SOME HISTORIC KENTUCKY STOCK. 303 



who visited America after the Airdrie blood had 

 been thoroughly concentrated in the Renick 

 herd, said: 



" I saw the bull Airdrie, rising thirteen years old, a magnificent 

 animal, not too large but exceedingly symmetrical, stylish and 

 handsome, with a splendid head and fine masculine character. 

 The cows and heifers were called from the fields by a lot of negroes 

 men, wonien and children and it was wonderful to observe the 

 singular uniformity and great excellence of the cattle as they 

 walked past to a corner of the field where they stood to be milked. 

 The heifers, mostly by Airdrie, were splendid animals, combining 

 great length, elegance and sweetness of character with rich full 

 colors, roan or red hair, good form and great substance. Some of 

 the older cows were thinner and slightly lame., owing, as it was 

 said, to the thick cornstalks fastening in their hoofs. The calves 

 were also good, and two or three young bulls were of great prom- 

 ise. Seeing how very superior this herd 'was and how closely it 

 was in-and-in bred I was induced to ask Mr. Renick how he came 

 to take sucn a course. He told me he took up the herd books and 

 saw what Colling, Mason and other early breeders had done, and 

 he thought he would do the same thing; his neighbors thought he 

 would i*uin his stock, but he thought that he had got quite as good 

 as any of them." 



At the time of Mr. Thornton's visit (1869) 

 every animal in the herd was of Mr. Renick's 

 own breeding. Not only that, but their dams, 

 grandams, great-grandams and even great- 

 great-grandams had been bred on the farm- 

 certainly a fact unique in the history of Short- 

 horn breeding in the United States. For years 

 he declined to part with any Rose of Sharon 

 females at any valuation, but latterly high 

 prices tempted him to do so. He has generally 

 been regarded as one of the greatest construc- 

 tive breeders ever identified with Short-horn 

 breeding in America. A disciple of Thomas 



