98 HISTORY OF THE SHORT-HORNS. 



Booth attached so much importance, and their offspring amply testi- 

 fied to his discrimination. It is recorded that one cow by the former, 

 and her daughter by the latter bull, produced six calves in one year, 

 the dam having twice produced twins, and the daughter once. Four 

 of these calves were heifers. Some of the offspring were very supe- 

 rior cows. In proof of the excellent foundation they afforded for the 

 formation of a herd, it is affirmed on high authority that one of the 

 Twin Brother to Ben cows produced, to Son of Twin Brother to Ben, 

 a cow quite equal to Faith, by Raspberry, the dam of the famous 

 Hope. Many of the cows were deep milkers, but running dry sooner 

 than was then usual, when they gained flesh very rapidly. The late 

 Mr. Ewbank, of Sober Hill, questioning the milking capacity of 

 some of them in this condition, Mr. Thomas Booth pointed to their 

 broad backs, and exclaimed, * Look there ! that is worth a few pints 

 of milk ! ' These cows were further open to Mr. Ewbanks criticism 

 as having raw noses, as he contemptuously termed that feature when 

 flesh-colored ; alleging that in his early days the farm stock was nearly 

 all black-nosed, and that he never knew a raw-nosed cow that was not 

 delicate a prejudice which has long since passed away. 



" Having thus judiciously selected the best animals procurable of 

 both sexes, Mr. T. Booth was careful to pair such, and such only, of 

 the produce of these unions as presented in a satisfactory degree the 

 desired characteristics, with animals possessing them in equal or 

 greater measure, and unsparingly to reject especially from his male 

 stock all such as were not up to the required standard. Having by 

 these means succeeded in developing and establishing in his herd a 

 definite and uniform character, he sought to ensure its perpetuation 

 by breeding from rather close affinities, as in his opinion the only 

 security for the unfailing transmission, and transmission in an increased 

 ratio, of these acquired distinctions to the offspring. In tracing the 

 pedigrees of these herds, it will be seen that from the earliest period 

 the same system of breeding from close relations which was pursued 

 by the Collings was followed by the Booths. An examination of the 

 pedigree of Lady Maynard (alias the cow Favorite) will show to 

 what a length the system was carried by the earlier breeders, and how 

 closely the first families of the Colling strain were allied to the Booth 

 tribes. Further proof of this may be found in the pedigrees of the 

 earliest bulls used by Mr. Thomas Booth, namely, Twin Brother to 

 Ben (660), Suworrow (636), Albion (14), Pilot (496), and Marshal 

 Beresford (415). Take, for example, the three last named. Albion 

 purchased at Mr. Charles Ceiling's sale in 1810, by Mr. T. Booth, Sr., 



