Shorthorns  in  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
63 
which,  with  liberal  and  judicious  rearing  and  feeding,  have 
attained  great  excellence.  The  bulk  of  the  cattle  are  fattened 
and  sold  when  about  twenty-four  or  twenty-eight  months  old, 
and  usually  bring  from  2 21.  to  28/.  a head.  The  other  year 
Mr.  Charles  Kemp,  of  Recletich,  now  of  Mether  Cluny,  sold  for 
slaughter  four  steers,  bred  from  a Shorthorn  bull  and  native 
polled  cows,  for  the  handsome  price  of  34/.  a head,  and  yet  they 
had  only  just  turned  their  second  year. 
Mr.  Robert  Bruce,  of  Manor  Farm,  Great  Smeaton,  Northaller- 
ton, who  for  a good  many  years  maintained  an  excellent  herd  of 
well-bred  Shorthorns  at  Newton  of  Struthers,  Morayshire  (his 
herd  there  having  been  sold  by  Mr.  Thornton  in  1876  at  an 
average  of  close  on  50/.  a head  for  eighty-six  animals),  in  a 
communication  to  me  says  : “ Many  instances  could  be  given  of 
extraordinary  results  arising  from  the  use  of  well-bred  Shorthorn 
bulls  amongst  common  country  cows.  There  is  perhaps  no  district 
in  the  United  Kingdom  where  a better  class  of  cross-bred  cattle 
is  to  be  found  than  around  Elgin,  and  more  especially  in  the 
parish  of  Urquhart,  and  its  neighbourhood.  For  many  years 
the  late  Mr.  William  Stephen,  from  his  well-bred  Shorthorn 
herd  at  Inchbroom  in  this  parish,  sold  his  bull  calves  privately 
to  the  farmers  in  the  district,  having  a fixed  price  of  20/.  upon 
tops  and  tails.  Small  farmers,  having  stocks  of  five,  or  ten,  or 
fifteen  ordinary  country  cows,  bought  these  bulls,  and  their 
stock  were  so  much  superior  to  the  other  cattle  of  the  district, 
that  attention  was  year  by  year  more  directed  to  cattle-breeding 
and  feeding,  so  that  eight  years  ago,  when  I lived  in  that  county, 
24/.  to  28/.  a head  for  cattle  about  twenty-four  months  old  was 
by  no  means  an  uncommon  price.  Another  instance  of  the 
great  benefit  derived  from  the  use  of  Shorthorn  bulls  may  be 
given.  The  late  Mr.  Grant,  of  Carron  on  Speyside,  for  several 
years  annually  bought  and  presented  to  his  tenantry  on  his 
high-lying  poor  estate  some  four  or  five  Shorthorn  bulls.  These 
bulls  were  mated  chiefly  with  small  black  polled  cows,  and  I 
have  it  on  the  testimony  of  the  largest  buyer  of  lean  stock  in 
the  North,  that  the  young  cattle  over  the  whole  of  the  Carron 
property  were  in  a few  years  raised  at  least  one-fourth  in  value 
by  the  use  of  these  gift  bulls  alone.” 
Few  counties  in  Scotland  have  derived  greater  benefit  from 
the  use  of  Shorthorn  bulls  than  the  county  of  Caithness. 
Early  in  the  present  century  the  cattle  of  Caithness  partook 
largely  of  West  Highland  characteristics,  the  Kyloe  breed 
having  been  introduced  by  Sir  John  Sinclair,  and  others,  to 
improve  the  native  stock.  Although  large  and  handsome  in 
■ orm,  these  shaggy  cattle  were  slow  in  maturing.  About  1820, 
Mr.  Horne,  of  Scouthall,  with  the  object  of  removing  this 
