70 A HISTOEY OF SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



farm and estate of Halton Castle, a few miles 

 distant from his birthplace. This was in the 

 Tyneside country, just west of Newcastle. 

 First adopting West Highland cattle for graz- 

 ing and fattening purposes he, like many other 

 intelligent farmers of that day, was deeply im- 

 pressed by the exhibition of fat Short-horn 

 stock of the Colling blood. It appears that the 

 young man had gained a considerable knowl- 

 edge of the Teeswater cattle before making his 

 first investments in them. After the fashion 

 of the time he was in the habit of visiting Dar- 

 lington on market or "fair "days, and there 

 met many of the most prominent Short-horn 

 breeders of the period. These markets were 

 held on Mondays and provided an admirable 

 opportunity for study and comparison. One 

 can readily appreciate the value to a beginner 

 in breeding of such a school as was provided by 

 these Yarm and Darlington fairs. Mr. Mason 

 of Chilton, the Joblings, the Collings, Maynard 

 of Eryholme, the elder Booth, and many other 

 experienced men were in the throng of those 

 who constituted the Short-horn " Senate" at 

 the King's Head and the Black Bull Inn. 

 Those market fairs of a hundred years ago, 

 from whence sprang the Royal and Smithfield 

 Shows, as well as our American State fairs, fur- 

 nished the first great stimulus to Short-horn 

 improvement and were the means of enlisting 



