FIRST CENTURY OF DAIRYING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 



heifers, to Mr. Ceilings' bull Bolingbroke, and that owing to pre- 

 arrangement between them Mr. Colling got a bull calf, the result of 

 the union, and when he grew up he put some oi his best cows to him. 



As this union or cross is treated on elsewhere we can pass it over 

 for the present as being one of the many cattle-breeder stories ..about 

 my herd and my neighbour's herd, which should always be taken on 

 their -face value throughout the dairy world. 



Bailey, in his " Survey of Durham," published in 1808. says : 

 " Seventy years since, or about 1738, the color of the cattle of 'Messrs. 

 Millbank and Croft, were red and white, white, strawberry, and red 

 about the head and neck. As it was, the Millbank and Smithson's 

 herds that were used in after years by Mr. Bates in founding his cele- 

 brated herd at Kirklivington. 



Mr. Bakewell is allowed by every writer on cattle to have been the 

 first person who systematically improved the breed of live stock, with 

 a view to the production of beef, but no mention is ever made of 

 the famous Longhorns as milk cattle in Ireland and several counties 

 in England centuries before Bakewell was born. 



After Mr. Bakewell comes the name of Mr. Wastell, who was the 

 first man to improve the beef-producing qualities of the Shorthorns. 

 Mr. George Culley is often mentioned as the first improver, but he 

 was born in 1730, whereas Mr. Wastell was born in 1712, and is de- 

 scribed as a man possessed of superior information irt his day, and 

 was long recollected and spoken of as having the clearest conception 

 and correct judgment of any breeder of his day. 



The bull " Hubbuck" is invariably mentioned as the "animal which 

 laid the foundation of the improved beef Shorthorns.. This bull is 

 described as having a very pleasing countenance, his t'bat was soft. 

 and his eye mild and clear. His color was yellow, red, and white. His 

 granddam was by Mr. Snowdon's bull, and was bred on the dam'? 

 side by Sir James Pennyman's bull. His sire was by "Mr. Robson's 

 bull, and Mr. Robson's bull was bred by Mr. Wastell from a cow by 

 Mr. James Masterman. Masterman's bull was by the old Studley bull. 

 This is about as much as is known of Hubbuck's breeding. 



Mr. Bates was a man of some literary ability, but turned his atten- 

 tion to breeding stock about the year 1796. He was a great admirer of 

 Hubbuck's stock, and continued breeding Longhorned Durhams till 

 1849, at which date he died. His cattle were usually good milkers. 



Australia received many consignments of Bates' stock. Some of our 

 most noted breeders would have only Bates' bulls in their herds. CM 

 course, those who imported these valuable animals did so with a view 

 of producing beef not dairy produce. 



But notwithstanding this, we have tlic testimony of several of our 

 leading cattle breeders that occasionally a bull came o:r. from the 

 great herds of England that would sire milk heifers no matter how he 

 was mated. Others, again, say that some of the imported bnll> would 

 do so when mated with one particular strain, but when, O'.herwisc 

 mated the production would not feed their own calves. The latter 

 theory is the one most generally accepted to-day by breeders. 



The " Druid," writing in " Saddle and Sirloin" says : " Modern his- 

 troy has been much too sparing in its prose picture of pastoral Hie. 

 A great General or statesman has never lacked the love of a bio- 

 grapher ; but the thoughts and labor of men who lived ' remote from 

 cities' and silently built up an improved race of sheep or eat tie. whose 

 influence was to be felt in every market, have Irul no adequate record. 

 One slight sketch in the ' Gentleman's Magazine' is nearly all that 

 remains to us. We can go back, through its guidance, to the days 

 when Bakewell was a living name, and Dishley, the headquarters to 



1 10. 



