James Wilson

“ Now it is not a bullock that will grow for three or four years and remain active and lean for a similar period that is wanted, but one that will fatten quickly and easily at the end of his period of growth. Bakewell saw that a new kind of animal must be bred from. Before his time calves that showed a tendency to fatness were turned into veal, while those not showing this tendency were retained. Bakewell reversed the process, and secured animals likely to breed him stock for the butcher rather than for the plough. ”

“ Now the horse is to split into two kinds, one valued for its strength, the other for its speed, and the former is to drive the bullock from the plough to the feeding stall. At the same time, the new agricultural discoveries and the new crops are to allow the bullock to be fattened off at an age at which, in former days, he would have been beginning his career in the plough and the waggon. ”

“ Here we are concerned only with cattle.
One statement regarding Bakewell, namely, that he thought the Devon cattle incapable of improvement by crossing with any other breed, indicates that, at one time, Bakewell held his neighbours' views as to how cattle should be improved, and this is confirmed by the fact that his stock were gathered from herds in different parts of the country, and that the cows he bought from Mr. Webster of Canley were put to a bull from Westmoreland. ”

“ For instance, Bakewell's bull D was once let to Fowler of Rollright.
This system was advantageous to men of smaller means, as well as to Bakewell, for, if he discovered that any animal which had been let out produced unusually good stock, he could recall that animal for his own use at the end of its season. This system was adopted by other Longhorn breeders and in breeds that were established subsequently to the Longhorns. ”

“ Or, still more likely, failing to find a better bull than Twopenny—the produce of the Westmoreland bull and a Canley cow—and fearing to use a worse one, he may have been compelled, sentiment or no sentiment, to stick to his own. This view is supported by Marshall, who was deeper in Bakewell's confidence than any other writer, and who was, to some extent, the expositor of his ideas: "The argument held out in its (in-breeding's) favour is, that there can be only one best breed ”