FOUNDATIONS OP THE BOOTH HERDS. 57 



The elder Booth. Thos. Booth, the founder 

 of the group of tribes that still bear his name, 

 was the owner of the beautiful Yorkshire estate 

 of Killerby in the fertile valley of the Swale 

 and of Warlaby in the vale of the Wiske. He 

 began his work with Short-horns at Killerby 

 prior to the year 1790. In common with the 

 Collings and nearly all of his other contempo- 

 raries, Mr. Booth endeavored to solve the prob- 

 lem of how to refine the old Teeswater stock. 

 He realized the faults of the prevailing type 

 and was among the first to concede that 

 through Hubback (319) and the Bakewell sys- 

 tem the Collings had probably hit upon the 

 long-sought line of progression. Unlike Mr. 

 Bates and many other breeders of the time, he 

 did not deem it essential, however, to go to 

 Ketton and Barmpton for females to carry on 

 his experiments. He had an idea that by cross- 

 ing moderate-sized, strongly-bred Colling bulls 

 upon large-framed, roomy cows showing great 

 constitution and an aptitude to fatten he could 

 improve even upon the work of the Collings. 

 To this extent, therefore, he must be credited 

 with greater originality than some of his broth- 

 er breeders. Moreover, the outcome revealed 

 that he possessed quite as much skill as he had 

 independence of character. 



The first of the " improved " or Colling bulls 

 selected for this purpose were Twin Brother to 



