BATES AND BOOTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1899, 26 June 1890, Page 7

BATES AND BOOTH.

A remarkable change of opinion has set in amongst breeders of line-bred shorthorns during the past few years, illuatrating tha truth of the adag3 that "sweet are the uses of adversity." A dozen years ago, when prices for line-bred shorthorns were at tho heyday, a cross between Bates and Booth was voted rank treason, and the produce, the result of such cross, wero ostracised, and their descendants wore undor the ban, the guineas beiug fetfor iv consequence at tale-i Th3so wore the days what) tho prices of shorthorns wore regulated mainly by pedigree, "We venture

to think that the " new departure '* is a sensible one, and that those breeders are to be commended who had the courage to depart from the beaten track. They puflßred temporary loss in their ostracism, but it now appears that their course was the right one, that their views were prescient of the future, and that the reward will be fully commensurate with the risk they then deliberately choßß to run. No herd that we know of offers a more notable example of the truth of this contention than that of Mr Robert Thompson, of Inglewood, Penrith, who, at the Royal Show of 1888, literally swept the board of all the first prizes in the female classes, and was alas successful in the male ones, and who also maintained his prestige in 1889 at both Royal and County exhibitions, M* Thompson was never a slave to U"° Dreading, but preferred to |use ■R-k.o or Booth, as his judgment told h ; -" tQe animals he wanted would be i.-a.eiy to improve Jhis herd. It cannot be argued either from a beef or milk standpoint that he has made a mistake. The fine herd of shorthorns belonging to Mr Wakefield, of Sedgwick, near Kendal, Westmoreland, haß been bred on the same lines, starting from dams of good old country breeds possessing flesh, milk, and contour in best combination. Bates or Booth sires have been used just as it was thought that they would improve what was felt to_ be 'acking. The last sire was Sir Frederick 55048, bred by Sir Wilfred Lawson, °t j a y ton ' His successor, just purchased at a long figure, is Maater Smartly I 7th, bred by Mr Thompson, of Inglewood, the bull that received a commended ticket in a large and grand class at the Windsor Jubilee Royal. He is rising three years, and the son of that grand ball Beau Benedict, which did so much in bringing Mr Thompson's herd into front rank. During ! the paßt two or three months there have been 23 b - rthß in Mr Wakefield's herd, 13 of which are heifers and 10 bulls — 13 roans, six reds, and four whites. They are a very promising lot of calves, all sired by Sir Frederick. At the Windsor Bhow Mr Wakefield exhibited the heifer Baroness Sedgwick, a beautiful roan, and she was commended. In January she produced a neat red heifer calf, and we now learn that both dam and calf have been sold for exportation to Buenoa Ayres, to which destination they are now journeying. Two or three years ago Earl Bective sent a couple of Bates dams to Mr Hugh Aylmer's for service, but we have not heard whether his loidship haa yet decided to make extensive use, or otherwise, of the cross. Still the few examples we have quoted go to show that the barriers of line breeding are breaking down, Poßsibly in no counties in England are there a finer claae of crossbred shorthorn cattle in the hands of tenant farmers than in those of Westmoreland and Cumberland, and these are bred indiscriminately from Bates and Booth sires on good dairy oattle. This fact was enforced at are cent sale of young bullß in connection with the Kendal (Westmoreland) Auction Mart Company, when no leas than 143 were offered ; out of these 98 found customers, realising a total of £1826 9a 6d, rd average of £18 12s 6d.— -Mark Lane Express, April 7.