SCOTLAND'S SEARCHING TEST. 557 



cattle from these Southern herds were in quest 

 of a profitable feeding type rather than partic- 

 ular blood-lines. They knew little and proba- 

 bly cared less about the disputes as to the rela- 

 tive values of different strains as carried on 

 by their English brethren. Indeed, those who 

 owned animals tracing descent from these two 

 primal Scottish herds were quite content to 

 rest the pedigrees at ^lie base upoA the sub- 

 stantial names fcnd character of "Rennie of 

 Phantassie" or "Robertson of Ladykirk." An 

 abrupt termination this, one might say, and 

 yet to those who drew material from those 

 sources it meant a foundation in genuine Short- 

 horn merit as firm as the granite hills of their 

 native land. 



Rennie has the honor of having supplied the 

 first Short-horn bull ever taken into the terri- 

 tory North of the River Dee, reference to 

 which will be made further on.* 



*"We have been honored with a letter from Mr. John Rennie on the 

 subject of his stock from which we make the following- extract, confirma- 

 tory of Mr. Brown's account, and which, in justice to so enterprising and 

 skillful a breeder ap Mr. Rennie, should be placed upon record: 'The 

 principal breed (he means among the few who have directed their attention 

 to the breeding of cattle) is Short-horns, or Teeswaters, which were intro- 

 duced by myself, having selected them from Mr. Robertson of Ladykirk, 

 who, I have no hesitation in saying, had some of the best Short-horns in 

 the kingdom. I also had two or three bulls of the best blood from the 

 County of Durham. I had three or four large sales of stock which were 

 attended by some of the most celebrated breeders in England and Scotland. 

 Bulls were bought at from 50 to 120 each to go 200 miles north and above 

 300 miles south.' 



" Mr. Brown of Drylaw Hill, to whom we are indebted for some previous 

 remarks, informs us that about the years 1818 and 1819 the Short-horned OT 

 Teeswater breed of *i.e best and purest sort was introduced into the countv 



