THE SCOTTISH SHORTHORN.

Southland Times, Issue 19123, 15 December 1923, Page 10 (Supplement)

THE SCOTTISH SHORTHORN.

THE RISE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A TYPE. The Scottish beef Shorthorn has gradually but surely achieved domination in this class of stock. Though it is approximately a ; hundred years since the first Shorthorn i crossed the Dee, the new breed was left | for several decades in the hands of a few ’ pioneers, and it was not until the latter ! half of the century that it began to attract j any considerable number of adherents. Since i then, however, it has spread to all parts of • the world where the beef Shorthcrn is • known, and whatever may happen in the • future its achievements have earned a place [ in Shorthorn history for all time. A WORTHY HISTORIAN. I A Considerable amount has been written I from time to time about Sittyton and Aber- ; deenshire Shorthorns, but it has been left to ' Miss Isabella M. Bruce to tell a consecutive story cf the rise of the Aberdeenshire type. | “The History of the Aberdeenshire Short- • horn” from her pen, and. published under I the auspices of the .Aberdeen, Banff and i Kincardine Shorthorn Breeders’ Association j by the Aberdeen Press and Journal, covers i the whole period from the advent of the 1 Shorthorn until the present day. The i Aberdeenshire Shcrthorn had merited a | comprehensive and authoritative history worthy of its great achievements, and it may ■ at once be said that in Bruce it has > found an entirely worthy historian. A book I of some six hundred pages entertains from | thfc first page until the last, and this is perhaps its smallest merit, for it places upon record the story of a great accomplishment j with a sympathy, enthusiasm, and dis ' crimination worthy of all praise. Miss Bruce ' is evidently a keen student of pedigree, and i she has spared no pains to ensure accuracy, i In the hands of most writers the discus- ; sion of pedigree is apt to become of the dry-as-dust order, but Miss Bruce has the faci ulty of giving it a living interest.

| The time is oppertune for a work of the i kind. It is as has been said, about a hun- ■ dred years since the Shorthorn went to Aber : deenshire, and we appear to have reached ■ the end of one great epoch. Unfortunately, | since the book was in an advanced stage oi | preparation, the death of William Duthie, ; who had contributed a brief introduction, [ has greatly emphasised this view. Other great breeders cf the late nineteenth and early , twentieth century, too, have been laid to their rest, such as Mr W. S. Marr, Mr A. M. Gordon, his son, Lieut.-Colonel A. T. Gordon, Mr John Wilson, Mr James Mac William, Mr Janies Durno, all of whom have • done much to raise the standard of tht [ Aberdeenshire Shorthcrn. Thus we have / reached a stage at which the historian of | the future might find it convenient to end | a chapter. THE SITTYTON INFLUENCE

the author wastes no time in prelimin aries, and to her fine appreciation of wha; to include and what to reject much of the success of her work is due. After a brief introductory chapter she plunges straight into her subject and wastes no space cn the non-essentials. The history of the Aberdeenshire Shcirthorn is closely wrapped round -the rise and development of the Sittyton herd, Amos Cruickshank was the hub of the wheel round which the northern Shorthorn movement revolved, but that he was not the whole wheel will be readily appreciated from a perusal of Miss Bruce’s book. It would be almost impossible to over-estimate Cruickshank’s influence on the northern Shorthorn, but there were many skilled constructive breeders who did excellent service for the cause. It may be said here that Miss Bruce does not con fine herself to Aberdeenshire, but embraces the two neighbouring countries, and gener ally what made what came to be recognised as the.immediate country of the Aberdeen shire type. THE EARLY HERDS.

