The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-02-27 00:00:00

London : Joseph Rogerson,

NOrfolk-street, Strand.

The number of this magazine for the present month is
more than usually full of information, which must be in-
valuable to the agriculturists. In addition to the letter-
press it contains a beautifully executed engraving of Chas.
Coiling, Esq., the cerebrated breeder of short-horns, and
a vignette engraving of a short-horned heifer to which a
first prize was awarded at the agricultural show at York,
in 1842. Accompanying the former we have a short me-
moir of Mr. Coiling, by C. W. Johnston, Esq., F.R.S.,
from which the following extracts may be of interest to
our agricultural readers :

ORIGIN OF THE SHORT-HORNED BREED.—The cha-
racter of Charles Coiling was evidently cool, calm, saga-
cious, and energetic. His neighbours and rival breeders,
who watched his progress with all the anxiety that his
unexampled success so naturally excited, could never di-
vine the objects he had in view, or the principles on which
he acted. These traits in his character have been inci-
dentally noticed by Professor Youatt, in his excellent
work on cattle, when tracing the history of the Teeswater
Short Horns; and what he has so well described we will
not attempt to give in other language. "Whatever,"
says Mr. Youatt, "had been the merits of the Teeswater
cattle, it is certain that Mr. Coiling greatly improved
them, and although it has been often asserted that his
success was the result of chance, arising from the posses-
sion of an animal with the merits of which, it is supposed,
he was at one time unacquainted, yet the writer of this
article is of opinion that Mr. Colling's success resulted
from a deliberate and well considered plan. Coiling found
the Teeswater, like all other extravagantly large cattle,
very frequently of loose make and disproportion. He was
sensible, also, of the difficulty of breeding with anything
like certainty large good animals ; and though he had on
all occasions declined to throw any light on his views and
proceedings, still the writer thinks he can detect, in the
very outset, and through the progress of his practice, a
resolution to reduce the size of this breed, and at the same
time, by that means, to improve its form. This he is sup-
posed to have effected in the first instance through the
medium of a bull called " Hubback," an animal respect-
ing which there has been much controversy, principally
touching the purity of his blood, a question now of little
importance, because it is admitted on all hands that Mr.
Coiling adopted another cross which prevails in a majority
of superior short horns of the present day.
" lIIIRDACK," THE SIRE OF THE SHORT-HORNED
BREED.—Without entering on an inquiry as to the cir-
cumstances by which " Hubback's" title to be considered
of pure blood is supported or weakened, it may suffice
to observe, that it appears probable that he possessed on
one side the improved blood. The possessor of his dam
was a person in indigent circumstances, and grazed his
cow on the highways ; when afterwards she was removed
to good land, near Darlington, she became so fat that she
did not again breed, and her son having the same propen-
sity in a high degree, was useful as a bull but during a
very short period. The quality of his flesh, hide, and
hair, are supposed to have been seldom equalled ; and as
he was much smaller than the Teeswater cattle, he was
eminently calculated to forward Mr. Colling's views.
It has been remarked that we have at present no supe-
rior horses on the turf, which does not boast the blood of
the Godolphin Arabian; so it may be asserted that we
have no superior short-horns which do not claim descent
nearly, or remotely, from Hubback.
This account of " Hubback" diffens in some particulars

from one that has reached us from another quarter. Ac-
cording to the latter, the animal narrowly escaped being
cut off while a calf, being actually on its way, in a cart, to
:he butcher, when it was observed by a blacksmith resid-
ing at a place called Harrowgate, on the high road to
Darlington. Being struck by its appearance he bought it
for his son-in-law, by whom it was reared, until pur-
chased by Mr. R. Coiling and Mr. IN'aistell, as already
mentioned. Previously to buying it Mr. R. Coiling asked
his brother, Mr. C. Coiling, to look at the animal, and
upon the latter giving a most favourable report of its
merits, the bargain was effected. As before stated, the
initnal was shortly afterwards transferred to Mr. C. Coi-
ling for its original price of £B, who was highly delighted
at his acquisition ; and on its arrival at Ketton he asked
his wife to go out and look at the handsomest little bull
she ever saw in her lite.
After obtaining this bull, Mr. Charles Coiling proceeded
with singular success to produce, from time to time, su-
perior animals ; and the number of bulls he disposed of
by letter was highly encouraging. But the circumstance
which brought the improved short-horns into most exten-
sive notice was the production of the "Durham Ox," an
animal which speaks volumes in favour of even a single
cross of.his blood; for the ox was the produce of a com-
mon cow, which had been put to " Favourite." At five
years old, the Durham ox was sold to Mr. Bulmer, of
Harmby, near Bedale, for public exhibition, at the price
of £140: this was in February, 1801. He was at that
time computed to weigh 168 stones, of 141 b., his live
weight being 216 stones; and this extraordinary weight
did. not arise from his superior size, but from the exces-
sive ripeness of his points. Mr. Bulmer having obtained
a carriage for his conveyance, travelled with him five
weeks, and then sold him and the carriage, at Rotherham,
to Mr. John Day, on the 14th May, 1801, for £250. On
the 14th May, Mr. Day could have sold him for £525;
Qn the iSth of June for £lOOO ; On the Bth of July for
£2OOO.

EFFECT or CROSSING BREEDS.—It is a well ascer-
tained fact, that, during his career as a breeder, Mr. Col-
ling tried several exferiments in crossing, and resorted to
breeds which were, on these occasions, very considerably
smaller than the short horns, a circumstance which tends
to corroborate the writer's opinion that he considered it
desirable to reduce their size. The cross with the Kyloe
led to no results worthy enumeration, but that with the
polled Galloway must not be passed over without com-
ment. Before- stating the circumstances attending this
experiment, it may be proper to observe that no breed of
cattle promised so successful a cross with the short-horns
as the Galloway. They were calculated,' by their deep
massive frames anti short legs, to bring the short-horns
nearer the ground, and to dispose of their weight in a more
compact manner: their hardy habits would be essentially
useful, and the quality of their flesh and hair was such as
to render the experiment still more safe. Add to this,
that they could he obtained of a red colour, and we are
prepared to admit, even without the sanction of a success-
ful experiment, that they were admirably adapted to cross
with the short-horn, standing frequently too high from
the ground, not very well ribbed home, and not seldom of
loose, disjointed frame. To this breed Mr. Coiling re-
solved to resort; and though at the time when he did so,
the attempt was regarded with some degree of ridicule by
the pure. blood advocates, and comments were made which
would have deterred ordinary men from the exercise of
their judgment, Mr. Coiling persisted. He was much
favoured by circumstances in promoting this object, which
was to take one cross, and then breed back to the short-
horn,—the only course, by the way, in which crossing can
be successfully adopted. To breed from the produce of a
cross directly among themselves will lead to results which
have induced many persons, without due consideration,
to believe conclusive against crossing ; but to take one a
single cross, and then to return and adhere to one breed,
will, in the course of a few generations, be found to stamp
a variety with sufficient certainty.