NOTES FROM THE HOME LAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3590, 2 January 1923, Page 13

NOTES FROM THE HOME LAND.

THE BLACK CATTLE SALES IN SCOTLAND. CAWDOR CUP MARE FOR AUSTRALIA. SHORTHORN HEIFERS AVERAGE £ll6 18s lid. (Faou Ohb Special Correspondent.! GLASGOW, November 7. We are having quite an exciting time in the Old Country at the present moment. Th© die-hards of the Tory party have thrown over Lloyd George, the man who won th® war, and. in the expectation of riding into power on his back, they have forced a general election. The situation is a most peculiar one. All Conservatives have gone over to Bonar Law, who has assumed the Premiership, and Lloyd George is left with the socalled National Liberals, who are hopelessly in the minority. It is difficult to forecast the future political situation. The Coalitiaa Government, as constituted, had certainly overstayed its tune. Farm work is now well advanced. Th® weather has been open, and farmers havo got their crops in in good condition. Ploughing is going ahead rapidly, both horses and the tractor being at work. I lately attended a tractor demonstration held under the auspices of the Highland and Agricultural Society, in Midlothian. Th® advance- made in tractor work during the past few years is quite remarkable. In times past the difficulty has been to get th® proper plough to hitch on to the tractor, but that lias been overcome. Some year© ago —just before the war—when a demonstration was held in the \\ eat of Scotland, th® tractors gave very little trouble, but th® character of the work done was beyond description. Furrows were laid oyer fiat with the grass sticking out on both sides, and it was no uncommon sight to find a tractor trying to extricate a plough which was almost lost to sight. That is all changed now. The work done at Fordel, Dalkeith, was remarkably fine. It was proved, too, at the demonstration that the tractor can draw the cultivator, the harrows, and other implements with every advantage During the past harvest the tractor was largely used in drawing binders, and sometimes on flat 0-round a pair of the latter could be'"'® perated. Last week a demonstration was held in East Lothian to show what the “Glasoow” tractor wa9 capable of in operating a potato digger. It turned over 4£ acres per dav with one digger, and it was stated that two pairs of horses and two diggers would be required to lift four acres of potatoes. Mechanical traction has come to stay. ABERDEEN-ANGUS SALES. Breeders of stock of all kinds are now realising. that a paper pedigree is of very little use without merit in the animal hems sold. This was abundantly evident at the two days’ sale of Aberdeen-Angus cattle at Aberdeen While the best cbiss of stock wore making plenty of money, the ordinary sorts were not wanted for breeding purposes, and went at butchers’ prices. As in the case of other breeds, there was a slight falling off in trade, but not to a serious extnet. The top price of 470gns, paid for a two-year-old herfli' from Doonlioim, Ayr, was considerably in advance of the 330gna which was the record of 1921. Again, th© average of £4l 15s 5d for 322 was tween £4 and £5 per head less than in 1921, when the number aold was 2*9.

