ioneer. He waited about for
a long time after the hour fixed for the sale, until it became evident
that something had gone wrong. It appeared that the sheriff's
representative had served a writ on the vendor restraining the sale,
and although it was stated that Thornton had offered a personal
guarantee that the proceeds should be handed over to the sheriff, the
representative could not exceed his instructions, and the sale was
abandoned. A large company, including many foreign buyers, had
assembled; it was difficult to get these together at a postponement,
and when the sale was proceeded with some weeks later, I fear the
result could scarcely have proved so satisfactory.

The Vale of Evesham is particularly suitable for pedigree shorthorn
breeding, as the soil and climate are very favourable for their
production according to exhibition type. It is otherwise with the
Jersey, for they quickly adapt themselves to the difference in their
environment as compared with the conditions in their native Channel
Island. When I exchanged my shorthorns for Jerseys, owing to the
foreign competition in the production of beef, which at sevenpence a
pound compared unfavourably with butter at fifteenpence, I imported my
cows direct from the Island, and afterwards bred from their
descendants, selling the bull calves, and occasionally buying a young
bull from Jersey. The blood was therefore kept absolutely pure, and,
as I was a member of the English Jersey Society, all my stock were
entered in the Herd Book.

As time went on my cattle presented a noticeable change from the
original type; they were larger, developing much more hair and bone,
and though they gained in strength of constitution, and were handsome
and profitable, they gradually lost the dainty deer-like appearance of
the imported stock; and though quite as valuable for the purposes of
the dairy, they would have been regarded in the show ring by
connoisseurs as having a tendency to coarseness. I was, at first,
successful at the shows, but as the character of my cattle altered I
recognized that they would stand no chance against Jerseys bred on
lighter land, and in a climate more nearly approximating to that of
their native country.

Precisely the same thing happened with my pedigree Shropshire sheep;
environment altered their character and produced a different
type--bone, wool, and size all increased. The wool was coarser and
darker in colour; they were good, useful, hardy st