The Ottawa free trader., 1886-08-28

ORIGIN OF SHORT-HORN CATTLE.--This
noble breed of bovines is of remote origin
For some centuries previous to the con
quest of England by the first William, in
the year 1866, the warlike Scandinavians
of Denmark and Sweden had made frequent
predatory incursions into Northumbria
The object Of the incursions was conquest
plumber, trade, and subsection of the Brit.
onS to their rule and domination. Many
of the marauders settled IN Northumbria
and became Incorporated with the natives
by marriage and succession of their famil
les, and so remained until the invading
forces We're driven back to their own shores
under the power of the new conQueror. As
consequence of the Scandinavian invas-
ions commerce between them and the
Northumbrians became frequent, and the
cattle of the neighboring continent We're
more or less introduced on to British soil
SO far as we can learn from imperfect his.
tory and traditi, those cattle were large in
size, short in the horns, rather coarse frames,
the cows giving abundance of milk, and,
when fatted for slaughter, heavy weights
of beef of rather coarse quality. Their col
ors were either pure white, or pale red, or
red and white more or less intermiyed into
roam, or. brindled, sometimes red, no other
colOrs prevailing.
1t has been from that ancient stock, in all
probability, that the grand breed of improv-
ed short HONS has descended. Tne ances-
tors of them trace TO no other parts of Eng
land than the counties of ancient North.
umbria. where the Scandinavians held rule
previous to the Norman Conquest. A strik-
ing evidence of the existence of these cat
tie AT an early date is now seen in piece
of statuary in an arched niche of Durham
Cathedral, twenty feet or more above the
ground The figures are "a fair resemblance
of short. horn COW of her day with two
milkmaids attending The present sculp-
ture is Cf comparatively modern date, prob.
ably between the years 1890 and 1900, when
some parts Of the tower were taken out and
repaired. The original statue was too
much broken to be replaced, and the pres
ent one is said to be an exact copy of the
original. Even this has been somewhat
mutilated. The cathedral was finished
about the year 1900.
Why the statue was so inserted In the
tower is explained by an ancient monkish
legend existing some centuries previous to
its original erection. Its condensed &C
count may be given as follows:
"St Cuthbert, famed for royal descent and
many great virtues, died on the 2Oth of
March, 6S7, and was buried in Holy Island
"A meet place for so worthy and sanctitied
man. There his body rested for two
hundred years, but fearing it would be dis
turbed by the devastations of the Danes, it
was exhumed for reinterment "A few miles
from DunhDlme NOW Durham), where 1t
remained for one hundred and thirteen
years. Then the remains were removed TO
Ripm in Yorkshire, and after -four months,
again taken to final resting. place to Dun
holme. On heir way thither, Bishop Aid.
winus and the monks having charge Of the
removal, when a few miles from their des-
tinatlcn, lost their way, when they stopped
in despair, not knowing exactly where Dun
hulme lay. Soon, however, they heard a
woman ca ling to another whom she met
that her COW had strayed away, and asked
her if she had seen her. Yes was the re-
ply; lust beyond Dunholme Thus guild
ed by the women, they found their way,
and deposited the remains in a rude tenn
porary cathedral constructed for the pur-
pose, until the year 1893, when the corner
stone of the present cathedral was laid"
Tn s statue may be criticised as not re.
presenting correctly modem short horn
cow but rs II does notrepresent one of any
other known breed, 1t affords quite prob,
able tvil,n;e that at an early period the
agriculture of England for some centu. les
after the Conquest was rude, ana progress
i've stock breeding was in like condition
The clergy and monks of those early days
were altogether superior in learning - the
better classes of the people or even the no.
bility, and as they had appropriated many
of the choicest selections Of land on which
20 build the mOnasteries and abbeys, Il may
be supposed that the limited agriculture in
which they engaged WAS Of much higher
order than that Of the rude peasantry
around them, that they also cultivated a
better taste in their domesticated animals,
and adopting the short horn cattle as their
models, improved their quantities TO a con
siderable extent. The nobleman of their
vicinties may have pI Gifted by their ex-
ample and, as time progressed, an increase
in the good qualities of their cattle might
nave followed 10 time when subsequent
history could give truthful chronicles of
their condition.
We have traditional reports of the excel
lenCe Of many Of these cattle so far back as
the seventeenth century, in which their
great weights were known.-HHrpcrS Ndy.
a-iHe for September.
------s-----
BuckIin's Arnica SaIve.
The best salvc in the world for cuts, bruises,