THE ORIGIN OF CATTLE. 



person who bred the original animal, and thus the fame of a certain 

 strain would in time become famous. 



On the other hand, if breeders sent bulls into the market who had 

 failed to satisfy the small settlers with the quality of th'eir stock, 

 there would be no demand for them, and in consequence such breeders 

 would have to turn their attention to improving their stud herds as 

 quickly as possible. This competition for first place aming tlie' large 

 breeders stimulated the ambitions of young men to go in for' stock 

 raising with a view of eclipsing the efforts of their fathers. This am- 

 b:ton, laudable as it may appear, .did not succeed to that point which 

 most breeders would have considered the crowning epoch. 



As has been pointed out elsewhere, when touching on the administra- 

 tion of Sir George Gipps, the monetary depression which immediately 

 followed the sudden boom which tin* .Governor created by enforcing 

 the theories of Mr. Gibbon Wakeiield on the settlement of New Soutn 

 Wales in 1840-44, soon began to operate in the opposite direction. 

 During the years just mentioned a great boom set in in connection 

 with station property and stock of all kinds. It was customary to 

 purchase stations with the stock thrown in. Scores ot these stations 

 were stocked with cattle that represented all sorts of breeds. These 

 mixtures may be described as blacks, blues, browns, brindles,'.- and 

 being at this time objectionable colors 1 , among the younger class of 

 breeders in the colony, they were sold 'off and sent off to be bailed 

 down for their hides and tallow. It was in this dispersion that.-the 

 breeds mentioned herein disappeared. Any bull showing his appear- 

 ance on any station or farm with a skin covered with black, brown, 

 blue, or brindled colored hair where there was either Shorthorns, Lin- 

 coins, Devons, or Hereford herds, was shot on sight. The breeders 

 of the black Scotch breeds were equally jealous of their herds, and 

 would not permit anything approaching a light-colored animal to live 

 on their holdings. 



The passion for discovery soon took passession of the native-born 

 white population, and the new arrivals- being anxious to see bush life, 

 took advantage of the opportunities afforded by these experienced 

 bushmen to see what was to be seen without risking too much. /'To 

 us who live in times when Australia. -has ceased to be an unknown 

 land their efforts in this direction may appear to have been small and 

 the results insignificant, .but it should not be forgotten that the 

 horizon was at that time the boundary of most of our cattle stations 

 in New South Wales. Most readers of Australian history will have 

 ere this read of the adventures of the convict cattle king, George 

 Clarke, better known in his own time as "George the Barber," who. 

 having run away from the " settlement," he took to " cattle-duffing" 

 and squatting as a tortoise goes to water. Others, again, may have 

 read of the famous cattle queen " Molly Morgan/' who carried, out 

 cattle raising, and took her turn at droving far beyond the bounds of 

 settlement. Each in turn answered a purpose by stimulating the 

 youth of the country to go afield to find new pastures. 



In 1852 the Killerly herd of ShAgthorns were sold by auction in 

 England. It would appear that there was a general depression in agri- 

 culture in all parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the cattle 

 at this sale did not realise satisfactory prices. The Booths were the 

 first breeders to exhibit stall-fed or housed cattle at English shows 

 in or about the year 1843. At the above sale Mr. R. Booth bought 

 the highest priced animal, -namely, " Venus Victrix," at 175 guineas, 

 and presented her to his brother. " Venus Victrix" is described as a 

 cow of exceedingly good form. " Her back was broad and level, her 

 ribs well arched; her breast heavy and wide, and her thighs full." Her 

 weak point was that which is usually found in conjunction with good 

 milking qualities a little want of substance in the neck and chin. 



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