96 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



and the laurels which form the underwood of its twelve 

 acres, coupled witli the dark hollies and double-ivy of 

 Kingsfort itself, impressed our stranger eye, even in that 

 early spring tide, with the rich colour-resources of a 

 Green Isle landscape. The round tower and spire of Kells 

 stood out in company three miles away ; in the distance, 

 to the right, loomed the pillar of Lloyds, built by the 

 present Marquis of Headfort's grandfather as a famine 

 landmark, in 1791 ; while, on the left, the Ardee 

 hills cut the horizon in a wave-line, and died gra- 

 dually away into space near Slane. Mr. Chaloner 

 has nearly 400 acres on his own hand ; a tithe of 

 which form the park in front of the house, where 

 a bevy of yearling heifers awaited us. The snow- 

 white Windsor Pearl, a daughter of Windsor from 

 Nancy, a Baron Warlaby cow, and tracing back to the 

 Prince Ernest tribe, first caught our eye in the shape of 

 a stylish heifer, with a rare neck vein, and bosom and 

 back, and recalling the old bull in not a few of her 

 points. The Sir Samuels mustered strongly in the group. 

 Bella Donna, a two-year-old roan from The Bride, has 

 caught his head exactly, and good hind-quarters, ribs, 

 and loins along with it. Bon-bon Ilird, but no third in 

 merit, from Bonny Lass by Hopewell, passed pi-oudly by, 

 with her grand brisket, as if thoroughly conscious that 

 she could beat most in the field. There was Heartsease, 

 too, from Harriett, with a wonderfully soft mossy coat, 

 and a deep bosom ; the red and white Flower Girl from 

 Fleda, with her companion the sweet-looking May Maid 

 from May-dew, with horns as nice to the eye as her 

 coat was to the touch. Going back somewhat in point 

 of age, we came to the dark red two-year-old daughter 

 of Hopewell and Fleda, to wit Favourite 2nd, as rich in 

 colour as she is in quality, and an excellent milker to 

 boot ; and Hopewell was also well represented by her 

 senior, the good coated Coronella. In the Garden Field, 

 too, we found his daughter the rare cow Modesty, going 

 back through Mirth and Marchioness, and Marquis of 

 Chandos (6190) of Mr. Wiley's breeding, to old Buck- 

 ingham, who was burnt to death with Mr. Barnes's 

 herdsman on board the steamer, as he neared the Irish 

 shore. Lady Portia, from Lady Fanny, the twelve- year- 

 old matron of the herd, was there to speak for Harbinger ; 

 and hard by, near the dark fir plantations, we stopped 

 to admire two evergreens of the herd in Bonny Lass and 

 Miss Warlaby, two ladies of beauty and fortune which 

 would bother judges not a little. But the IrisJi Far- 

 mers' Gazette has anticipated us, and hence wc need not 

 enter the yard, and follow out the other cracks in detail. 

 Although he had previously used Madcap (7183), a 

 pui'chase from Mr. R. La Touche, of Harristown, Mr- 

 Challoner can hardly be said to have thought in earnest 

 about the formation of a herd before 1838, when he 

 broke ground with Prince Arthur (9502), own brother 

 to Noble (4578). It was not, however, until Prince 

 Ernest (7366), from Mr. Robert Holmes's herd, became 

 the Kingsfort Premier, that the prizes began to flow in, 

 both from the rapidly widening arena of the Dublin 

 Spring, and the humbler gatherings of county Meath, 

 where Prince Ernest appeared in person, and received 

 a medal decoration. Booth's Augustus, and Victoria, 



own sister to Jlonarch, were both high up in his pedi- 

 gree, and the immediate cross of Booth on Mason 

 showed itself at once in his produce. Save and except 

 three, every one of Mr. Chaloner's prize-takers have 

 been by him, or in close descent. In 1843 and 1845 

 came the large Dublin Show medal, and £10 for the 

 best yearling heifer and best female in the yard ; his 

 daughter, Pink, earned the same honours in her cow- 

 hood ; while her half-brother got a medal as second- 

 best bull in the yard. The spring of 1852 found the 

 winning ribbons on the best yearling heifer, and that of 

 1854 on the second-best; while the intermediate year 

 proved the value of the union of the Prince Ernest and 

 Baron Warlaby blood, in the gold medal victory of Ad- 

 miral over every bull in his class, and in the yard. 

 His grandam, Fanny the 1st, by Prince Ernest, had 

 been a winner at the Irish Agricultural Show at Derry, 

 in 1847, in Lord Duiferin's hands ; and Field Marshal, 

 by Hopewell, who beat the 134 yearling bulls in his 

 class, and stood second among the 224 in the proud 

 array of winners in 1858, owned a Prince Ernest dam 

 in Young Favourite. The young roan had well nigh at- 

 tained the proportions of the great Pellissier himself, as 

 he girthed six feet nine at thirteen months. His grandam 

 Favourite 1st was by Bright (1739). a purchase along, 

 with Rosemary by Rockingham (2550), from Mr. 

 Fawkes, of Farnley ; and Rosina, from the Mountains- 

 town sale of 1846, was an eighty-guinea introduction 

 of the Gainford (2044) blood. 



In the following year Mr. Chaloner made a good 

 English hit with Bonbon (150 gs.) from Lord Spencer's 

 sale, but, unfortunately, out of the seven calves she pro- 

 duced only two heifers. Of these. Bonbon 2nd, by 

 Baron Warlaby, died of pleuro-pneumonia in 1852; 

 and Bonny Lass, by Hopewell, still keeps her memory 

 green, while her line in male tail is sustained by the 

 Baron, who was sold to Mr. Tanqueray for 150 gs.; 

 Barleysugar, who is at present at Aylesby, and though 

 in mere working trim dropped -on to the Royal Warwick 

 winner when he came to Great Grimsby with all his 

 blushing honours last year ; and St. Patrick, who after 

 being sold to Lord Bangor for 110 gs., and then bought 

 back, is now out on hire at Captain Ball's. Mr. Chal- 

 oner was not proof in 1854 against a high price for the 

 majority of his females, and five of them went in one 

 lot for .£725 to Mr. Richardson, of America. The 

 gaps, however, were quickly made up. Aylesby sent 

 seven, to wit — Heatherbell, Fashion, Florence, and 

 Delightful, by Vanguard ; Heath Rose, by Baron War- 

 laby ; Fanny, by Hamlet ; and Lady Portia, by Har- 

 binger. Primrose, by Orson (13432), came in com- 

 pany with Palmflower, from Earl de Grey's; and 

 Moynalty furnished two Baron Warlabys in Miss 

 Warlaby (own sister to Baroness and Violet), from Lady 

 Sarah, grand dam of the prize brothers, Mr. Bancroft's 

 Sir Colin and Lord Talbot de Malahide's Clydesdale, 

 both of which were bred by Mr. Tynte. Violet herself 

 was exchanged with Mr. Barnes, for her half-sister 

 Julia by Hopewell, who was own sister to Emperor, the 

 sire of the above named prize bulls. Ever since Prince 

 Ernest departed, Mr. Chaloner has used nothing but 



