LECTURE X. 



THE ORIGIN, HISTORY, AND DEVELOPMENT OF SHORT- 

 HORN CATTLE IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



The birthplace of the Shorthorn breed is beyond all ques- 

 tion in the north-eastern part of England, in the Counties of 

 York, Durham, Northumberland and Lincoln. 



The early cattle of this section were of two types, but 

 both were Shorthorns. One was of a rather dingy hue, the 

 other somewhat larger and of varied colors, red and white 

 colors predominating, but they were known even at this 

 early time as the Shorthorn and Middlehorn breeds, and not 

 ven in tradition is any other type of bovines ever attributed 

 to this section. 



The dingy colored stock, sometimes known as the Horned 

 Race of Black Cattle, predominated in Yorkshire and the 

 adjacent counties in the 17th Century. At this time 

 the other distinct types were the pied, or spotted, cattle of 

 Lincolnshire, and the red stock of Somerset and Glouces- 

 tershire. These three distinct types existed in England at 

 this time, but Wm. Ellis, a noted authority of the period, 

 states that of all the cattle of England the Holderness 

 breed was the best, being characterized by short, deep 

 bodies, large udders, and, whether red or black, being the 

 most profitable cattle for the dairyman, grazier, and butcher. 

 These Holderness cows were from the south-eastern part of 

 Yorkshire. About this time, the middle of the 17th Cen- 

 tury, some large Dutch or Flanders cattle were brought in. 

 These were chiefly cows, but it is claimed that some bulls 

 from Holland were also brought in and used. It should be 

 distinctly understood, however, that these cattle imported 

 from Holland were not the Holstein-Fresian, but it is gener- 

 ally assumed that the Holstein-Fresian were descended from 

 this same type. These Dutch cattle, however, were large, 

 rather coarse cattle, good milkers, and fairly profitable ani- 

 mals for the butcher. The blending of these different types 

 of cattle that is, all the native types found, and the Dutch 



