AYR TO DUMFRIES. 313 



land Willie, who was the first to make the fame of 

 George Graham so fast and sure. 



Graham of Meildeculloch has quite gone to the 

 front with his females, and Semiramis, Harriet, 

 and Hannah, all first-prize Highland. Society cows, 

 stood in his byre at one time. Wellwood Maxwell of 

 Glenlee had the first yearling heifer at Kelso, and 

 Clark of Culmain the best Galloway bull at the ^62 

 Union Show. Shennan of Ballig keeps more cows 

 than any man in Galloway, and owns the Nestor of 

 black bulls, Bob Burns (235) by Geordie (234), whose 

 failing back only just beat him out of the first place 

 when he was shown at the Newcastle Royal in his 

 tenth year. Biggar of King's Grange, Thompson of 

 Blaiket (who bred the second prize yearling heifer 

 Queen Mary at Battersea), and Cunningham of White 

 Cairn, with his well-known Kate, all show either at 

 the Boyal or at the local show at Dalbeattie. Cun- 

 ningham of Dunrod Mill only owns three or four, 

 but Mr. Jardine won with his stock at Lockerbie, 

 and he bred Sir William (222), who was the first 

 two-year-old in Thompson of Blaiket's hands, when 

 Bob Burns headed the aged-bull class at Edinburgh, 



*^ Black and all black^^ extends into the Dumfries- 

 shire dales, but not higher up Nithsdale than a few 

 miles above Thornhill. Rae of Gaterslack, Stobbo 

 of Halliday Hill, William Irving of Brandennoch, 

 and David Martin of Braco, are all loyal to it. 

 Graham of The Shaw shows good heifers at Loc- 

 kerby, and the Kirkhill stock was in its prime when 



