292 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 
A PIONEER FOR THE SCOTTISH BLOODS 
114. One of the veteran stockbreeders of Ontario who worked 
so diligently to upbuild the Scottish Shorthorn interests in the 
early days of Canadian cattle breeding was Mr. Joun MILLER 
of “Thistle Ha’” farm. Mr. MILLER was born May 12, 1817, 
near Annan, Dumfrieshire, in Scotland. On April 12, 1835, 
he left Scotland in a sailing vessel and arrived at Markham, 
Ont., June 1, with a consignment of Leicester sheep and Berk- 
shire swine for his uncle, GEoRGE MILLER, another of Ontario’s 
agricultural pioneers. For five years he worked steadfastly for 
this uncle, but on the arrival of his father and mother from 
Scotland he participated with them in clearing what is now 
known as the Atha farm. For eight years he worked for his 
parents, but in 1848 he bought Thistle Ha’ so called from the 
bad state of its cultivation at its purchase. This ground orig- 
inally contained 165 acres, but from time to time more land 
was added until it included over a square mile. Except for 
100 acres of cedar land, this entire farm was kept in a high 
state of cultivation. 
The year following his arrival in Ontario, he showed a young 
Shorthorn bull against all ages and breeds in a class of eight 
at the Toronto spring show, and took first prize. At the first 
provincial show in London, 1854, he won first and second on 
two imported yearling Shorthorn heifers. In 1857 he showed 
four two-year-old heifers and the bull Redkirk. He was very 
successful in all Dominion showrings, including the provincial 
fair and also won in several of the northern state fairs in the 
United States. In 1867 he purchased from J. H. Spear the cow 
Nellie Bly 2d for $1,000, after she had won first at St. Louis 
and several other places. She was the first bovine to be intro- 
duced to Canada at such a price and became the foundation of 
that branch of the Nelly Bly family that was for so many years 
popular in the provinces. About this same time he purchased 
