100 
Shorthorns  in  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
has  had  a very  useful  career.  Among  the  sires  used  at  Seymour  Hill  were 
the  Ayleshy  bulls  “Subaltern,”  “Fawsley  Prince”  (17,837),  and  “Fitz 
Dane  ” (21,752). 
In  County  Donegal,  Mr.  J.  G.  Wood  (afterwards  Mr.  J.  G.  Grove),  of  Castle 
Grove,  Letterkenny,  was  one  of  the  earliest  as  well  as  one  of  the  most 
successful  breeders  of  Shorthorns.  About  1842  he  formed  a herd  of  mixed- 
bred  cattle,  which  turned  out  well,  producing  excellent  bulls,  that  were 
bought  by  Ulster  landlords  and  farmers  for  crossing  purposes.  In  early  life 
Mr.  Grove  had  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  Messrs.  Bates,  Booth,  and  Jobson, 
and  other  celebrated  English  breeders,  and  through  his  acquaintance  with 
the  herds  and  the  systems  pursued  by  these  men,  he  was  induced  to  give 
attention  to  the  rearing  of  finely  bred  strains.  Like  most  other  Irish 
breeders,  he  adopted  the  Booth  line  of  blood  ; and  with  carefully  selected  cows 
of  good  lineage  he  mated  first-class  Killerby  and  Warlaby  hulls.  The 
following  eleven  Booth  bulls  were  used  at  Castle  Grove : — “ Prince  Arthur  ” 
(13,497),  “King  Alfred”  (16,334),  “King  Arthur”  (13,110),  “War  Eagle” 
(15,483),  “Sir  Roger”  (16,991),  “Elfin  King”  (17,796),  “Sir  James” 
(16,980),  “ British  Crown  ” (21,322),  “ The  Sutler  ” (23,061),  “ Great  Hope  ” 
(24,082),  and  “ England’s  Glory  ” (23,889).  His  herd  was  dispersed  on 
August  25,  1871,  when  thirty-six  cows  and  heifers  averaged  111/.  12s.  5d., 
and  8 bulls,  44/.  17s.  A large  portion  of  the  herd  was  made  up  of  animals  of  the 
“ Fame  ” or  the  “ Farewell  ” tribe,  and  eleven  cows  and  heifers  of  these  realised 
an  average  of  139/.  9s.  2c/.  There  were  four  females  of  Mason’s  “ Lady  Sarah  ” 
tribe,  and  these  brought  an  average  of  143/.  3s.  6 d. ; while  three  “ Campanulas  ” 
fetched  196/.  a-head.  The  “ Fames”  were  all  descended  from  “ Norma,”  by 
“ Druid  ” (10,140) ; and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  at  the  dispersion  of  the 
herd  (established  in  1848)  of  Sir  Henry  Bruce — one  of  the  earliest  sales  of 
the  kind  in  the  north  of  Ireland — Mr.  Grove  purchased  “Norma,”  as  being 
hopeless  as  a breeder  at  the  modest  sum  of  25  guineas. 
All  the  old  herds  in  this  part  of  the  country  have  been  dispersed,  excepting 
that  of  Mr.  Hart  of  Kildery.  Established  in  1852  by  the  purchase  of  two 
cows  and  a heifer  of  mixed  breeding  from  Mr.  Smith’s  herd  at  West  Rasen, 
Lincolnshire,  the  Kildery  herd  now  numbers  about  fifty  head,  the  large 
majority  being  descended  from  these  Lincolnshire  animals.  Good  sires,  deep 
in  Booth  blood,  have  been  used,  and  many  excellent  young  bulls  have  been 
sold  from  the  herd,  which  has  thus  contributed  its  full  quota  to  the  great 
work  accomplished  by  Shorthorns  in  the  north  of  Ireland. 
The  Favour  Royal  herd  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  celebrated  in  the 
north  of  Ireland.  The  late  Rev.  W.  Moutray  having  seen  the  great  improve- 
ment in  the  young  stock  reared  from  his  dairy  cows  and  Shorthorn  bulls, 
which  he  began  to  use  in  this  way  soon  after  i840,  resolved  to  form  a herd 
of  pure-bred  Shorthorns.  Starting  in  1852  with  some  prize  heifers  and  a bull 
bought  at  the  Dublin  Spring  Show,  he  in  later  years  made  important  selec- 
tions from  the  Glaslough,  Dartrey  and  Thornville  herds,  as  well  as  from 
that  owned  by  Sir  Robert  Paul,  an  enthusiastic  and  eminent  Irish  breeder. 
Large  sales  were  held  in  1872  and  1878  ; but  the  herd  is  still  continued,  and 
contains  some  very  good  material.  Good  well-bred  bulls  have  always  been 
used  at  Favour  Royal,  the  more  recent  sires,  which  were  full  of  Booth 
blood,  having  been  bred  at  Castle  Grove,  Islanmore,  The  Island,  Ashfield, 
and  Straffan. 
At  Donaghmore  House,  Co.  Tyrone,  the  Messrs.  Lyle  have  for  more 
than  twenty  years  maintained  a useful  and  well-bred  herd.  Females  have 
been  introduced  from  the  Glaslough,  Brownhall,  Thornville,  Kingsfort,  and 
other  herds ; and  the  stock  having  been  managed  carefully  and  judiciously,  it 
has  done  much  good  in  the  surrounding  districts. 
In  addition  to  the  gentlemen  already  named,  many  others  in  the  northern 
