162 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



of England produced the breed thus described. These cattle 

 were the progenitors of the short-horns. 



This was a period of war and turmoil in Great Britain. 

 Contests between invading Scandinavians and native Britons, 

 followed by the Norman conquest, kept the people in barba- 

 rism, prevented improvement in agriculture as well as in 

 manufactures and the arts. Cattle improvement was as slow 

 as improvement in civilization. For centuries the common 

 people were simply barbarians, and their rulers were rob- 

 bers, from the petty baron to the usurping king. The peo- 

 ple were ground down with taxes ; were obliged to serve 

 their masters in peace and in war. But as good men arose 

 in the land, and by their eiforts and influence caused improve- 

 ment in the condition of the people, so agriculture improved, 

 and from time to time attention was given to cattle-breeding. 

 We have no definite records of their progress in this direc- 

 tion until about the year 1700, when we read of short-horns 

 in great perfection, obtained by long-continued and well- 

 directed effort. The cows were always described as deep 

 milkers, and the bullocks as making great carcasses. There 

 is a record at al)out this date of a short-horn ox, whose 

 dressed weight of meat, hide and tallow was 2,479 pounds. 

 The particular steps of improvement have not been recorded, 

 and Ave can only judge by later experience of the patient 

 study, close thought and perseverance, which this great 

 progress cost. 



About the year 1740 we begin to find definite records of 

 short-horn breeding, and accounts of wonderful improve- 

 ments made by careful experiments. Breeders began to 

 keep records of lineage or pedigrees of their stock. In the 

 year 1780 began the systematic and comprehensive efforts 

 of the brothers Robert and Charles Colling, to improve the 

 short-horns. They resorted to in-and-in breeding, and were 

 wonderfully successful. Not only were the cattle improved, 

 but the attention of the titled and wealthy was attracted to 

 their herds. When the Collin"^ brothers beoan their career 

 there was no such thing known as fancy prices for cattle. 

 The bull Hubback, afterward a very noted animal, was bought 

 and sold by them at his value for beef. The i)opularity of 

 their breeding became so great that after thirty years, at 



