Mr. John Jackson. 205 



Queen Mab, and that slashing and rather masculine- 

 headed cow Nectarine Blossom, which had bloomed 

 five months before at Chester and Northallerton. She 

 was the biggest cow that ever left Warlaby for the 

 show-yard ; rather more square in her make than 

 Plum Blossom, and with a capital udder. After the 

 sight of such a trio, Queen of the Vale, good as she 

 was, had hardly class enough. Poor Queen of the 

 May had been brought on to her knees with training 

 and railway trucks, and had eaten quite a bare space 

 round her as she knelt to graze. In the house she 

 " favoured" herself the same way, so that you could 

 hardly judge of those magnificent shoulders. Queen 

 of the Isles was a marvel for wealth, but her calf bed 

 was imperfect, and she went to the butcher. 



Eight years later and hardly one of them, save 

 Queen of the Ocean and Soldier's Bride and Lord of 

 the Valley were left, but the young Commander-in- 

 Chief and Lady Fragrant were in their glory, and 

 there too in her blooming heiferdom was the beautiful 

 looo-guinea Bride of the Vale, which was sold with 

 Merry Peal (500 guineas) and Royal Briton (500 

 guineas) to go to Canada. Sir James was going out 

 again on hire in the thirteenth year of his age.* 



Yorkshire has had two John Jacksons of no small 

 turf renown. One rode seven St. Leger winners, and 

 counted Beningbrough and Altisidora among them ; 

 and the other, who was only a lad of eleven when the 

 old jockey died nearly blind, at Northallerton, became 



* The Warlaby herd was in great peril during the cattle-plague, 

 which raged for six months within i^ miles of the homestead, and 

 nearly 300 beasts went down by disease or poleaxe. The final out- 

 break was not more than a quarter of a mile off, and the fate of this 

 great herd seemed to tremble in the balance. Vaccination and 

 M'Dougall's disinfectant were freely used, but Mr. Booth's main re- 

 liance was on burning tar in braziers at several points of the farmyard. 

 , The fires were carefully looked to first thing in the morning and last at 

 night, and might be smelt down wind for a couple of miles. No case of 

 any kind occurred. 



