110 
The Rise and Prof/reas of 
autumn almost always fit for tlie butcher. At tliis time also 
purchasers from a distance carried off many of the choicest animals, 
at what were then thought enormous prices, to found new herds 
in other counties. Many, who had sold the greater part of their 
best cattle, were next attracted by the high price of corn ; con- 
sequently sheep, turnip husbandry, and corn-growing became 
necessary and important. As in a state of domestication all 
animals are subject to man's will and control, it follows that 
they will naturally degenerate unless sound judgment be exer- 
cised in breeding them. In the absence of this precaution 
during the time just alluded to, a class of inferior stock sprung 
up where those of a superior kind had previously existed. Fortu- 
nately there were several spirited exceptions to this rule, of men 
who were justly proud and fond of their native breed, and v/ho 
would not be tempted by high Avar prices and by other offers to 
part with their best, but retained and handed them down to 
their descendants, in v/hose possession in many instances they 
still remain. Among these were the Messrs. Quartly of Molland, 
Davys of Rose Ash and North Molton, Merson and Michael 
Thorne of North Molton, Tapp and Buckingham of Twitchen, 
Mogridge and the Halses of Molland, and others. Seeing what 
■was taking place, that the best animals were being killed for 
beef, or bought and carried out of the district, the late Mr. 
Francis Quartly sometimes outbid the butchers in order to obtain 
a very superior beast possessing the qualifications he thought 
most important (or to replace one he considered inferior) ; thus 
he picked out the trumps from many hands, and by breeding 
from and intermingling them with his own, he brought the 
Champson herd to great perfection. Cattle shows were not then 
generally established, so that there were few, if any, opportunities 
of testing the relative merits of the several herds. Soon after- 
wards one was established at Torrington, and about 1831 the 
Devon Agricultural Society was founded at Exeter, followed by 
others at Barnstaple, Taunton, &c., all holding annual exhibi- 
tions, affording the public opportunities of comparing well bred 
symmetrical animals with those more generally kept. The 
undeniable fact that the former met with a more ready sale, and 
commanded higher prices, caused many to take an interest in 
and desire to possess some of the old blood, and to purchase or 
avail themselves of the services of superior bulls at an almost 
nominal charge, say of 5s., or even less : and thus in time to 
assist in increasing the number of better class animals and 
restoring the Devons to their former pre-eminence. 
Since then railways and steamships have helped to bring out 
sales, giving increased facilities to purchasers from all parts of 
the world ; while the publication of the ' Herd-Book ' has tended 
