CHAPTER XXVI 



THE SHORTHORN 



The original home of the Shorthorn breed of cattle is in north- 

 eastern England, in the counties of York, Durham, and North- 

 umberland. The North Sea borders this section on the east, 

 with the Cheviot Hills of Scotland the boundary on the north. 

 Winding its way through a beautiful grazing country, the river 

 Tees forms the dividing line between Durham on the north 

 and York, the largest county in England, on the south. Here 

 in the valley of the Tees the Shorthorn received its early 

 development and improvement, from which it spread out over 

 the rest of Great Britain and the civilized world. This valley 

 country has beautiful long stretches of rolling grass lands and 

 fields of grain and roots, but farther north in Northumberland 

 and south in York the land becomes rougher and more hilly. 



The origin of the Shorthorn is naturally veiled in obscurity. 

 No doubt the early invaders of England — the Romans, Normans, 

 and others — brought over cattle which crossed with the native 

 English stock. It has been assumed that even prior to 1600 

 cattle of Shorthorn type were bred on the estates of the earls 

 and dukes of Northumberland in Yorkshire.^ Black, horned cattle 

 prevailed more or less in Yorkshire, while farther south, in Lin- 

 coln and vicinity, white, red, and other colors prevailed. Early 

 in the eighteenth century the Teeswater cattle represented one 

 popular type, while in southeastern Yorkshire another sort, 

 known as the Holdemess, was developed. About the middle of 

 this same century Michael Dobinson and Sir William St. Quin- 

 tin brought over bulls from Holland, and used these in their 

 herds, owned in Durham and Yorkshire respectively. In 1789 

 George Culley wrote : 



1 The word "shire" in Great Britain signifies county, and is often used as a 

 part of the county name, as " Yorkshire," for example. 



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