ROBERTSON OF LADYKIRK 77 



fortune, enthusiastically attached to county affairs." 

 Between 1789 and 1791 Mr Robertson selected twenty- 

 five of the best female animals from the herds of the 

 Messrs Colling and Charge, and also two of their best 

 bulls. Cows and heifers ranged from 20 to 50 gs., 

 and the bulls cost 40 gs. and 50 gs. For eight 

 years afterwards Mr Robertson overdid in-breeding, 

 according to the testimony of Mr Heriot, and the 

 cattle became delicate. He had therefore to resort 

 to an outcross. A glance at the list of bulls used by 

 him in the early stages will show how close he went 

 in his matings. In 1790 he used the Newton bull 

 Ladykirk (355) bred by Charge, and by Dalton 

 Duke (188) or Maynard's Bull, out of a cow owned 

 by Charge. In 1791 he acquired the Lame Bull (357) 

 from Charles Colling. That bull was by a son of 

 Maynard's Bull, from the Charge cow. In 1794-95 a 

 bull, referred to as Lady Maynard's bull (356), bred 

 by Charles Colling, and by the Lame Bull (357), out 

 of old Lady Margaret, the darn of Phoenix and Straw- 

 berry, was acquired. During 1795-97 a son of the 

 Newton bull, out of a Hubback cow, was in use ; then 

 came Punch (513) and a son of his, out of a dam by 

 Lady Margaret's bull. From 1800 to 1805 he used 

 Sultan (631), which was the son of Punch, out of a 

 daughter of Strawberry. As a matter of course his 

 cattle came to have a strong family resemblance, and 

 when his bulls passed into pure-bred herds, somewhat 

 unrelated in blood, they showed remarkable prepo- 

 tency. In cross-bred herds they effected wonders. A 

 year before his death Mr Robertson acquired the 



