The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-09-18 00:00:00

THE SHORT-HORNS AT PONTEFRACT.

Whatever may have been the origin of the bovine
species, it is a fisetthat soutething very different from
"natural selection" produced our present improved '
short-horns, the most profitable for their early matu-
rity, superior meat, and fine milking property. The
" Britisher'," eel Caner found la, addieted to beef :
and new olilh, tlitl not poste-sa a aliurt-horn among their
wild or slo,neeticak,l cattle ; and there is no decisive
evidence whether the breed was at first imported from
she western shores of Europe in the 17t1 century, die 1
era at which so many good things for field and garden
found their way to us, or whether the Dukes of North-
umberland had bred and improved them fell a century
before. ls is clear that the red, red and White, and
roan-coloured cattle were, at the close of last century,
better on the fat pastured of the Tees than anywhere
else; that the brothers Coiling were practically the
founders of the breeds ; and that all our best short-
horns claim descent from their" Ilubback," A bull pur-
chased fur £8 out of a bye-lane, just as our best boniest
on the turf boast the blood of the Godolphin Arabian.
The genealogy exists in an unbroken lute; and, though
at times the breeding him been very close in blood rela-
tionship, it does not appear that this "lit-end-is,"
system has any tendency to induce degeneracy or
disease, provided mongrel and crests-bred animals are
avoided. The union of " sou with everybody's
daughter." is not r. satbdactory basis on which to found
a family ot cattle ; bus pedigree has proved Huff to he
of die highest importance—the ability or a bull or cow
to transinit valuable characteristit-s depending, in a great
measure, upon it having inherited those properties
thr.tugh a line of ancestry. Foljambe, grandson of
Hubback, the father of shurt-horns, begat both sire and
damn of Favourite • and, again, this prodhce of half-
' brothe. and sister begat both Comet and Comet's slain ;
and from these are descended, as from An Adauiic inter-
marrying, the more than 500 herds now in Britain ;
and some 7,000 head of these pure-bred animals are
registered every other year in Mr. 'Strafford'. herdbook
--the "Peerage and Baronetage" of hoof and horn.
Independently of their own intrinsic excellence and pro-
fitable qualities, the short-horns have the grand merit
of improving every breed their blood may mit with ;
and thus they are sought by the breeders of Prance,
Belgium, Italy, Prussia, Ituuia- -indavil, of all Europe,
and are exported un a great scale to America and to our
colonies of Canada. New Brunswick, New ?sealant!, and
Australia. We sell £.50,01.10 worth every year by public
, auction, and an enormously greater amount by private
transactions—the almost fabulous fancy prices obtained
by our crack breeders being accuudesl by A regular com-
mercial m m market at handsoe figures. Shorthorns can
boast of celebrated sales, such as that of Cherie*
Coiling's, in 1810, when the animals averaged £152 per
head; of Robert Culling's, in 1817, when the average
MAI X 121.1 per head. At the revival of the elle for good
breeding same Earl Spencer'a sale in 1846, where 123
&Murals made £69 each ; then Mr. Bates's sale, in 18.50,
at so average of tii7 ; anti Earl Duck's, in 1852, when
62 animals :talked 1351 per head. For long prices of
singl.e animals we have Charles Coiling's Comet, sold 50
years ago at 1,000 guineas. • his world-famed " Durham
us," iefiu:ed for £4,000; Earl Spencer's Exquisite, sold
for 370 guineas; Mr. Bates', Duchess 50th, at 350
gum CaY • Earl Ducie's 1/uchess 66th, at 700 guineas ;
arid Colonel Towneley's Master Butterfly, at 1,200
rain rm.

A short-horn is not only a short-horn, but it is also
of a i>ertain tribe or family, or derives its meritorious
qualities through WM. particular strain or one of these
families, claimini, poculisr virtues; of aristocratic descens
as 61 " Iduchess," au "Oxford," a "Butterfly," and so
on. Yorkshire is the very centre of she northern districi.
in which these ade of the pure breed have been per-
petuated. After the celebrated herd of Mr. lisle*, of
Kirkleavingtou, had given to the world the best short•
horns it had ever seen, She Booths, of Kilkrby and
Warlaby, began sheir brilliant career with the herd
which sissy had beed lung forming mailer the shelter of
the Ilsiabletoo Hills. Of honours from the Royal and
Yorkshire Agricultural fiocieties they have won an un-
paralled number, since the illustrious twins Bracelet
and Necklace, with others, carried off hosts of prize*
nearly 20 years ago. Mr. Booth does not sell, but lets
out his belle on hire, at 100 to MO guineas the season ;
and the werits of pouimiog " Booth-blood" always runs
u:i the pries of other breeders' short-horns at the public
sales. At the present show Mr. Booth's cow, Queen
blab, takes the first prise in her class, and the silver
cup given by the Earl of Harewood for the best sliort•
horn cow in the show. She was second at Canterbury
so Mr. Eastwood's Rosetta, of Mr. Wetherclrs breed,
ibis cow being now absent at the Royal Irish meeting itt
Cork, where she has taken the gold medal and challenge
cup. Mr. Booth's Zysar old heifer and yearling heifer
also got second prises.
Captain Gunter perpetuates on the banks of the
Wilarfe the glories of Mr. Dates's Duchesses and Ox-
fords, under the guiding skill of his steward, Mr.
Knowles, formerly Earl Ducie's herdsman, and it was
with some of the Duchess tribe from Earl Lhicie, and
from Mr. Tunqueray, of Hendon, that the Captain cion•
summed his herd. The splendid twin yearling heifers
which won such honours at Canterbury are not hem
having gone to the Highland show, but the beautiful
Duchess 77th, justly carries off the flesh Iris. in the
class of 2•year old &oilers.

