218 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 
When, too, his uncle passed on in 1864, he succeeded to most 
of the Warlaby animals and reunited such of the BooTH strains 
as had become separated during the previous years. During 
the succeeding five years the BootH herds reached the height 
of their show career. At the Royal of 1868 the two breed cham- 
pions came from Killerby, Commander-in-Chief and Lady 
Fragrant, and in 1869 at the last appearance of the Bootus at 
the Royal, Lady Fragrant was again supreme. 
Long periods of showing and high fitting had adversely 
affected the Bootu stock, however, and there was a marked 
decrease in the fertility of the herd. Whether this was due to 
the effect of the conditioning of the animals or whether in the 
search for the meatiest, animals that were pathologically fat 
had been retained, is unknown, but there is little doubt that 
the herd stood in need of regeneration. The only certain source 
of Bootu quality outside of Killerby itself was found in the 
herd of WiLtiam Torr (84) and hence at the Aylesby Manor dis- 
persion of 1875, following Mr. Torr’s death, T. C. BootH was 
both a liberal and constructive bidder. During the two or three 
years immediately preceding this purchase the Killerby herd 
had been ravaged by foot and mouth disease, hence Mr. Bootu’s 
problem was more than a pedigree one. 
From thenceforward until his death in 1878, Mr. Boorn’s 
progress was phenomenal, exports to America being numerous 
and the Irish demand insatiable. The last of a family of 
masters, THomMas C. BootH bridged the period of incubation 
in England’s north country and carried successfully into modern 
time the standards and ideals so ably formulated by his notable 
ancestors. 
