THE ORKNEYS TO THURSO. 3$ 



Highlanders. The Devon bull held his colour when 

 put to rough Angus cows, and the stock gained in 

 maturity what they lost in hardihood ; but still they 

 were coarse in their points, and the cross was 

 pretty generally considered "too sharp." The calves 

 by a Devon from a half shorthorn Rousay quey 

 came shorthorn in colour and character ; and from a 

 half Orkney and West Highland quey they were red 

 and Devon-headed. Mr. Fortescue brought over Ba- 

 rometer and some other Angus bulls from the Port- 

 lethen herd, but the second cross with the country 

 cattle did not pay so well as the first. A Hereford 

 bull has been recently imported by Mr. Cromarty, 

 of South Ronaldsay, and is the first of the "red 

 with white facings" that ever reached these shores. 



In 1840, only two or three Orcadian farmers had 

 shorthorn crosses, whereas now considerably more 

 than two-thirds of the cattle are so bred. At that 

 date, there were only a few West Highlanders in Bur- 

 ray and Holm, and the rest were Orkney blacks. So 

 great has been the progress, that tenants can now sell 

 young beasts at 14 where 3 10s. was then thought 

 a catch. Mr. Bakie of Tankerness, Mr. Trail of 

 Woodwick, and Mr. Petrie of Graham's Ha', began 

 the shorthorn bull system ; and since then all prices 

 from 50 to 20 have been paid for them to Yorkshire 

 and Aberdeenshire breeders. Very few pure shorthorn 

 cows have been imported except by Mr. Balfour, and 

 he and Mr. Cromarty are the only breeders of bulls. 

 The foundation on which the farmers have had to 



