June 22, 1882.1 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
type and style of animals, and in all cases of close affinity there 
was a great tendency to white. Many versions are given of this 
peculiarity, but the most probable one is the notorious fact that 
many of the best herds of the period and in the neighbourhood 
of Ketton were white with red ears and red spots on their necks 
—viz., the Grilington, Barton, Barningham, Studley, and others, 
and to some of these the pedigrees of the Ketton herd can be 
traced. One writer of importance states that the original Short¬ 
horns were a hardy strong-constitutioned race of animals, as will 
be gleaned from the fact that the writer’s grandfather kept thirty 
cows, and had only one cowhouse, which held but two cows, and 
was occupied only by those which had most recently calved, 
and they again were turned out to give place to others when 
newly calving. All the rest remained out during winter (be 
it remembered this was in a northern climate). Those giving 
milk in the winter were kept on hay in the meadow field near the 
farm house, and the remainder were kept in the meadows in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the farm. The whole of the young stock were reared 
out of doors except young calves for a few months. The speed, 
or quarter-ill, was the only complaint they were subject to, which, 
from ten to eighteen months old was frequently very fatal. Now 
this is just what we may expect as the loss attendant upon such 
a system in almost any part of England, but it by no means 
describes the loss of condition in the animals, and the consequent 
restricted production of milk, if not of other diseases ; therefore 
the hardihood of these animals by no means proves the advan¬ 
tage of keeping them under such fatal and primitive conditions. 
It is further stated that this herd was closely allied and descended 
from the Studley bull mentioned in the Shorthorn Herd Book, 
many them being large fine-looking beasts, and were excellent 
milkers. 
In breeding Shorthorns it is frequently repeated that we should 
breed only from such as in themselves are perfect. This, however 
plausible in theory, will be found untenable in practice, for it 
may be asked, Where do you find the first parents ? A perfect 
and uniform-shaped beast that lays its fat on every point in equal 
proportions is extremely desirable, so as to have no excess in one 
point to the disproportion of another ; but in order to accomplish 
this desirable object we should first become acquainted with the 
defective points in the female, and then select a male animal for 
mating possessing those points in great perfection, and thereby 
ensure and effect an improvement in their progeny. Upon this 
principle hangs all the necessary knowledge for improving the 
shape of animals, but in making all our selections we must never 
lose sight of inclination or disposition to fatten—the prominent 
feature of the Shorthorns. Still we must not omit the knowledge 
or inquiry as to the parentage of the animals we intend mating 
for breeding purposes, for the defects of some previous generations 
will assuredly crop out—by breeding back as it is called—in the 
future progeny to a greater or less degree according to circum¬ 
stances, the prevention not being quite within the power and 
discrimination even of experienced men. Improvements have 
often been anxiously sought for by crossing with other breeds, 
and many valuable specimens have been exhibited ; but we ask, 
What breed is there that can improve the Shorthorn ? We have 
seen many extraordinary animals produced from the first cross 
with the West Highland Scot or Aberdeen breeds exhibited as 
fat stock at Christmas at the metropolitan and other exhibitions, 
which sometimes have proved superior for slaughter at a given 
age to the pure-bred Shorthorn ; but this fact must not be 
allowed to delude a breeder of Shorthorns to think that he can 
improve his pure-bred stock by any such means. 
The observations we have been making refer almost entirely to 
a period before the practice of registering breeding stock com¬ 
menced, except by private memorandums kept by the breeders 
themselves. About sixty years ago, however, Mr. Whitaker, a cele¬ 
brated breeder of that period, together with some other eminent 
Shorthorn breeders, having agreed together by putting Mr. G. 
Coates in the front, determined to bring out a Shorthorn herd 
book, which has since been called “ Coates’s Herd Book.” Although 
the idea was by no means generally supported by breeders of the 
period, yet it cannot be questioned that as time wore on the move¬ 
ment and practice did exercise very beneficial influence upon the 
success of the breed. We accept it as an acknowledged fact as 
being beneficial in various ways, but more especially to the 
breeders, for previous to the commencement of registration in 
Coates’s Herd Book, Shorthorn breeders had to rely entirely 
in the selection of animals upon personal merit and full points 
of the animals only. Generally speaking, at the early period it 
was extremely difficult for breeders to sell animals which were 
ill-looking, either bulls or heifers, at anything beyond butchers’ 
values. The Herd Book system has, however, changed this state 
of things whether for good or for ill, probably some of both, for 
the rules of the registration are now a certain number of crosses 
with pedigree stock is sufficient to admit animals to entry in 
the Herd Book, but without any reference to personal merit or 
full points possessed by the animal at all. This we feel is a 
defective arrangement when it is found that animals of mean 
appearance and wanting in various important points of con¬ 
formation and otherwise can be admitted into the Herd Book 
entirely through their ancestry and pedigree, and thus entirely 
ignoring the old and honoured saying, that “like begets like;” 
and unless this acknowledged truth could be perverted by the 
action of blood alone, we cannot be sure of our progeny without 
admission to the Herd Book, being made by a standard of a 
certain minimum number of points and enforced, as well as the 
pedigree, for this in the case of Channel Island cattle has been 
in force for a number of years, and very properly too. But in 
the case of Shorthorns, however desirable it may be, we cannot 
quite see our way to admission by a certain number of points 
as well as blood pedigree, for the simple reason and in conse¬ 
quence of the enormous number of breeders claiming entry for their 
animals every year, and spread as they are all over the kingdom. 
