252 



Farming of Cumberland. 



At the commencement of tliis century, Galloway cattle began 

 to obtain a footing along- the border joining Scotland, where the 

 long-horned breed had been kept tolerably pure, notwithstanding 

 the unsettled state of former times. Some few might have ex- 

 isted in the northern confines of this county for a long time 

 before, these having been obtained through the predatory inroads 

 of that period ; but it became an established rule on both sides 

 of the border, whenever it could be privately done without the 

 knowledge of the lords of the marches, to consign forthwith the 

 carcase of every edible animal taken in foray to the pickle- tub or 

 the smoking-chimney, if it bore any marks by which it could be 

 identified ; and thus the cattle of neither country were or could 

 be introduced into the other till a friendly and peaceable inter- 

 course prevailed. Then, some enterprising occupiers in the 

 Abbey Holme were at the pains to select and introduce a few 

 well-bred Galloway cattle into their district, for the express pur- 

 pose of rearing a distinct breed, approved for hardiness and 

 milking qualities. 



From the almost certainty of the produce of a pure-bred Gal- 

 loway bull being entirely black and without horns, from whatever 

 coloured dam, the kind soon began to predominate there and in 

 the neighbouring parishes, and finally to nearly displace the long- 

 horns. About the year 1820, Sir James Graham turned his atten- 

 tion to the improvement of the Netherby estate ; and shortly 

 after, for the greater encouragement of his tenants (along with dis- 

 tributing about 60/. in premiums for superior management, &c., 

 annually till 1840), every year gave three or four bull calves and 

 stirks of the Galloway breed in prizes from his own herd, which 

 had been carefully selected from the best stocks in Galloway. 



This was a sure method of extending and improving the breed 

 in the district, and was most successful on the inferior farms, the 

 short-horns being generally preferred on the good land. The 

 large parish of Bewcastle, containing nearly 28,000 acres, is now 

 in consequence almost entirely stocked with the Galloway breed ; 

 and much of the north-eastern quarter of the county also produces 

 that breed in tolerable purity. There can be no doubt of those 

 cattle suiting the high parts of that district better than the short- 

 horns or any other breed, and the just predilection of the occu- 

 pants in their favour will ensure their permanency. 



Careful and judicious breeders* of Galloway bulls are found 

 over the county, from the neighbourhood of Holme Cultram, 

 along the northern and eastern border, to Alston ; and, judging 

 from the prices at which most of them send out their select young 



* Breeders of tliis stock would do well to pay more attention in their selections 

 to the evenness of loin and fineness of rump of the short-horn model. 