Captain Barclay, of Ury, and Mr Hay. Shethin, were the pioneers in the North, aiiu before or about the time that the Brc .*er. Cruickshank acquired their lease of Sittyton several other herds, most notable amongst which perhaps was the Eden, had sprung up. The book provides what is perhaps the bes< history of the Sittyton herd available, and throws new light on some of the incidents in its career. It has semetimes been alleged that Amos Cruickshank was a fortunate rather than an able breeder, but at this time of the day it is not necessary, to waste ink in defending his title to be included amongst the very greatest constructive breeders the world has known. Miss Bruce, in view of the difficulties he had to face’ places him at the very top. We have heard it said that he purchased Lancaster Comet without having seen him. There is just the clement of truth in this that makes it a subtle misstatement. He had not seen him immediately before the purchase, but had seen him previously and had tried tc purchase him on more than one occasion. It was from Amos Cruickshank himself that the information came that he did not know the value of the bull until he had gone. In his son Champion of England, however, Cruickshank saw the fulfilment of his ideals, and he clung to this great bull in the face of the discouragement of his friends and customers. Champion of England sent Sittyton customers elsewhere for their bulls. “To think of it! Only two north country breeders of importance, in addition to the Cruickshanks, used a son cf Champion of England. . . . All the others were passed by in disdain. So can prejudice blind our eyes! If these animals could be recalled now how differently would they be regarded. What a run upon them we should see!” Amos Cruickshank’s faith in Champion of England when others despised him would in itself vindicate his judgment if such vindication were necessary.

The Kinellar and Inverquhomery herds were contemporaries cf the Sittyton, and it was less than twenty years after the Brothers Cruickshank purchased their first Shorthorns that the UppermiU and Collynie herds were founded, and their influence has been second only to that of Sittyton. It is well known that after the Sittyton herd was sold Mr Duthie eventually secured a considerable number of cows, but at this time Aberdeenshire herds were almost saturated with Cruickshank blood through the sires, and it was thus more than by females that Sittyton exerted its influence. It is perhaps owing to the acquisition of the Sittyton cows that Collynie does not figure as the original home of the noted families, the Josephine being almost the only one that originated in the herd. Collynie’s fame has come from its bulls, for no herd in modern times has provided such a galaxy of firstclass sires. We'cannot here follow the author through the herds that followed, though many of them attained first-rank importance and

exerted great influence on the course of Shorthorn events. The book concludes with a key to pedigrees of Aberdeenshire type that should prove of great value to young breeders, showing as it does the origin and foundation cow; a very complete index makes a reference a matter of somplicitj. METHODS OF GREAT BREEDERS. We have said that Miss Bruce has been a keen student of pedigree, but her know - ledge of Shorthorns is evidently in no way inferior. Her book is much more than a mere chronicle of events. It is a history in the true sense of the word, and gives us illuminating glimpses into the methods of the great breeders in the North. The author’s enthusiasm may occasionally make her judgment a trifle more eulogistic than might seem warranted to outsiders, but without her sympathy for the cause she could not have done justice to her subject. Her enthusiasm, however, never leads her to cast a slur on other types, a merit that has always been found in Shorthorn wTiting. She has occasion to refer to the inadequacy of the present form in which pedigree is given, ‘'which is so arranged as to give the impression that nothing is of importance save the particular line of females (of which the animals dam happens to be last in order) and their immediate crosses.” At times she can produce a telling epigram, such as: “You can buy an animal; you must breed a type.” The young breeder might do worse than Tame this! The book is a welcome addition to Shortaorn literature; it is interesting, instructive, and invaluable as a work of reference. With every confidence we recommend it to the attention of those interested in the breeding of beef Shorthorns. CLYDESDALE SOCIETY. MEETING OF COUNCIL. A meeting of the Council of the Clydesdale Horse Society of New Zealand was held at the rooms of the Canterbury A. and P. Association, Christchurch, on November 8, Mr J. A. Johnstone (president), being in the chair, and there were present Messrs R. W. Lockhead, J. Birtles, J. Gow, J. D. Wyllie and A. Hunter. The following 28 names were added to the roll of members:—A. Bathgate, Outram; A. Bannatyne, Matanaka; E. Dow, Wedderburn; A. Lambie, Crookston; W. Reid, Omihi; J. Thomson, Mungatua; D. H. Dunlop, Pine BuA; j. McCallum, Ryal Bush; W. Millar, Wendon; P. V. Bailey, Springton; W. Black, Waihao Downs; F. Charles, Geraldine; Neil Cook, Amberley; L. C. Craythorne, Riccarton; S. Crossan, Lagrohor; J. Falkinder. Little River; W. Fletcher, Willowbridge; G. W. Kime Dunsandel; F. J. Lemon. Culverdon; J. Legg, Killinchy; Northern A. and P. Association, Rangiora; Walton and Dickson, Cheviot; Leonard White, Rakia; C. O. T. Rutherford, Blenheim; D. J. Willis, Great ford; J. H. Graham, Waitara; J. T. Dixon, Mokauiti; A. R. Turnhill, Fort Galatea. The sub committee had purchased £6OO worth of Government- 4£ per cent 1938 inscribed stock at £97. Accounts for payment amounting to £39 2s 2d were passed for payment. The secretary stated that satisfactory arrangements had been made with Coloneel Young for identification at the port of i<hipment, by officers of the Department of Agriculture, of animals being exported.

