54 PROMINENT SHORTHORN BREEDERS. 



His individuality, however, was such as led Mr. Cruickshank 

 to retain him. The bull, even as a calf, was particularly 

 strong on his fore ribs, had excellent feeding quality, and 

 soon began to assume more massive proportions than his 

 sire, Lancaster Comet. The calves from Champion of Eng- 

 land suited Mr. Cruickshank. They were low-set, deep-bod- 

 ied, broad-backed youngsters, with a wealth of natural flesh, 

 and soon gave evidence of a capacity for early maturity. So 

 well pleased was Mr. Cruickshank with these calves that he 

 began a policy of inbreeding to definitely fix the characteris- 

 tics which he had secured in Champion of England and his 

 get. He succeeded in doing this and was able to secure this 

 concentration in blood without impairing the vigor of his 

 animals, and this concentration of blood rendered the ani- 

 mals from his herd so strongly prepotent when used on other 

 herds, that the whole stock breeding world turned to the 

 Grand Old Man of Sittyton for herd headers. 



Anthony Cruickshank deserves a word of mention in this 

 connection, for he was associated with Amos from the very 

 beginning, and seems to have attended to most of the busi- 

 ness of the firm. He was a very energetic man, who min- 

 gled freely with business men, and it was to his efforts in a 

 large part that the Cruickshank cattle were brought promi- 

 nent before the public. His judgment as a cattle breeder, 

 however, was never considered to be as good as that of 

 Amos. 



Such, in brief, is the origin, history, and development of 

 the Shorthorn breed in Great Britain; founded on a mixed 

 stock which was blended into a type known as the Teeswater 

 stock, it was built up largely by an application of Bakewell's 

 methods. Careful selection, with a constant seeking after 

 the essentials of hardiness, early maturity, and flesh carrying 

 capacity, has characterized the work of the greatest improvers 

 of the breed, and the greatest success has been gained by 

 those who laid most stress on individual excellence. In- 

 breeding, when resorted to by these great leaders, was done 

 to concentrate the blood of animals possessing certain desira- 

 ble characteristics; but most significant of all, to students, 

 are the characteristics of the great leaders: love for stock, 

 a definite aim in breeding, and unfaltering perseverance 

 placed the Colling Brothers, Thomas Booth. Thomas Bates, 

 and Amos and Anthony Cruickshank, in the high position of 

 loaders of the Shorthorn world. 