In 1920 the total sum drawn was '£29.644 2s, and the average £B6 18s 7d; in 1919 the total was £22.258 8s 6d, and the average £66 8s lOd; in 1918 the drawings amounted to £15,714 6s 6d, and the average was £6O 13s sd; and in 1917 the cash received was £13,574 Bs, and the average £6O 12s 10a. There was practically no buying for exportation, but home breeders were competing keenly with one another for the better sorts. One of the most- prominent buyers was Mr Russell, who now occupies the farm of The Burn. Edzell, so prominently identified with the breed in the time of the late Colonel MTnroy. He it was who purchase dr the 470gns two year-old Miss Burgess heifer from Mr James Kennedy, of Doonholm, Ayr. Mr W. Gilchrist Macßeth. of Dimira, Coinrie, was runner-up. But if he did not get the Doonholm dandy he made certain of talcing home some of the other toppers, including the second highest-priced yearling from Doonholm at 270gns. The two-vear-old which went to The Burn is a get of the champion bull Matador of Bywell. She is in calf to Ebelum of Ballindalloch. the third prize-winner at the last Highland Show at Dumfries The yearling heifer going to Dimia is a Pride of Aberdeen, of rich qualiiy and wonderfully level in the flesh A couple of two-vear-old heifers from the Ballindalloch herd of Sir George Maepherson Giant, Bart., made three figures. One of them, a choicely-bred Georgina, was taken by Mr Russell, of The Burn, at 190gns. The best of the Ballindalloch yearlings made 240gns. This price was given by Sir John K. Findiay of Aberlour for an Erica of beautiful shape, and a grand handler. Another Erica realised 130gns. She went to Mr Lewis of Melguir, Tarland, who also purchased one of the Harviestoun yearlings at 210gns. Mr Lowis is building up a specially fine herd. A Pride of Aberdeen from Harviestoun was bought by Mr M’Connachie, Ardoch, at 170gns; and Mr Macßeth, of Dimira, had another at 210gns. The older females went at fairly moderate figures, and the top price for a bull was 45gns, given by Mr Robb, of Lisnabreeny, Ireland, for the six-year-old Equita of Ballindailoeh. from Mr J. N. Rae, Mount Dooly. Fraserburgh, who bought him as a calf at Perth, where he was champion, for lOOOgns. HIGH-CLASS SHORTHORN FEMALES. Included in a sale of Shorthorn cattle at Penrith, held by Mr John Thornborrow, was the annual draft of young females from the herd of Mr Albert James Marshall. Bridgebank, Stranraer. For the best animals good prices were tendered, but for those belonging to the less fashionable strains only modeiate figures were forthcoming. Twnty-nine in all were sold, and tor these the average was £ll6 18s lid. Mr Bruce Ward, Bilsington, Derby, got the highestpriced heifer, the white Orange Glow, for which she paid 3Cogns. A couple of others made 2Sogns each. Sir George Wills, Bridtot paid this sum for Princess Isadora, and Mr E. Whinnerab, Warton Hall, Carnforth. gave a like sum for Selina Nonpareil Nine or 10 of the others went into three figures. Mr T. Kirk. Abbey Mains, Huddington, bought from Mr Arthur Green, Denton, Ilkley, a r.ine-months-old heifer at 155gns. GALLOWAYS. Mr Walter Biggar. Grange, Dalbeattie, held a draft sale of Galloway cattle at home this week, w T hen 41 head averaged £32 Os 3d. The fashionable families sold fairly well; others were cheap. The top price of the day was 70gns, given for one of the noted Grange Lizzies.

CLYDESDALES FOR AUSTRALIA. [ It is very heartening to breeders of Clydesdale horses in Britain to find some of ' the leading men in our distant dominions claiming some of the best animals which ■ the country can produce. It is a clear in- 1 dication that when we. settle down again in earnest—when the aftermath of the war is ! swept aside and when people begin the work of reconstruction in the real sensed— j there will a revival of the horse-breeding industry upon the old lines, and that not- 1 withstanding the advance in mechanical traction there will always be a demand for the best class of Clydesdales. It is true 1 that the tendency now is to eliminate the ! commoner sorts, and this is all to the ad- j vantage of the breed. Our colonial friends are evidently of like opinion, for in their . recent transactions they have evinced a i desire to acquire the best animals possible, i When the dispersion of the Northern Stud took place recently at Lanark Mr William 1 Black, Melbourne, Australia, purchased the highest-price horse in the lot—the two-year-old Flashdale—for 1580gns. But he is not going to take the colt home alone. Mr Black has now completed a transaction with Mr John P. Sleigh, St. John’s Wells. Fyvie, 1 which surpasses anything of the kind during recent years. He has acquired from Mr Sleigh the Cawdor Cup champion mare Mescal and a great two-year-old filly at what are believed to he record figures for females of the Clydesdale, breed. Mescal is a great mare in every sense of the term. She was bred by Mr William Dunlop, Dunure Meins, 1 Ayr, and is now rising four years old. Her breeding is superb. The sire of Mescal is the great draught stallion Auchenflower (12007), one of the finest specimens of the Clydesdale breed living. He in turn is by the noted Montrave Mac (9958), a son of the champion Macgregor (1487), out of the celebrated Cawdor Cup mare Montrave I Maud, by the Merrvton Prince of Walesl (673), cut of the world-famous Moss Rose. On the dam’s side, too, Auchenflower is descended from a race of mares which were not only noted for their breeding and hig.i individual worth, but for weight and_ substance as well. The dam of Mescal is the handsome mare Halgar (45089), bred by Mr Sleigh, and got by the world-famous Dunure Footprint (15203). Hagar is a big, wide mare, with all the finer characteristics of the breed, and of real draught type. The second dam of Mescal is Elaine (36406), by the world-famous Baron’s pride (9122), and a female of great character and true merit. Her third dam is the famous mare Thelma (15263), by the big, weighty stallion Mains of Airies (10379). Thelma was one of the mares which, in the hands of Mr Sleigh, made the breed famous, being almost invincible in the showyard, and winning the Cawdor Cup. Then the fourth dam of Mescal is the fine marc Marita (9865). by the great horse Dnrnley (222), one of the most renowned of the foundation horses of the breed. Further back ' in the pedigree are Nell (8664), by Grand Duke (366) ; Kirminnoch Peggy (8562), by Young Garibaldi (972); and M’Gibbon’s Peggy, by Waterlee (905), all of them on both sides being animals which helped to make the Clydesdale breed what it is to-day—the finest for draught purposes in the world. Mescal is, of course, a half-sister of the dam of Dunure Footprint, the great mare Dunure Ideal, and perhaps one of the best which ever appeared m the national showyard. Ideal was by Auchenflower, and Mescal, in conformation and all-round merit, resembles her to a considerable degree. She is a mare of grand size for her age, nicely coupled with