Mr. Majoribanka, who wins the first prize here, as he
did at Canterbury, for bull calves, with • son of his
celebrated Great Mogul, and exhibits heifer calves if
rare merit, began short-horn breeding about 17 years
ago on his farm, at Bushey Grove, Herta, and his Great
Mogul, only seven months old, was bought in at his
sale for 401.1 guinea 1. Mr. knibler, one of our most suc-
cessful breeders, co zumenced his herd near Halifax about
twenty years ago.: and though he has exhibited com-
paratively few an. inals at the Royal shows, lie has car-
ried off many prim..., and can display a splendid group
of cups and medal.. His second prise aged bull here is
remarkably good ; his yearling bull also ran i.eS prize
animals very close in that class; and his beautiful two-
year-old heifer, Wood Boat, as so meritorious that some
very heavy bets we re depending on her conaretition with
Captain Gunter's, which sakes the first prize; and cer-
tainly it ts a green I opinion that she should have had
the second prize, no teed of being beaten, according to
the strange decision of the judge, by Mr. Booth's qUeell
of the Vale. Mr. Fawkes, of Fernley, another great
breeder, at whose ps •riodical bull sales the average price
is commonly DV per head, takes the second prize for
yearling bulls, as h e did at Canterbury. Sir Charles
Tempest wins the lest prise with his beautiful yearling
heifer. Lady Pinot shows some very fine animals. The
Towneley herd, now so famous, is an example of what
may be accomplished by • liberal unaer and manager
of the highest skill,. judgment, and energy ; as. little
mote than ten years lane smlieed for Mr. Eastwood and
Mr. Culshaw (agens at d bailiff) to place Colonel Towneley
as the head of short-horn breeders. The prize silver
cups, timepieces, and gold .unl silver medals in the
Towneley plate chest are • sight to be seen ; and most
of these resplendent honours have been won by
the Butterfly tribe, Butterfly, daughter of But-
tercup, being descended, through Bampton Rose,
direct from Cknuet. The world-finned Master
Butterfly, sold for 1,2i1U guineas, was her
aseconal calf, by Frederick, • magnificent bull, never
shown, but which is the /dread' almost all the Colonel's
prize-takers. Royal Butterfly, the present hero of the
ahort-horo circles, is. Butterfly's fifth calf, by Frederick,
and the Colonel has refused for him • bid of 1,2 nil
guineas, which sufficed to pure base the brother. For a
portrait and biography of this perfect bull, one of those
noble specimens of the breed which are rarely produced,
we may refer to the present 11101Itla's Farnicr's Mega:axe.
Several of the Canterbury decision* are reversed, as in
the yearling-bull class, where the Royal third prize bull
is here placed first, and the royal first in the same
class ix here put out of the list of prizes altogethei ;
but, of course, Royal Butterfly maintains his kingly
rank, and has now forther laurels left to rtrive for.
Ten animals of this hen( are shown it' five classes, taking
two first and four second prizes, the second.prize bull
calf being Royal Butterfly's son. As an additional
prod of the Irionty of the tribe, it turns out that
the prise yearli hull at the Highland Sociady's Dum
fries Show, lave week, is • son of Frederick, anal there-
fore half-brother to !loyal Butterfly; SO that this
grand old bull's progeny win at the three greaa, meetings
of the Royal, Yorkshire, and the Scotch Societiea.
Frederick's Fidelity, the white cow which 'gained find
prize at Warwick two years ago. is here second to Lady
Pigot's fine first prize cow, mainly owing to her having
become reduced in flesh by being such a good milker.
Peer', a magnificent cow. 13 Mt beautiful in form and
proportions, and possessing every requisite in quality
and delicacy of handling, has been placed second to
Queen Mali. • cow 1:: mouths older- an award which is
very generally criticised as erroneous. The final con-
test for the silver cup lay between Queen Mab (the
winner), and Colonel Towneley's Emma, whi.th took the
prize iii the extra stock clam, and an addit halal judge
was called in to determine the adjudication, but a co,-
aid-able diversity ef opinion exists as to its norreetness.
In she heifer-calf class, spin, nobody can understand
why it is that Mr. Law:riles should have the first prize,
while at least four others—namely Colonel 'Townaley's,
awn of Mr. Ilajoribanke, and one of Mr. Jolly's are
considered to be better animal.. It is perh ape difficult
to find really good judges of any breed of cattle, who are
perfectly free from predilections in favour of certain
strains of blood in that breed.—Tints.