328 In Mernoriam.— The late Mr. T. C. Booth. 
of the family estate at Warlaby. The herd there then consisted of 
31 females and 29 bulls, and was left by will to be sold. It was 
decided that Mr. T. C. Booth should become the purchaser, 
taking the stock at a valuation. The well-known auctioneer and 
judge of Shorthorns, Mr. W. Wetherell, and Mr. W. Torr, of 
Aylesby, were appointed arbitrators. On May 26th, 1865, the 
valuation was made, and Mr. Booth became owner of the 
Warlaby herd. At first all went well with him, and fortune 
seemed to smile upon her favourite ; but, alas ! a change soon 
came ; that dreaded scourge, " foot-and-mouth disease," attacked 
the herd. After a time of great trouble and anxiety it passed 
away, but not without leaving sad traces behind. In 1865-66 
the rinderpest appeared in England, and soon laid its hold on 
many of the farms surrounding Warlaby. Happily the energetic 
sanitary precautions which were taken averted the threatened 
evil, and the herd escaped. A brook which nearly surrounds 
the farmstead and home pastures was constantly patrolled, and 
no living thing allowed to cross it, as the plague was raging 
on the other side. Tar-barrels were constantly burning at dif- 
ferent parts of the buildings ; disinfectants were freely used ; all 
servants, horses, carts, and carriages were placed in quarantine 
after being at any market ; and even the cat that had strayed 
was not allowed to return to the premises. 
This danger safely passed, matters seemed to progress favour- 
ably for a few years ; but, in the great outbreak of 1870-1—2, 
" foot-and-mouth " again appeared, and with such dire results 
that in 1873 only three calves were born alive. 
These sad troubles and reverses did not, however, quench 
Mr. Booth's energy ; in spite of his anxieties, he was never cast 
down ; the farm improvements were carried on without inter- 
ruption. He rented a farm adjoining his own property, and soon 
brought it into good order, draining all the land that required 
it, grubbing up useless old fences, and laying the fields into 
such form as suited steam cultivation, which he was one of the 
first to introduce into his neighbourhood. Mr. Booth's activity 
of mind was not satisfied with merely attending to his own 
affairs ; he also took great interest in the welfare of those around 
him. At the time of the restoration of his parish church of 
Ainderby he rendered most valuable assistance ; he became a 
member of the Board of Guardians, and of the Highway Board, 
and at the time of his death was chairman of nearly all the local 
public bodies in the district. He was also a Member of Council 
of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, and took an important part 
in its transactions. In 1868 he was elected Member of Council of 
the Royal Agricultural Society of England. Here his sound sense 
and capacity for business soon brought him to the front. For 
