148 FIELD AND FERN. 



on our own Christmas recollections, and photo- 

 graphs from Mr. Giblett's paintings. 



First came the white ox (by a Shethin bull) which 

 won the Fat Cup at Aberdeen in '61, and at Dar- 

 lington in '62, besides a prize at Poissy, and the 

 Cup. The red one, which first shook the equani- 

 mity of the Durham men, was a very massive fellow, 

 bred by Mr. Garland of Ardlethen ; and when Mr. 

 Stewart had marched his " red, white, and roan" 

 on to them successively their Challenge Cup de- 

 parted over the Border. Two shorthorn cross 

 heifers and a poll brindled ox did good work at 

 London and elsewhere in '61 ; but '62 was, after all, 

 " the exhibition year" for Esselmont. Fourteen 

 "beasts were prepared, and sent off to Darlington, 

 London, Leeds, Birmingham, York, and Liver- 

 pool, and when the circuit was over, Mr. Stewart 

 could reckon his prizes by the clad score. This was 

 the year of the red Shorthorn Poll, bred by Mr. 

 Thompson of Dumbreck, which got the Cup as the 

 best beast in the yard at Birmingham, and was 

 only beaten for the same honour in London by a 

 Devon- Shorthorn ox of Mr. Henry Overman's. 



Mr. Moir's of Tarty is only four miles from Essel- 

 mont in the Formartine district, which is divided 

 from Buchan by the Ythen ; and his farm is on the 

 Ellon property belonging to Mr. Gordon. The 

 neat, gabled house and steading are in Tarty 

 Slack, a slight hollow, only two miles from 

 the coast; and thirty cows and heifers, some 