It is clear, therefore, that the possession of a certain number of 
points could not be insured by examination by a committee if 
established for the purpose, but it may be possibly effected by a 
certificate from qualified persons giving a guarantee. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—The preparation and seeding the land for late 
Swedes and hybrid varieties of Turnips may still be continued, but 
particularly with the Red Mammoth or early Grey Stone Turnips, for 
these are far superior to and in our practice have entirely supplanted 
all the Tankard and quick-growing round Turnips, such as the Norfolk 
White and the Green Globe. These are so tender and are so short¬ 
lived in their season and quality, that it is very difficult to consume 
them in proper condition, for they either become woolly or decay, 
and are only required as feeding for bullocks or fatting sheep ; but 
then they are far inferior in value compared with Cabbages or the 
Grey Stone Turnips, which are of fine quality, and will keep sound 
and firm for months after being ripe or full grown. The cutting of 
grass for hay with the mowing machine will still be continued in the 
fields in the late districts, and in the parks and meadows in all the 
districts, except in the water meadows set out with high-backed beds : 
these latter must still be cut with the scythe. 
The new mode of saving hay by the use of the exhausting-of-heat 
is still in its infant state, and we fear that the prejudices of some or 
many of the farmers will continue to delay the progress of an invention 
second to none in our agricultural catalogue. There is, however, an 
amount of detail to be carried out with care and intelligent discrimi¬ 
nation, which we fear will be wanting in many cases, for a time at 
any rate, until the advantages arising from the process and its 
requirements are better understood ; for, like the wheels in nearly all 
machinery, if one cog is absent the wheel goes for nothing, and just 
in the same way, if one item of detail in the practical management of 
the new system of makin g the hay is absent, there will be small chance 
of securing good hay. We will, therefore, make a few observations 
for the purpose of encouraging and directing the home farmer in the 
use of the required tackle and the treatment of the grass when cut as 
to the most beneficial and economical mode of carrying out the details. 
First of all, if the weather is ever so fine the system is still an 
improvement upon entire sun-drying, and that only ; for it must be 
remembered that the best of hay will be that which heats most in the 
rick, if the heat is under control and constantly reduced and kept 
within 100° as registered by the thermometer ; and the fact of lessen¬ 
ing the labour of tedding and turning in the field or meadow by 
early carting to the stack is real economy, irrespective of the waste 
caused by the loss of some of the leaves and smallest blades of grass, 
which often occurs, especially when the sun is severely powerful. 
As fast as the grass is cut, if the crop is a heavy one of broad Clover 
with large and succulent stalks it should be carefully tedded with 
the machine daily in fine weather, and the same with park and 
pasture grass. But there will be this difference : for the broad 
Clover, Dutch or Alsike Clover, and Sainfoin will be fit for the stack 
on the third or fourth day after cutting, and the park and meadow 
the second or third day. If, however, the weather should turn 
showery in the interval, then it is that the most judgment and dis¬ 
cretion will be required, for if the hay has been less than half made, 
and becomes wetted with rain, once turning and a few drying hours 
will make it fit for stacking, although there may be water contained 
in some of the curled leaves of the grass or partially made hay. This 
circumstance if the weather is fine only for a few hours, and especially 
if it is windy, must not deter the home farmer from carting it to the 
stack ; for although under former circumstances the hay would be 
mouldy and quite spoilt in the rick, the water which would have 
spoilt the hay, under the new system of heat and its exhaustion 
becomes vapour, and is commingled and combined with the heat, and 
both, if exhausted by the new process at the proper time, leaves the 
hay in the best possible condition. 
Mery proper and well-explained conditions will no doubt be sent 
by the makers of the machine called the Exhaust Fan and the tackle 
