Bakewell's bulls, Twopenny and D, and of D's son Shakespeare, bred by Mr. Fowler of Rollright in Oxfordshire, will indicate Bakewell's system.
The figures in brackets attached to a bull's name indicate, approximately, the date of its birth.
In addition to being the great pioneer in the art of stock-breeding, Bakewell also took the lead in organising a system whereby the "blood" of his stock was disseminated among the stock of other breeders, while at the same time its connection with the fountain-head was not necessarily broken. A good many of his bulls and some of his cows were sold outright. Even in Ireland Arthur Young (1776-78) reported twelve or fifteen cases in which cattle had been brought direct from Bakewell. But to farmers in his own neighbourhood Bakewell arranged to let out some of his bulls for a season, at the end of which they returned again to Dishley. 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.
It has often been argued that the system of
