THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



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a bull of the Oxford family (descendants of tlie Matchem 

 cow) realized 1,100 guineas. Yet the pedigree of this 

 family is not traced further back than Young Wynyard 

 (2859). Is this preference for Mr. Bates' bloorl, and 

 especially that of the Duchess tribe, a mere caprice on 

 the part of the public, or is it founded on reason ? 



As far as I am competent to form an opinion, I cer- 

 tainly thiuk the Duchess tribe possess in an eminent 

 degree those qualities which are desirable in improved 

 cattle. Indeed, when the buyers of the world are con- 

 gregated together, it will generally be found that their 

 judgment is right. The question then arises, wherein 

 the peculiar merit of Mr. Bates' stock consists ? Mr. 

 Bates required a short-horn to present a union of good 

 qualities, instead of, like too many breeders, developing 

 one or two points out of all proportion, while sacri- 

 ficing others equally valuable. Beginning with the 

 Duchess heifer, ho endeavoured to establish i\ family, 

 every member of which should as nearly as possible 

 approach the type of a true shoit-horn. That they 

 possessed both symmetry and early maturity, is attested 

 by the numerous premiums which they won at the 

 meetings of the Royal and other agricultural societies. 

 The Rev. H. Berry mentions the Duchess tribe along 

 with that of Daisy, as remarkable for their milking 

 powers. Mr. Bates, however, soon arrived at the 

 conviction that the degree of forcing which is neces- 

 sarj to command success in the show-yard, is highly 

 prejudicial to a breeding herd ; and he consequently 

 discontinued the public exhibition of his stock. 

 It is possible that the fine quality for which 

 his herd and its descendants are remarkable may be 

 in part owing to his judicious treatment, in keeping 

 his stock generously without forcing it unduly. Since 

 his death, and its consequent dispersion, its value has 

 rather increased than otherwise, as witness the mar- 

 vellous Tortworth sale, and that of Mr. Tanqueray. 

 In public competition, too, this blood has been 

 eminently successful, whether in conjunction with 

 other blood, like Mr. Ambler's Grand Turk, or un- 

 alloyed like Lord Feversham's Duke of Oxford. 



1 should be sori'y if it were to be imagined from 

 what I have just written, that I am so bigoted an 

 admirer of the Duchess blood as to be insensible to the 

 merits of any other. I am sure that all who are ac- 

 quainted with my writings will bear witness that I have 

 never hesitated to commend whatever strain of good 

 blood has been brought under my notice. 1 hold it, 

 indeed, to be a besetting weakness of breeders to per- 

 suade themselves that all blood is worthless except that 

 which they themselves possess. Singularly enough, too, 

 the more decided success a man has achieved, the 

 stronger is his temptation to follow this delusion. It 

 is after he has attained his idea in practice, that the 

 danger besets him of being so satisfied with what he 



has accomplished, as to imagine that further exertion 

 is unnecessary. He is too apt to forget that the very 

 eagerness with which he has cultivated ceitain favourite 

 points, has led him to pay less attention to others no 

 less essential. It is thus that deficiencies become no 

 less stereotyped in certain strains of blood than their 

 merits. However trying, therefore, it may be to the 

 feelings of a breeder to resort to other blood, whoever 

 wishes to maintain his stock at the highest pitch of 

 excellence, must from time to time have recourse to a 

 cross as far removed from his own as is compatible 

 with purity. There is no difficulty in making a 

 selection from the numerous families which are de- 

 scended from the times of Colling and his contempo- 

 raries. And the letters of Dundtncnsis afibid much 

 useful information to those who desire to become ac- 

 quainted with the annals of those early days. 



In another respect your correspondent is doing good 

 service, viz., in stating the real tacts of the case with re- 

 gard to the origin of the improved shorthorns. It is im- 

 portant that it should be generally known that long be- 

 fore the time of the breeders contemporary with Charles 

 Colling, who have now attained world-wide celebrity, 

 there was an excellent breed of cattle in existence in 

 Durham and considerable districts of Yorkshire. It is 

 important to have the authority of your correspondent 

 in support of the fact that selection from the materials 

 around them was the principal foundation on which the 

 wonderful fabric of theshorthornracebasbcenreared. It 

 is satisfactory to know t hat they are not, as hasbeen some- 

 times aflirmed by parties ignorant of those districts, an 

 artificial product, patched up by the forced union of many 

 incompatible races. That Mr. Colling did introduce 

 into part of his stock a cross with the Galloway cow is 

 well known to every person even moderately versed in 

 the history of his proceedings. If there had been 

 any doubt upon the subject, it has long since been 

 set at rest by the inquiry which the late Lord 

 Spencer caused to be made among the papers 

 of that eminent breeder. But although an incident like 

 this strikes the imagination of persons not practically 

 versed in breeding, and is admirably suited to the pur- 

 poses of bookmakers who copy it from each other, to 

 the neglect of more important matters, it is absurd 

 to attribute to this cross the origin of the improved 

 shorthorns. No one can read an authentic account of 

 the manner in which Mr. Colling introduced the foreign 

 blood, without being struck with the judiciously sparing 

 measure in which he used it. Permanent excellence in 

 a breed was never yet attained by the crude union of 

 incompatible qualities. It is only to be lookt d for from 

 the judicious selection of individuals characterized by 

 those properties which wo desire to perpetuate. 

 I am your.':, &c.. 

 Holly Bank, April 2G. Willougiiby Wood. 