On account of Messrs Leonard White, L. W. Storry, J. W T . Harding, Jas. Blair, and the Moore Hunter Estate, 2 stallions and 33 mares and fillies had been submitted to veterinary inspection, and all had passed with the exception of two mares rejected for sidebone. Since last meeting, the stallion Pittodrie Footprint had been imported by Mr G. Youngson, Wendon. No export certificate from Britain had come to hand, and apparently this had been neglected. The importer had not yet applied for registxaiion. RYELANDS. PURCHASES FOR NEW ZEALAND. Six Ryeland yearling rams and thirty ewe lambs have been sold for export to various Ryeland breeders in the Canterbury district of New Zealand itates an English paper. The rams were purchased from Mr D. J. Thomas, Talachddu, Brecon (two); Mr E. Jones, Sennybridge, Brecon; Mr E. W. Langford, Hereford; Mr J. R. Norman Waters, Sevenoaks, Kent; and Mr T. L. Martin, Ashe Warren, Overton, near Basingstoke, Hants; and the ewe lambs from Mr Langford; Mr G. H. Bray, Dornington, Hereford ; and Mr H. Moore, Shucknail, Hereford. Other commissions for that country have yet to be executed.

JOTTINGS. The success of the stud stock sale on the second day of the show was in marked contrast with the experience of the auctioneers at Dunedin during the Otago Show. In Dunedin hardly an animal was sold at auction, although some good ones were offered, while in Invercargill competition was keen and sales easy to effect. The Invercargill sale has made steady progress since its inception, and is now one of the features of the Show. Success at a show means prominence io a breeder, but it can be bought dearly. Mr T. S. Little has found this out this season, and has lost two valuable Border Leicester hoggets at shows. One, a ram hogget, died at a northern show while his best ewe hogget died on the Southland A. and P. Association’s ground, in spite of the efforts of her owner to save her. These animals were the best of their age Mr Little possessed, and he has suffered a severe loss. In the prize list of the Southland Show the name of Mr H. S. Irving was omitted from cow and progeny class. Mr Irving was second with Queen Mary and paraded with her were a 2-year-old heifer and a yearling bull calf. When milk is required for sale, its bacterial content should be kept as low as possible. First obtain the milk under the best conditions of cleanliness, then cool it well in order to prevent the development of germs which are inevitably present. The souring of milk is due solely to the action of bacteria which cannot work while the milk is at a low temperature. The bed of the butterworker needs to be planed when it gets rough through having been in use for a considerable time. Unless the wooden parts with which the butter comes into contact are quite smooth, the butter cannot be properly worked. It is much more difficult to keep a rough surface clean and sweet. In managiflg a cream separator, a point to observe is that up to a temperature of 130 deg. F. the warmer the milk the better is the skimming. Milk should not be separated when below 85 deg. F., as this results in an undue loss of butter-fat in the separated milk. It is advisable to pass hot water through the separator bowl to warm it before the milk enters. When all the milk has been separated a further lot of hot wat— >r . . parated milk should be passed through the machine in order to remove all the cream from the bowl. A milch cow should be long and symmetrical in frame; that is to say, the dis lance from head to chine, from chine to hook, and from hook to pinbone should be lengthy in themselves while proportioned to one another, and all three joined up so as to knit together into one elegant yet substantial whole. Her frame or skeleton should, in order to allow of plenty of room for the development of her vital organs, be roomy. Most of the germs that are naturally present in clean milk ripen it for cheese, and further help to ripen the cheese itself by means of enzymes the bacteria secrete. Cheese which ripen abnormally are often the result of the milk containing undesirable ferments. The cheese ripening room • should be kept at a suitable temperature, as if it is too warm the cheese cannot ripen |c the best advantage.