ROBERT COLLING'S CATTLE. 83 



" Robert Colling, the elder of the two brothers, was born at Sker- 

 ningham, and when a youth was apprenticed to a large grocer ; his 

 health being delicate he returned home and joined his brother Charles 

 in partnership, until Charles went to Ketton, and Robert took the 

 Barmpton farm in the spring of 1783, having previously resided at 

 Hurworth ; he often visited Mr. Culley, and imitated many of his 

 principles of farming, more especially turnip growing, and in later 

 years his own farming at Barmpton became high and excellent in 

 every degree. For many years his Leicester sheep, which were 

 obained from Bakewell, were more successful than his Short-horns, 

 and his Ram shows or lettings were continued for many years. Mr. 

 Wiley, of Brandsby, took sheep of him for fourteen years in succes- 

 sion, and upon one particular occasion asked him what a good 

 Short-horn should be like. Pointing to one of his finest tups, called 

 Shoulders (from the excellence of that point), Mr. Colling advised 

 him to breed his cattle like that. A favorite expression of his was to 

 liken his cattle to a barrel ; he did not approve of the breast being 

 very prominent, preferring it rather short but very thick and wide, 

 especially between the fore legs, as he generally considered beasts 

 with very prominent breasts had thin shoulders and chine, and lacked 

 width and substance in their fore quarters. 



" Improved Short-horns, however, did not at first attract his atten- 

 tion. Sheep were the profit of the farm, and no doubt in later days 

 the ram lettings led to bull hirings, as they do at Aylesby, at Given- 

 dale, at Brandsby, and elsewhere, even to this day. Bailey wrote in 

 1 8 10, after an experience of Durham county for forty years, that 

 ' Robert Colling has frequently crossed with the improved Short- 

 horned bulls and the best Kyloe cows he could procure ; the produce 

 made very fat and much earlier than the pure Kyloe ; but he has now 

 given it up, finding that the pure improved Short-horns are more 

 profitable.' 



"Although Mr. Robert Colling had several tribes, and went to 

 different breeders for his original cattle, yet the majority of those 

 animals which were sold in the 1818 sale, were descended from four 

 families, of which some account will now be given. 



" It appears that some of his earliest stock came from Mr. Milbank 

 of Barningham, about 1780. These were supposed to be the best 

 Teeswater cattle, and noted for their excellent grazing properties. 

 The original of the Yellow Cow, by Punch (531), came from this 

 stock; and her descendants were Venus, lot 19; Clara, lot 29; and 

 Diamond (206), lot 62, got by Lancaster (360), out of Venus, all sold 



