358 On the Exhibition of Live Stock at Chester. 



In (Irawino: up a Report of the Society's meeting at Chester, 

 it will be well, first, to touch upon the origin of our established 

 breeds, and then take the classes as they occur in the Society's 

 programme, commencing with 



Established Breeds of Cattle. 



Short -HoRlsrs. — The modern progress of this remarkable 

 breed of animals is generally well known, but it is much to be 

 regretted that we have no really authentic account of their origin. 

 We have only a tradition pointing to their introduction from the 

 Dutch provinces about the close of the seventeenth century into 

 Holderness in Yorkshire. The short-horn combines in an emi- 

 nent degree the qualities which have generally been considered 

 desirable in good and profitable animals. They have realized for 

 their breeders enormous sums of money, and both at home and 

 abroad they are in increasing request. In their early career they 

 were designated as large and coarse animals, with a productive- 

 ness at " the pail" £hat would now excite incredulity. Such has 

 been the result of good management, together with a knowledge 

 of nature's dictates, that these animals have been completely re- 

 modelled in " shape, quality, and popularity." Among the earliest 

 of them were the old Teeswater, said to have been the foundation 

 of the late Mr, Charles Collings' celebrated herd. Mr, Coilings, 

 as a breeder, manifested a superiority of skill which, in a brief 

 period, secured him an ample fortune. 



It is to be regretted that this celebrated breeder, in common 

 with the late Mr. Bakewell, of equal celebrity, left us no record 

 of his views and plans in the art of breeding or rather improving 

 domestic animals. In either case we ha.\e pj'imd facie evidence 

 that the object was to reduce a rugged and large frame down to 

 symmetrical proportions. It is now the more difficult task of our 

 modern breeder to maintain these elements, and yet keep up the 

 vigour and requisite constitution of a more " artificial animal," 



The improved short-horns evidently date their first public in- 

 troduction and popularity from Mr. Day's exhibition in 1801 of 

 the " Durham ox" — an animal produced from a first cross with a 

 common cow, by the famous bull " Favourite," Mr, C Collings' 

 sale of improved short-horned cattle took place on the 11th of 

 October, 1810, with the following results : — 



17 Cows were sold for £2802 9 



11 Bulls ditto 2361 9 



7 Bull calves under one year old, ditto .. 687 15 



7 Heifers, ditto 942 18 



5 Heifer calves, ditto ditto 321 6 



47 sold for £"7115 17 



Avera"in"; 151^. 8s, (W. each! 



