58 
Shorthorns  in  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
breeding,  are  worth  at  least  one-third  more  per  head  than  the 
old  unimproved  cattle,  while  they  can  easily  be  finished  from 
one  to  two  years  sooner.  On  the  farm  of  Wester  Middleton, 
which  I managed  for  seven  years,  the  cows,  when  I got  them, 
were  altogether  a rough  lot,  and  no  one  could  say  how  they  had 
been  bred.  The  young  cattle  were  never  fed  till  rising  four 
years.  I put  a pure-bred  Shorthorn  bull  to  the  cows,  while  the 
heifer  calves  of  that  and  following  years  were,  always,  at  the  age 
of  about  fifteen  months,  put  to  a pure-bred  Shorthorn  bull,  the 
calves  being  allowed  to  suckle  their  dams.  The  heifers,  after 
having  fostered  their  calves,  and  when  about  three  years  old, 
were  fattened,  thus  not  only  reaching  the  butcher  a year  sooner 
than  the  old  unimproved  cattle,  but  also  producing  and  fostering 
one  calf.  From  1870  to  1875,  the  average  price  obtained  for 
these  heifers  was  from  22/.  to  25/.  a head.  The  bull  calves 
were  kept  for  breeding,  and  were  sold  privately  at  home  at  the 
age  of  from  nine  to  fourteen  months,  at  from  18/.  to  24/.  a head. 
They  went  to  all  parts  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  did  a 
vast  deal  of  good.  I may  add  that,  after  the  fourth  cross,  the 
produce  of  these  rough,  slow-growing  cows,  would  have  passed 
for  pure-bred  Shorthorns.  They  had  grand  constitutions,  and 
never  having  been  overfed,  were  always  in  demand.  The  farm 
of  Wester  Middleton  lies  from  800  to  1100  feet  above  the  sea- 
level.” 
By  1840  the  use  of  Shorthorn  bulls  had  become  pretty  general 
in  the  chief  cattle-raising  districts  of  the  south  of  Scotland  ; 
and  by  degrees  the  small,  ill-shaped,  slow-maturing  varieties 
that  early  in  the  century  had  occupied  the  greater  part  of  the 
country  gave  place  to  a vastly  superior  stock  of  cattle.  In  the 
West,  the  Ayrshire  and  Galloway  breeds  have  survived,  and  are 
fulfilling  useful  purposes.  Beyond  the  limits  of  these  two 
breeds,  however,  the  Shorthorn  element  has  for  many  years 
prevailed  in  the  southern  and  midland  counties.  Mr.  John 
Wilson,  late  of  Edington  Mains,  Berwickshire,  writing  on  the 
25th  of  December,  1882,  in  reference  to  the  stock  of  cattle  in 
the  lower  valley  of  the  Tweed,  says  : — “ Since  the  end  of  the  last 
century  the  cattle  bred  in  this  wide  district  have  been  more  or 
less  of  the  Shorthorn  type  ; only  a very  small  percentage  of 
them  has  at  any  time  been  Shorthorns  of  pure  pedigree  ; but 
the  general  stock  has  partaken  sufficiently  of  the  characteristics 
of  this  breed  to  warrant  their  being  in  a loose  way  classed  as 
belonging  to  it.  From  an  early  period  the  district  has  possessed 
a good  many  herds  of  pure  descent,  which  have  done  excellent 
service  in  keeping  up  a regular  supply  of  good  bulls.  Up  to 
about  1830  the  cattle  fattened  in  Berwickshire  were  for  the 
most  part  home-bred.  Subsequently  to  that  date,  as  the  result  of 
extensive  tile-draining  and  the  general  use  of  bone-dust,  guano. 
