AMOS CRUICKSHANK OF SITTYTON. 588 



Anthony Cruickshank died in 1879 at the 

 age of sixty-six years. Amos lived to be 

 eighty-seven years of age, passing from the 

 scene of his long and useful life at Sittyton 

 May 27, 1895, the herd having been closed out 

 at private sale as an entirety in 1889. Like 

 many other of the most noted Short-horn 

 breeders of the century he never married. He 

 was wedded only to the herd that received 

 for such an extended period his most earnest 

 thought and devoted attention. A devout 

 Quaker he carried into his daily life the sim- 

 ple, upright, kindly teachings of his faith. It 



stituted a good beast and the development of that which is known as the 

 Cruickshank type of Short-horn I believe to have been almost entirely due 

 to Amos. 



" His success as a breeder was no doubt due to the patient, persevering 

 nature of the man, his innate turn for the pursuit, and also, perhaps, in 

 some degree to the fact that he was totally devoid of any sentimental no- 

 tions about 'blood' and pedigree. He looked at the animal squarely as it 

 stood before him; if it did not come up to his standard it mattered not what 

 the pedigree was or who the breeder. I remember visiting him on one occa- 

 sion shortly after the arrival of some cows from a distant herd, which had 

 been taken in exchange for an equal number from Sittyton. They had 

 splendid pedigrees of great length, with Roan Duchesses and I know not 

 what, all running back to Frederick, Belvedere and many a far-famed sire, 

 but they lacked the substance, flesh and hair which Amos loved. As he 

 pointed them out he could not conceal his dissatisfaction. Not one of them 

 would please him. I ventured to remark that some of them looked to be 

 milky. 'They may have some milk,' said he, gloomily, 'but that is about 

 the only good thing about them.' Long experience and observation had 

 made him a very thorough judge. For half a century he had watched over 

 a herd of Short-horns which for many years was the largest in the king- 

 dom, and which sent out animals that have made the fortunes of many 

 other herds, not only in this country but in other lands. He enjoyed a long, 

 healthy life, due partly to his good constitution and also to his regular, tem- 

 perate habits. Notwithstanding his great age his mind remained wonder- 

 fully clear to the very last. He was a type of character rarely met with 

 nowadays; so free from all vanity, affectation and humbug, so unpretend- 

 ing, simple and true. As some one well said, ' There was only one Amos 

 Cruickshank and he is gone.' "-T. F. Jamieson in London (Eng.) Live-Stock 

 Journal. 



