1335.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



161 



After the use of this bull, Mr. Charles Colling 

 proceeded with singular success to produce, from 

 time to time, superior animals; and the number of 

 bulls he disposed of by letting was highly encour- 

 aging. But the circumstance which brought the 

 improved short-horns into most extensive notice, 

 was, the production of the "Durham ox," an an- 

 imal which speaks volumes in favor of evenasingle 

 cross of this blood; for the ox was the produce of 

 a common cow, which had been put to "Favo- 

 rite." At five years old, the Durham ox was sold 

 to Mr. Buhner, of Harmby, nearBedale, for pub- 

 he exhibition, at the price of £l-:0: this was in 

 February, 1801. He was at that time computed 

 to weigh 168 stones, of 14 lbs., his live weight 

 being 216 stones; and this extraordinary weight 

 did not arise from his superior size, but from 

 the excessive ripeness ol his points. Mr. Bul- 

 raer havinjr obtained a carriage lor his conveyance, 

 travelled with him five weeks, and then sold him 

 and the carriage, at Rotherham, to Mr. John 

 Day, on the 14th of May, 1801, lor £250. 



On the 14th of May, Mr. Day could have 



sold him for - - £525 



On the 13th of June for - 1000 



On the 18th of June for - 2000 



Mr. Day travelled with him nearly six ; 

 through the principal parts of England and Scot- 

 land, till at Oxford, on the 19th "February, 1807, 

 the ox dislocated his hip bone, and continued in 

 that state till the 15th April, when he was obliged 

 to be slaughtered, and, notwithstanding he must 

 have lost considerably in weight during these eight 

 weeks of illness, his carcass weighed, 



Four quarters, 



Tallow, 

 Hide, 



Imp. stones, lbs. 



- 165 12 

 11 2 



10 2 



This was his weight at eleven years old, under 

 all 'die disadvantages of travelling in a jolting car- 

 riage, and eight weeks of painful illness. Had 

 he been kept quietly at Ketton, and fed till seven 

 years old, there is little doubt but he would have 

 weighed more than he did at ten years old, at 

 which age Mr. Day stated his live weight to have 

 been nearly thirty-four hundred weight, or two 

 hundred and seventy stones, from which if* fifty 

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

 cass two hundred and twenty stones. 



It is a well ascertained fact, that, daring his 

 career as a breeder, Mr. Colling tried several ex- 

 periments in crossing, and the breeds to which he 



rcule home together, they agreed that it should be a joint 

 speculation. 



Some months passed by. and either Mr. Waistell's 

 admiration of the calf a little cooled, or his partner 

 did not express himself very warmly about the excel- 

 lence of the animal, and Messrs. Waistell and R. Col- 

 ling transferred young Hubback to Mr. Charles Colling; 

 who, with the quick eye of an experienced breeder, 

 saw the value of the little beast. Mr. Waistell ex- 

 pressed to us (October, 1S23,) his regret [natural 

 enough] at having been induced to part with the sire 

 of the short-horns, and his extreme disappointment 

 that when Hubback began to cover, Mr. Charles Col- 

 ling confined him to his own stock, and would not let 

 him serve even one of Mr. AVaistell's cows. — Farmer 

 and Gardener. 

 y or .. Ill — 21 



resorted on these oocasions, being very considera- 

 bly smaller than the short-horns, this circumstance 

 tends to corroborate the writer's opinions that he 

 considered it desirable to reduce their size. The 

 cross with the Kyloe led to no results worthy enu- 

 meration, but that with the Palled Galloway must 

 not be passed over without comment. Before 

 stating the circumstances attending this experi- 

 ment, it may be proper to observe that no breed 

 of cattle promised so successful across with the 

 short-horns as the Galloway. They were calcu- 

 lated, by their deep massive frames and short legs 

 to bring the short-horns nearer the ground, and 

 to dispose their weight in a more compact manner: 

 their 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 they could be obtained of a red color, 

 and we are prepared to admit, even without the 

 sanction of a successful experiment, that they 

 were admirably adapted to cross with the short- 

 horns, standing frequently too "high from the 

 ground, not vevy well ribbed home, and not sel- 

 dom of loose, disjointed 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 comments passed 

 which would have deterred ordinary men from 

 the exercise of their judgement, Mr. Colling per- 

 sisted. 



He was much favored 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 successfully 

 adopted. To breed from the produce of a cross 

 directly among themselves will lead to the results 

 which have induced many persons, without due 

 consideration to believe conclusive against cross- 

 link; but to take one cross, and then return and ad- 

 here to one breed, will in the course of a few gen- 

 erations, be found to stamp a variety with sufficient 

 certainty. 



Mr. Colling's short-horned bull BolingbrokeWiXS 

 put to a beautiful red polled Galloway cow, and 

 the produce, being a bull calf, was in due time, 

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

 ducing a bull calf This grandson of Bolingbroke 

 was the sire of the cow Lady by another pure 

 short-horned dam and from Lady has sprung the 

 highly valuable family of improved short-horns, 

 termed, in reproach, the alloy. How far the alloy 

 was derogatory, let fads 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 been lit- 

 tle, if at a!!, introduced to other stocks, and it was 

 manifestly the interest, whatever might be the in- 

 clination, of the many breeders who had it not, to 

 assume high ground for the pure blood, and to de- 

 preciate the alloy. Under thpse untoward circum- 

 stances for the alloy, what said public opinion, un- 

 equivocally certified by the stroke of the auction- 



* The dam of Lady was also the dam of the bull 

 Favorite; and as the grandson of Bolingbroke is not 

 known to have been the sire of any other remarkable 

 good animal, it is most probable that the unquestiona- 

 ble merit of Lady and her descendants is to be attributed 

 more to her dam than to her sire. — Farmer and Gard- 

 i ener. 



