1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



r, 1832) his regret (natural enough) at having [ short-horns as the Galloway. They w 

 en induced to part with the sire of the sliorl- ted, by their deep massive frames and 



ber, 



been induced to part 



horns, and his extreme disappointment that when 

 Hubback began to cover, JNlr. Charles Colling con- 

 fined him to his own stock, and would not let him 

 serve even one of Mr. Waistell's cows. 



Alter the use of this bull, Mr. Charles Colling 

 proceeded with singular success to produce, from 

 lime to time, superior animals ; and the number 

 of bulls he disposed of by letting was highly en- 

 couraging. But the circumstance which brought 

 the improved short-herns into most extensive 

 notice was the production of the "Durham Ox," 

 an animal which speaks volumes in fivor of even 

 a single cross of this blood ; for the ox was the pro- 

 duce of a common cow, which had been put to 

 ^^Favoriiey At five years old, the Durham ox 

 was sold to Mr. Bulmer, of Harniby, near Bedale, 

 for public exhibition, at the price of £140; this 

 was in February, 1801. He was at that time 

 computed to weigh 168 stones, of 141b, his live 

 weight being 216 stones ; and this extraordinary 

 weight did not arise from his superior size, but 

 from the excessive ripeness of his points. Mr. 

 Bulmer having obtained a carriage lor his con- 

 veyance, travelled with him five weeks, and then 

 sold him and the carrinfje. at Rolhcrham. to Mr. 

 John Day, on the 14th>»lay, IbOl, for £250. 



£,.s. d. 

 On the 14ih of May, Mr. Day could 



have sold him for - - 525 



On the 131 h of June, for - - 1000 

 On the Sth of July, for - - 2000 



Mr. Day travelled with him nearly six years, 

 through the principal parts of England and Scot- 

 land, "till at Oxford, on the I9ih February. 1807, 

 the ox dislocated his hip-bone, and continued in 

 that state till the 15lh April, v/lien he was obliged 

 to be slaughtered ; and, notwithstandinfj he must 

 have lost considerably in weight, during these 

 eight weeks of illness, his carcass weighed — 



Imp. stones " 

 Four quarters - - 265 

 Tallow ... 11 



Hide - - - - 10 



This was his weight at eleven 3'ears old, under 

 all the disadvantages of travelling in a joliing car- 

 riage, and eight weeks of painful illness. Had he 

 been kept quietly at Ketton, and led till seven 

 years old, there is little doubt but ho would have 

 weighed more than he did at ten years old, at 

 which age Mr. Day slated his live weight to have 

 been nearly ihirty-lbur hundred weight, or two 

 hundred and seventy stones, irom which if filiy 

 be taken for offal, it leaves the weight of the car- 

 cass two hundred and twenty stones. 



It is a well ascertained fact, that, during his ca- 

 reer as a breeder, Mr. Collmg tried several expe- 

 riments in crossing, and the breeds to which he 

 resorted on these occasions, being very considera- 

 bly smaller than the short-horns, this circum- 

 stance tends to corroborate the writer's opinion 

 that he considered it desirable to reduce their size. 

 The cross with the Kyloe led to no results worthy 

 enumeration, but that with the polled Galloway 

 must not be passed over without comment. Be- 

 fore stating the circumstances attending this expe- 

 riment, it may be proper to observe that no breed 

 of cattle promised so successful across with the 

 Vol.. VII— 44 



IDs. 



12 

 2 

 2 



ere Calculr.- 

 d short legs, 

 to bring the short-horns nearer the ground, and to 

 dispose their weight in a more compact manner: 

 (heir hardy habits would be essentially useful, and 

 the quality of their flesh and hair were such as to 

 render- the experiment still more safe. Add to this, 

 that thej' could be obtained of a red color, and we 

 are prepared to admit, even without the sane' ion 

 of a successful experiment, that tliey were admi- 

 rably adapted to cross with the short-horn, stand- 

 ing frequently loo high from the ground, not very 

 well ribbed home, and not seldom of loose, dis- 

 jointed frame. 



To this breed Mr. Colling resolved to resort; 

 and though at the time when he did so, the event 

 was regarded with some degree of ridicule by the 

 pure blood advocates, and cominents passed which 

 would have deterred ordinary men from the ex- 

 ercise of their judgment, Mr. Colling persisted. 



He was much fiivored by circumstances in pro- 

 moting his object, which was to take one cross, 

 and then breed back to the short-horn,-— the only 

 course, by the way. in which crossing can be suc- 

 cessfully adopted. To breed fi-om the produce of 

 acvosH directly among ihemsclvea will lead to the 

 results which have induced man}'' persons, willi- 

 out due consideration, to believe conclusive against 

 crossing; but to take one cross, and then return 

 and adhere to one breed, will, in the course of a 

 few generations, be found to stamp a variet}^ v,'ith 

 sufficient certainty. 



Mr. Colling's short-horned hull Bollngbrnkt 

 was put to a beatifiil red-polled Galloway cow, 

 and the produce, being a biill-cali; was. in due. 

 time, put to Johanna, a pure short-horn, — she also 

 produced a bull-calf! i'his grandson of Bo!;ng- 

 hroke v;as the sire of the cow. Lady, Iiy anotlier 

 pure short-horned dam, and from Lad v has sprung 

 the hitrhly valuable family ofimprovcd short-horns, 

 terji^ed, in reproach, the alloy. How fir the alloy 

 was deroiiatory, k^\ facfs testify,* 



It will probably be admitted that the prejudice 

 against this cross was at the highest at the time 

 of Mr. Charles Colling's sale. The blood had 

 then been little, if at all, introduced toother stocks, 

 and it was manifestly the interest, whatever mirrht 

 be the inclination, of the niany breeders who had 

 it not, to assume high ground for the pure blood, 

 and to depreciate the alloy. Under these untown rd 

 circumstances for the alloy, Avhat said public 

 opinion, unequivocally certified by the stroke of 

 the auctioneer's hammer? Lady, before- men- 

 tioned at fourteen years old, sold for two hundred 

 and six guineas. Qnnitess, her daug-hter, nine 

 years old, for four hundred guineas. Laura, ano- 

 ther daughter four years old, f)r two hundred and 

 ten guineas. iJ/ajor and Ceorg-e, two of her sons, 

 the former three years old, the latter a calf, for two 

 hundred guineas and one hundred and thirty ; be- 

 side a number of others, more remotely descended 

 from Lady, which all sold at high prices ; in fact, 

 in a sale of forty-eight lots, realizing £7115 17.s. 

 Lady and her decendanfs sold for a larger sum 

 than any other family obtained. 



* The dam of Lady was afso the dam of fho bull 

 Favorite: and as the grandson of Bolingbroke is not 

 known to have been the sire of any other remarkabiy 

 good animal, it is most probable that the unquestiom;" 

 ble merit of Lady and her descendanis is to be attri- 

 buted more to her dam than to her sire. — Edil. 



