Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-06-04

AT the death of Mr.. Bates, in 1919,
his herd fell to his nophews, but they
were not stock men and the herd
to get into very poor con-
dition, and besides there was a great
agricultural depression prevailing
throughout England. Owing to these
two unfortunate circumstances his
cattle sold at his sale in 1850 for very
paltry prices. His IA Duchess COWS.
bulls, heifers, and calves, only brought
an average Of 1851 per head: his 10
OxfoIds, an average of 1918: the SIX
Waterloos, 1927 80; the three Cam
bridge Rose tribe, S345 each; The %
wild Eyes tribe, S24l; the seven
Faggothorpe tribe $235. Most of
these cattle fell into the hands OF
good breeders, who highly appreciated
their value, and in few years they
rose to a reputation and sold tor
prices never before reached in England.
Lord Ducie bought three of the female
Duchess and one OF the bulls at MIR.
Bates sale, and two Of the female Ok
fords, 4 years and 9 months old, S665
each. He added these to his already
numerous and excellent herd and
bred them with great care and judg-
ment, but his health was very delicate
and he only lived two years after the
purchase Of these cattle The value
OF shortborns had rapidly advanced,
and the reputation Of these Duchess
and Oxford cattle had so very much
increased in public favor, that at the
sale of this herd in 1852 there was the
largest collection of breeders, which
lad been assembled since the sale OF
Charles Golling in 1910. The sale
had been we'll and largely advertised
and some wealthy gentlemen from
america went to it, Mr. Samuel
Thorne of New York, bought three OF
the Duchess females at an average
price of S2,1S7 33 per head.
Messrs. L. G. Noel and n. }. BecaI
of New York purchased Duchess Goth,
3 wears cid, for $S,675. They alSo
purchased the Duke of Gloucester, j
wears old, for S9,412. Mr.. Thorne
also bought the bull Grand Duke (sold
at Mr.. Bates sale in 1850 at $4,000
A few years later he bought End
Grand Duke for the same price and
brought him to America. George
Vail of Troy, New York, aud Genera
George Codwalraden of Philadelphia
bought the 18th Duke Of York, year;
old, for s2,G25, but he died on :he
PASSAGE to America. Among them
were the Duke Airdrie, his dam
Duchess of Atholl. by 2nd Duke d
Oxford, IN the hands OF Robert y
Alexander Of Kentucky, and three
Duchess hcifers, in the bands of NJ
II. Cochran, Compton Province Of
Quebec, Lower Canada, One of the
Oxtords, Grand Duke of Oxford, was
imported by Mr.. Sheldon Of Geneva
New York. The females Of these
two families now amount to some
scores. held in but few hands ii
England and a less number IN
America. The sale Of Lord Daclc
was the highest in price since Mr.
Ceilings, and taking the agricultural
depression into account the prices were
much higher. AT this sale 40 cows
beifers and helfer calves, average
800 each, and IS bulls averaged
1859. making S46,SO9 90 for the g.
cattle sold, and the average S722 tor
the whole lot. The prices these cattle
brought up to the date of tbs sale,and
still continue to bring up the present
dav bear indisputablc testimony to the
fact whether these prices are based
upon sound judgment or fancy.
In is not the striking apparen;
superiority of these noted families Of
cattle over other fine families mis-
cellaneously bred which makes them
so valuable, but it is their striking ~
dividualities which they print on
stronger breeds, 1t is their long
compacted genealogy and careful
breeding which enables them to I'M
press their own characteristics upon
their progeny in greater degree, and
with more certainty than others which
through their divergent crosses have
not been so compactly bred. Hence
their great value, as certified by the
auctioneer's hammer, as well as ID
private sales. The public may call
men fools who pay such prices, but
when YOU see old breeders, sensible
and wealthy men, who have made their
own fortunes and who have spent their
lives in breeding cattle, the ones to
pay these prices, it looks as if there
was something more than caprice and
fancy in them. 1t may be smarter in
the estimation of some men to raise q
a scrub COW until five or six years old
and sell her for $40 or $50 than to
raise a Duchess worth, at the same
age $4,000 or $4,000, but 1 beg
leeve to thing the folly is on the side
of the scrub. These rare families of
such great value are large mems
The acme IN breeding in England
seems TO have been reached by Cha'.
Colllug in Comet, by Favorite, by
Mr.. Bates IN the Duke of NOrthum-
bcrland by Belvedier and by MIR
Booth in Commander-in- Chief by
Valasco. With all this distinction
accorded to these animals | do not
say that other just as fine bulls have
not been bred in England and America
but they have not achieved the same
notoriety, and the future may prove
that some of them excel even Comet,
Duke of Northumberland and Com,
mauder-in Chief.
More or less OF these bloods course
the veins of almost every herd of note
either in England or America. In no