CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 197 



yearlings and two-year-olds, as at Sittytou; aud it is here I think that 

 the chief excellence of Mr. Criiickshank's breeding lies. This feature 

 has given character to the short-horns of Aberdeenshire, and so univer- 

 sally is it recognized, that even the breeders of the Aberdeen- Angus 

 cattle of that region all concede, so far as I heard an expression of opin- 

 ion, that u[) to two years old no breed will show such a gain as the 

 short-horn. ]Mr. C. says his aim has been to produce a first class beef 

 animal at the earliest i)Ossible age ; and in selecting lis breeding bulls, 

 he says : " The only questions have been, is he a good short-horn ? aud, 

 Will he uick well with my herd?" 



I have seen much of the Angus- Aberdeen cattle on their native heath — 

 or: the pastures of thecommon farmers of Aberdeenshire — and 1 certainly 

 like them well. They are good-looking, smooth, fine-boned, early-matur- 

 ing cattle wherever you see them. The Ericas (a family of this breed), as 

 bred by Sir George McPhersoii Grant, pleased me best, ou account of 

 their comparative lightness of bone and compact, level, beefy, car- 

 casses. Sir George has either succeeded in fixing a strong family type 

 in these Ericas, or else he has shrewdly retained those that approxi- 

 mate closely to this type among those bred by him, and has sold the 

 rest. The Prides (another popular Aberdeen- Angus family) are larger 

 than the Ericas, and certainly have not quite the finisli and style of the 

 latter, but, judged by the show-yard triumphs of this year, they are not 

 a whit behind them in ])opular favor ; indeed I am inclined to the opin- 

 ion that the show-yard ledger of this year displays a decided balance 

 to the credit of the Prides. But this may be, to a considerable degree, 

 owing to the absence of the Ballindalloch herd from the Highland 

 sjiow. • 



I regret exceedingly that I was compelled to forego the pleasure of a 

 \ isit' to Herefordshire. The " white-fVices," as the Hereford cattle are 

 often called, have gained so firm a footing and have become so widely 

 popular in America that I very much desired to see them on their native 

 pastures. I had arranged, while at the Eoyal show, to spend all of 

 the last wee-k of my stay in England among the Hereford breeders, tim- 

 ing my visit there, by special invitation, with reference to an important 

 gathering of Hereford breeders that was to take place at that time, 

 but at the last moo'cntl was comi)elled by urgent business demands to 

 send my regrets to Hereford and turnmyse.f homeward, without the 

 coveted visit to Herefordshire, as well as to many other places that I had 

 hoped to see before my return. What I have seen of this very popular 

 breed, however, has only conlirme<l my i)revious favorable impression 

 of them as grazing cattle. But must I be ])ern)itted to say of them, as 

 I have already said of the shorthorns, that judging by what 1 have 

 seen of them in both countries, the enteri)rise and good judgment of 

 American buyers have already transferred the cream of the breed to 

 the United States 



