160 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 3. 



contained in the foregoing description. In co- 

 lor they resemble the improved short-horns, being 

 occasionally red, red and white, and roan, though 

 the last named color was not then so prevalent 

 as now. They possessed a fine mellow skin and 

 flesh, good hair, and light offal, particularly wide 

 carcasses, and lore-quarters of extraordinary depth 

 and capacity. Perhaps no closer modern resem- 

 blance can be found to the above description 

 of the Teeswater breed than Mr. Berry's bull 

 presents. His dam was purchased by Mr. B. on 

 account of the very few cros.-cs that intervened 

 between her and some of the best Teeswater cattle, 

 to which he was desirous to go back, on account of 

 the extent to which breeding in ami in has been 

 carried. When slaughtered, their proof was extra- 

 ordinary, and many instances are recorded of the 

 wonderful weight of their inside fat. 



The remarkable difference which existed be- 

 tween the Teeswater and the old unimproved 

 short-horns, may, with propriety, be. ascribed to 

 a spirit of improvement which had sometimes 

 manifested itself among the breeders on the banks 

 of the Tees, whose laudable efforts were well se- 

 conded by the very superior land in the vicinity 

 of that river. No reasonable doubts can be en- 

 tertained that they proceeded on a judicious sys- 

 tem of crossing with other breeds, because it was 

 utterly impossible to raise such a stock as the 

 Teeswater from pure short-horn blood. One 

 cross to which they referred was, in all probabili- 

 ty, the -white wild breed; and if this conjecture 

 be well founded, it will be apparent whence the 

 short-horns derived a color so prevalent among 

 them. 



It is also asserted that, about the period in 

 question, Sir William St. Quintin, of SJcampston, 

 imported bulls and cows from Holland, which 

 were crossed with the stock of the country. It 

 would tend to little advantage to proceed with con- 

 jectures, as to what other breeds were resorted to, 

 "if any; this much is certain, that great improve- 

 ment was soon manifested, and a valuable variety 

 established, as the two following instances will 

 prove. 



Mr. Millbank, of Barminghnm, one of the 

 leading improvers, bred and slaughtered an ox, 

 which, at five years old, weighed four quarters, one 

 hundred and fifty stones, of fourteen pounds to 

 the stone, producing sixteen stones of tallow; and 

 a cow bred from his stock, slaughtered by Mr. 

 Sharter, of Chilton, at twelve years old, weighed 

 upwards of one hundred and ten stones. 



From Mr. MillbaiuVs time, the Teeswater cat- 

 tle continued to sustain their excellence and celeb- 

 rity in various hands, until Mr. Charles Colling 

 adopted them, when he manifested a superiority of 

 skill as a breeder, which, in a very brief period, 

 secured him an ample fortune. 



Whatever has been the merits of the Teeswa- 

 ter cattle, it is certain Mr. Colling greatly improved 

 them; and though it has been asserted that his suc- 

 cess was the result of chance, arising from the pos- 

 session of an animal, with the merits of which, it 

 is supposed, he was at one period unacquainted, 

 the writer of this article is of opinion that Mr. 

 Colling's success resulted from a deliberate and 

 well considered plan. He found the Teeswater, 

 like all other extravagantly large cattle, frequently 

 of loose make and disproportion. He was sensi- 

 ble, also, of the difficulty of breeding, with any 



thing like certainty, large good animals, and though 

 he has declined on all occasions to throw any light 

 on his views and proceedings, the writer thinks he 

 can detect, in the very outset, and through the pro- 

 gress of his practice, a resolution to reduce the 

 size of this breed, and at the same time, and by 

 that means, to improve its form. This he is sup- 

 posed to have effected, in the first instance, through 

 the medium of a bull called "Hubback" an animal 

 respecting which there has been much controver- 

 sy, principally touching the purity of his blood, a 

 question now of little importance, because it is ad- 

 mitted on all hands that Mr. Colling adopted an- 

 other cross, which prevails in a majority of supe- 

 rior short-horns of the present day. It may, not- 

 withstanding, be a matter of interest to state a few 

 particulars respecting this bull. 



Without entering on an inquiry by what cir- 

 cumstances Hubback's title to be considered of 

 pure blood is supported or weakened, it may suf- 

 fice to observe, that it appears probable he pos- 

 sessed on one side the imported blood. The pos- 

 sessor of his dam was a person in indigent circum- 

 stances, and grazed his cow in the highways. 

 When afterwards she was removed to good land, 

 near Darlington, she became so fat that she did 

 not again breed; and her son, having the same 

 feeding propensity in a high degree, was useful as 

 a bull during a ver} r short period. The quality of 

 his flesh, hide, and hair, are supposed to have 

 been seldom equalled: and as he was smaller than 

 the Teeswater cattle, he was eminently calculated 

 to forward Mr. Colling's views. 



It has been remarked that we have at present 

 no superior horse on the turf" which does not boast 

 the blood of the Godolphin Arabian; so it may be 

 asserted that we have no superior short-horns 

 which do not claim descent nearly, or remotely, 

 from Hubback.* 



* This is true, because Hubback was the sire of the 

 dam of Mr. Charles Colling's bull, Foljambe, who was 

 the grandsire of Favorite; and there can be no doubt 

 that there has not been for many years any superior 

 short-horn who was not descended from Favorite. Mr. 

 Charles Colling is said to have considered that the bull 

 Foljambe, was the one that did his stock the greatest 

 good; and this is not improbable, as Foljambe was the 

 sire both of the sire and dam of Favorite. Hubback, 

 however, must have been a remarkable good animal; 

 and considering the short time during which he was 

 used as a bull, proved himself a first rate stock getter. 

 The following account of Hubback we had from Mr. 

 Waistell, of Allhill, who, although his name does not 

 appear conspicuously in the "Short Horned Herd 

 Book," deserves much credit for his discrimination 

 here. He used to admire this calf as he rode almost 

 daily by the meadow in which it grazed; and at length 

 he attempted to purchase it from the owner. The 

 price asked, £8, seemed much for a calf not a year 

 old and the reputation of the short-horns not being yet 

 established, the bargain was not struck. Still he 

 longed for the young beast- and happening to meet 

 Mr. Robert Colling near the place, he asked his opin- 

 ion of the animal. Mr. Colling acknowledged that 

 there were some good points about him; but there was 

 something in his mannerof acknowledging this, which 

 induced Mr. Waistell to suspect that Mr. Colling 

 thought somewhat more highly of the calf than his 

 language expressed, and therefore, he hastened the 

 next morning, concluded the bargain, and paid the mo- 

 ney. He had scarcely done so before Mr. Robert Colling 

 arrived for the same purpose, and as the two farmers* 



