THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



475 



scarcely ever seen out of the chemist's laboratory. 

 No, no ! my readers are well aware, from the won- 

 drous, the mystic phenomena, which they remark, 

 in every direction in which they cross their farms, 



that what little we do understand in the use of 

 artificial fertilizers is merely the rudimentary know- 

 ledge tending to other and still more important 

 advances. 



THE HERDS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Chapter XXII. 

 MR. GRUNDY'S HERD. 



A walk of three or four miles from the station, 

 through the straggling suburbs of Rochdale, found us 

 at Wolstenholme Hall at last, and according to the 

 Ordnance Survey, about a thousand feet above the 

 level of lUc sea. The hills protect it in a measure from 

 the bleak north and west winds, but still the whole 

 aspect of the country will suggest vague thoughts of 

 being snowed in on the long December nights. Black- 

 stone Edge, with its dark herbage and stunted trees, is 

 Lancashire all over. It is said that it often refuses to 

 shed its winter honours before Old May day ; and grouse 

 from the Deardea Moors leave the heather at such 

 seasons, and take French leave for days amongst Mr. 

 Grundy's grass seeds. In fact, such was the terror with 

 which the climate had inspired previous tenants, that Mr. 

 Grundy was confidentially assured, when he came, of the 

 utter impossibility of growing turnips. Nothing 

 daunted, he essayed a crop of swedes very early in the 

 day, and what is more, he succeeded ; and with the ex- 

 ception of wheat, he has produced every kind of white or 

 green crop. The country, as seen from the front- door 

 of the now humble 'hall," is of a more inspiriting 

 character. Long chimneys send forth their dusky in- 

 cense from Rochdale, Oldham, Heywood, Middleton, 

 and Bury, beloved of the Robert Peels. The planta- 

 tions of Ashworth Hall, divided by a brook from Mr. 

 Grundy's land, and belonging to Lord Egerton, of Tat- 

 ton, make ap a pleasant summer fore-ground, and 

 there too, embowered among the trees, is Bamford 

 Hall, now in the possession of Mr. Fenton, a Roch- 

 dale, banker. 



Mr. Grundy's holding consists of 85 acres. Besides 

 his very nicely managed Shorthorn herd, which numbers 

 about 25, he has not more than six common beasts. 

 About 63 pure-bred Shropshire ewes compose his flock, 

 and it is his plan to cross them with a Shropshire ram, 

 and sell the lambs in July. If Mr. Bates had never 

 lived or rather never died, " Mr. Grundy and Faith'* 

 would not have passed into a saying among the 

 habitues of The Royal. The obituary of that Kirk- 

 leavington Aristarchus of the Shorthorn world, in 

 The Farmer's Magazine, first fired him up, and 

 before the year 1849 was out, he took to his pre- 

 sent farm, and determined to try and follow in his 

 track. The foundation of the herd may be said to date 

 from July 1850, when Mr. Ashton, of Limefield, the 

 master of the Bury Harriers, sold him a few heifers, 



along with Tom Steel (87] 5) of Sir Charles Tempest's 

 breeding. His first venture did not satisfy him, and 

 he set forth for a new batch to Colonel Towneley's, 

 of whose blood he has ever been a most steady adherent. 

 They included Garrick (11507), Cressida, Gipsey, and 

 Sweetbriarby Mehemet Ali (7227). The last named 

 was thought to be a very doubtful breeder, but Sweet 

 Lucy (by Emperor 908-2), of Mr. Eastwood's favourite 

 old blood, was the result of change of air and scene. 

 Brunei (9999) and Duke of Athol (10150) were also 

 among the other arrivals from Towneley, and the 

 latter, which was Mr. Grundy's first dip into Bates's 

 bulls, departed ere long, for a good consideration, to 

 America. Four cows of genuine Kirkleavington kith 

 and kin from Mr. C. VV. Harvey's were the result of 

 the same fancy, but it was reserved for Ilolker 

 to naturalize that strain in Lancashire. Mr. Grundy 

 was crossed in his first Shorthorn love ; and he was 

 glad to get rid of nineteen unfortunate cousins and 

 cousins-German to the Duchesses, and Oxfords, and 

 Waterloos at his sale, and has never bought any since. 

 In fact he found such an utter absence of constitution in 

 the Bates' blood arising, to judge by the symptoms 

 in the calves, from such inveterate in-and-in breeding, 

 that he almost determined to throw up the thing alto- 

 gether. Ten years have, however, shown him what 

 patience and science can eff'ect, and no one acknowledges 

 more generously than he does how good they have been 

 made. His best Bates was Waterloo 9th, who came 

 direct to Mr. Ashton, from the Kirkleavington sale. He 

 bred from her Wreath, the only calf that Victor (8739) 

 (who was second to Deception at the York Royal), ever 

 got for himself, and Mr. Ashton, who hired him jointly 

 from Colonel Towntley. This bull came to rather a 

 singular end, Edward Taylor was leading him home 

 in company with Mr. Culshaw, when he suddenly turned 

 savage about half-a-mile from the Park, knocked his 

 leader into the ditch, and followed him there. Taylor 

 luckily scrambled out of his way, and the bull re- 

 mained fighting in the ditch till a gun could be pro- 

 cured, and his humours brought to a summary end. 

 Gilliver (11529), a combination of Booth and Bales, was 

 his successor, and Sprightly by Belshazzar (1703), and 

 Splendour by Bocaccio (7838), who had also been 

 purchased by Mr. Eastwood at Mr. Wetherell's third 

 sale, were his fair companions. 



Up to this point Mr. Grundy had been a good winner 

 at Bury, Redcliffe and " The Radchffe Amalgamated ;" 

 but the ill success of his Bates' calves dissatisfied him 

 with his Shorthorn fortunes, and in the June of 1863 