finely-sprung ribs, good quarters, and altogether a draught animal. Her legs and feet are almost perfect, especially in the quality of her bones, her pretty sloping ankles, and her wide wearing feet. Mescal has gained many prizes in her time, and at the last show of the Highland and Agricultural Society sVie was a clear winner of the Cawdor Cun, the blue ribbon of the breed for females. The two-year-old is the handsome filly Musa, bred by Mr Sleigh. She, too, is got upon the most aristocratic lines, and, what is more, she is a great, powerful young female of true draught character, Grandly coupled with a fine depth of rib and ideal quarters, she is about as good a specimen of her age as one can find in the country. Her bones are wide and thin, her pasterns have the right slope, and she has grand wide feet, with capital hoof heads. Musa is an ideal mover, and gives a fine exhibition when on parade. The sire of this great filly is Mr Sleigh’s celebrated champion noise Kismet (18417). and she is out of Esta (51339), by Royal Favourite (10630). This is blood which will tell, especially when it is found in a filly of such merit as Musa. Kismet has won most of the great trophies open to the breed including the Cawdor Cup, the. Bcydon Shield, and the championship of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. Individually he is a great horse, and one of the best sons of the renowned Dunure Footprint. Esta, the dam of Musa, is a mare of superb quality and good size. Royal Favourite, her sire, was a son of the great breeding horse Royal Gartly, one of the early winners of the Cawdor Cun, and was well known as among the most successTul sires of females known to the bred, and Esta does him every credit. He died recently in his twenty-sixth year, and his blood was never more highly prized than at the present moment. The second dam of Musa is the famous Black Silk (41976), a full-sister of the celebrated Dunure Footprint. She is a mare of splendid size and substance, and has won high distinction in the showyard. Her third dam is, of course, the great Dunure Ideal, referred to above; and then comes Royal Darling (14201), ' by Royal Champion (8956), both well-known animals in their time, and noted for their size and substance. Behind this again there is the powerful mare Darling of Red Hall (12523), by the big, massive quality horse Gartsherrie (2800); and the earlier crosses include those of Simon Pure (769) and the noted Clydesdale Tam (176), which was the sire of the great mare Smiier, the seventh dam of Musa. Breeding of this kind in combination w r ith first-class individual merit cannot fail to prove successful. Mr Black, as has been already noted in the columns of the Otago Witness, dispersed a valuable stud of Clydesdales some years ago, and in laying the foundation of a new stud he is preceding upon sound lines in selecting animals such as I have indicated. Breeders in Scotland wish him the best of luck.