popular, and dark red
has its supporters, as in the case of the _Lincolnshire Red Shorthorns_;
white is not in favour, especially abroad. The Shorthorn breed is more
noted for its beef-making than for its milk-yielding properties,
although the non-pedigree milking Shorthorn of the north of England is
an excellent cow with dual-purpose qualifications of the first order. An
effort is being made to restore milking qualities to certain strains of
pedigree blood.

The culmination of what may be termed the Booth and Bates period was in
the year 1875, when the sales took place of Lord Dunmore's and William
Torr's herds, which realized extraordinary prices. In that black year of
farming, 1879, prices were declining, and they continued to do so till
within the last few years of the close of the 19th century, when there
set in a gradual revival, stimulated largely by the commercial
prosperity of the country. The result of extremely high prices when
line-bred animals were in fashion was a tendency to breed from all kinds
of animals that were of the same tribe, without selection. A
deterioration set in, which was aggravated by the overlooking of the
milking properties. Shorthorn breeders came to see that change of blood
was necessary. Meanwhile, for many years breeders in Aberdeenshire had
been holding annual sales of young bulls and heifers from their herds.
The late Amos Cruickshank began his annual sales in the 'forties, and
the late W.T. Talbot-Crosbie had annual sales from his Shorthorn herd in
the south-west of Ireland for a number of years. Many Aberdeen farmers
emigrated to Canada, and bought Shorthorn calves in their native county
to take with them. The Cruickshanks held their bull sales at that time,
and many of their animals were bought by the small breeders in Canada.
This continued until 1875, when the Cruickshanks had so much private
demand that they discontinued their public sales. Subsequently, when
Cruickshank sold his herd privately to James Nelson & Sons for
exportation, the animals could not all be shipped, and W. Duthie, of
Collynie, Aberdeenshire, bought some of the older cows, whilst J. Deane
Willis, of Bapton Monar, Wilts, bought the yearling heifers. Duthie
thereupon resumed the sales that the Cruickshanks had relinquished, his
averages being L30 in 1892, about L50 in 1893-1894, and L80 in 1895.
These prices advanced through English breeders requiring a little change
of blood, and also through the increasi