SECOND PERIOD OP ACTIVITY. 265 



from great wealth he wielded it all in the support of the best in- 

 terest of the community. Able to command any blood in Short- 

 horns he insisted on having the best. Familiar with pedigrees 

 and knowing what was good and what was bad he honestly ap- 

 plied right principles to the end. Consequently he was carried off 

 into no crochets and gave no particular strain the sole benefit of 

 his great influence, holding it up to the public gaze as the true and 

 only pure blood. On the contrary, few herds have ever been 

 founded on a more varied basis, and few breeders have ever been 

 so catholic in their tastes. Pure Booth, pure Bates, Knightley, 

 Mason, Wiley, Whitaker, 'Seventeen,' every strain nearly that 

 has ever been known on the continent, had a place in his herd and 

 affections. The consequence was the gathering together of a herd 

 that in its prime had certainly no equal on this side of the water, 

 and perhaps as certainly none on the other. All of good sterling 

 worth and fancy, so long as fancy did not conflict with worth, that 

 money would gather together was to be seen on his farm at Wood- 

 burn. Knowing what was good, when he found it in other blood 

 than what was represented in his herd, instead of claiming it to 

 be impure he purchased it and incorporated it with what he already 

 had. Thus he set an example of catholic appreciation which it 

 would do us of this day good to follow more closely." 



First of the Airdrie Duchesses. Visiting 

 the leading herds of Britain he bought, among 

 other valuable animals, the two-year-old roan 

 heifer Duchess of Athol and her half-brother, 

 the yearling red-roan bull 2d Duke of Athol 

 (11376), both bred by Col. Towneley, at 500 

 guineas for the pair. It may be remarked in 

 passing that on this same trip the heifer Ma- 

 zurka, offered at 100 guineas, was declined and 

 left behind, only to be bought at the Kentucky 

 Importing Co.'s sale the following year at 

 $3,050. The 2d Duke and the Athol Duchess 

 had been produced at Towneley by Duchess 

 54th, that was taken at the Kirklevington dis- 



