, repeated 

 avoidance of the tread of liorses, year after year, brings 

 about a permanent and almost constitutional chanije of 

 character in tlio mechanical structure of such soil :" — 

 Besides, that the produce on steam-plonuhed land has 

 been found in many cases to exceed that of ground 

 ploughed by liorscs ; not only the depth, but tlie very 

 shaking and disintegrating of the furrow-slices giving 

 a higher degree of pulverization, which promotes active 

 fertility. 

 We have repeatedly enforced these and other con- 



siderations upon the attention of those called upon 

 to weigh the merits of the steam against those of 

 horse ploughs ; and, seeing that a (supposed) very 

 minute excess of actual acreage cost has been allowed 

 by them to counterbalunce all the great benefits ac- 

 cruing from rapid autunm-cleaning and unusually 

 deep working by steam-power, we do not wonder that 

 the above exhibitors feel constrained to appeal to the 

 Council for information as to how and in what light 

 their inventions will be judged next July. Their ad- 

 dress must receive some further notice. 



ORIGIN OF DURHAM SHORT-HORNS. 



Sir, — In your journal of the 22nd of March, alluding 

 to the salts of shorthorns about to take place and now 

 coming off, you say that at one of them, namely, that 

 to take place on the 21st of April, several animals will 

 be offered which are right line descendants through 

 females of the celebrated cow 'Favourite," bought by 

 the Messrs. Colling, of Mr. Mayuard of Eryholme, and 

 by them christened " Lady Majnard." This mention 

 of " Favourite" and the Colling's stock brhigs to my 

 recollection a discussion introduced a few weeks ago in 

 the agricultural article of the Economist, on the origin 

 of the improved Durbaoi shorthorns, suggested by the 

 publication iu a contemporary, the North British 

 Agriculturist, of extracts from a journal of the late 

 Major Rudd, of Marlow, iu Yorkshire, called " An 

 account of some of the shorthorn stock, late the pro- 

 perty of Mr. Charles Colling, of Ketton, in the county 

 of Durham." 



As I think these extracts may be interesting to some 

 of your readers, and as I have not seen them elsewhere, 

 I have trauscribed them, and have at the same time 

 ventured to send you some observations on the origin of 

 the improved Durham shorthorns. In n^aking them, I 

 may be permitted to say, I do so as a Durham man, 

 with a perfect knowledge of parties and localities, my- 

 self for upwards of twenty years a breeder of shorthorns, 

 and one who has long and diligently investigated the 

 subject. I am especially induced to do this at present, 

 because I have of late frequently seen the matter dis- 

 cussed by strangers with an interest that may well put us 

 lukewarm natives to the blush ; but in which discussions, 

 as might perhaps be expected, we hear assertions made 

 that to us, who are " to the manner born," are not a 

 little astounding. 



Speaking, then, in the character in which I have re- 

 presented myself to do, I have long since arrived at the 

 conclusion, wherein I entirely agree with the writer in 

 the Economist, that, in forming the improved Durham 

 shorthorns the Messrs. Colling proceeded, generally, 

 " by care and selection from the local breed of short- 

 horns which had already attained considerable per- 

 fection," and not by crossing distinct breeds of cattle. 

 I am bound, however, at the same time to say that he is 

 mistaken in alleging that " the story of the brothers 

 Colling having used a cross of Galloway blocd iu the 

 improvement of their shorthorns has no foundation in 

 fact." It is indisputably true that Mr. Charles Colling 

 had recourse to such a cross in one family of his short- 

 horns, which is known, technically speaking, as " the 

 alloy ;" to which I shall take occasion particularly to 

 advert, and in so doing it will perhaps be seen why we 

 find " DO trace of such crossing in Major Rudd's 

 journal." 



The following are the extracts from that journal to 

 which I have alluded i 



No. 1. Old Favourite, was bred by Mr. John Maynard, of 

 Airyholme-upon-Tees. She was got by a shorthorned bull 

 belonging to a Ralph Alcock, who lived near Airyholme, which 

 bull was reniarkable for his nicp handluig. Tbe dam was got 

 by a shonhorned bull belonging to Mr. Jacob Smith, of Given- 

 dale, near Boroughbridi^e. Her grandara was a beautiful roan 

 cow, called Strawberry, bred by Mr. Maycard's father, and 

 got by a shorthorned bull belongijig to Mr. Polly, of Worrall, 

 then held in high estimation. 



No. 2. Young Strawberry, was also bred by Mr. John 

 Maynard. Sue was cut of O.d Favourite, and got by a short- 

 homed bull, bred by Mr. John Chari;e, of Newton, who sold 

 him to Messrs. Jjhn Maynaid and Dnke Wetherill. This 

 bull went by tha name of the Dalton Bull, and was esteemed 

 a first-rate bull at that time. Young Strawberry was of a 

 beautiful roan colour. In the year 17^5, when Mr. Charles 

 Collings first turned his attention to the improvement of the 

 shorthorned breed of cattle, he was desirous to procure the 

 best cows and bulls, and such as had the greatest propensiiy 

 to fatten. Old Favourite, and her daughter Young Strawberry, 

 particularly attracted his notice, and he was desirous to pur- 

 chase them. He had some difficulty in prevailing upon Mr. 

 John Maynard to sell them, but he at length succeeded, and 

 they became his property. 



No. 1. Hubback, when four years old, was purchased by 

 Mr. Robert Collings, of Barmptou, and Mr. AV.iistell, of Ali- 

 chill, for the purpose of serving their feeling cows. He had 

 sucti an uncommon inchnation to (atteu as to excite the par- 

 ticular attention of Mr. Charles Colhugi, who purchased him 

 of Mr. Robert Collings and Mr. Waistel), about the year 

 1785. The judicious seltctiou of Hubback, and of Mr. May- 

 nard's two cows, a3 before mentioned, may be called the origiu 

 of the celebrated stuck of Kettcn Shorthorns, which for early 

 maturity, inclination to fatten, and to acquire the greatest 

 weight with the least offal, are unequalled by any breed of 

 cattle iu the world. 



The bull Hubback was descended from the stock of Sir 

 James Pennyman, Bart, of Orrasby, in Cleveland, Yorkshire, 

 who, about the year 1770, paid much attention to the improve- 

 ment of the shorthorned cattle, and purchased the beat bulls 

 an J cows which he could procure. He pui chased several cows 

 of Sir W. St. Quintin, of Scampton, who was then celebrated 

 tor his breed of shorthorned cattle. It is probable that Hub- 

 back may have been descended from their breed, but the fact 

 cannot be ascertained. Hubback was of a red and white colour, 

 the red inclined to yellow. 



No. 2. Foljjrabe, was out of a cow hj' Hubback, and was 

 got by a bull belonging to Mr. Richard Baker, of Oxney Field, 

 near Dtuluigton, then in estimation as one of the best bulls of 

 that time. 



Of these extracts the following corrections or ex- 

 planations suggest themselves ; 



The name of the owner of the sire of Favourite's 

 grandam was Mr. Jolly, of Worsall ; not Mr. Polly, of 

 Worrall. The Dalton bull, better known as Dalton 

 Duke, was bred at Dalton by Mr. Charge. 



The received version of Hubback's pedigree is, that he 

 was out of a cow belonging to Mr. Snowdon, of Hur- 

 worth, in the county of Durham, given to him by his 



