BLENDING AND SORTING 131 



England, and the introduction of Shorthorn bulls 

 and turnip husbandry, opened up a new era for 

 Buchan. The native cattle fattened well, and 

 money was made by doing so. Shorthorn bulls 

 were introduced and put to all kinds of cows. 

 Often when a Shorthorn bull was mated with 

 a small polled cow, the produce was a black poll 

 of the finest character immensely superior to 

 either of the parents. When a heifer of this 

 stamp was again put to a Shorthorn bull, the 

 result was quite as fine a black poll, of still 

 larger size. If the produce were also a heifer, 

 and mated with a pure Shorthorn bull, the result 

 was still a poll, yet larger in size, but bluish- 

 grey in colour. If a heifer again, and put to 

 a Shorthorn bull, the produce was once more a 

 grey poll, probably lighter in colour. When this 

 form of crossing was continued further, Shorthorn 

 colours appeared, sometimes with scurs, but 

 oftener with the regular short horns of the male 

 parent. I observed this experiment tried in 

 several cases, with exactly the same result. 

 With the larger polls with white underlines, the 

 horns and colour of the Shorthorn bull were 

 earlier transmitted to the produce, generally at 

 the second or third crosses. I therefore look 

 upon the small polls without white spots as the 

 pure original Buchan Humlie." 



Thus, with the characters they now possess 

 drawn from several sources, the Aberdeen-Angus 



