considered to be a working breed, but poorly shaped and with poor milk. To improve the breed, some Limousin breeders tried to cross their animals with Agenais, Norman or Charolais cattle, which were better shaped. The Limousin breed was also not immune to the wave of Anglomania affecting France in the middle of the 19th century. Some wealthy farmers maintained Durham cattle, which were prized by the elite of the time. However, this practice was criticised by the agricultural society of Limoges. The society encouraged farmers to continue selecting animals that were most consistent with the characteristics of the Limousin breed, which was perfectly adapted to the region's environment, rather than trying to adapt other breeds. Furthermore, the vast majority of Limousin breeders could not afford to raise livestock in addition to their working animals, as was the case on larger properties that practiced crossing with Durham cattle. Finally, the marginalisation of English animals in competitions from the late 1860s reinforced the case to improve the breed by itself. A herd-book was started in 1886. At the beginning of the 19th century, a bonus was introduced to reward farmers who retained their best bulls, though they were not productive. The increase in weight of the animals began with improved grassland. The second half of the 19th century had the arrival of fertilizers and improved pastures such as clover and ryegrass, which not only improved the productivity of existing fields, but also transformed the moorland pasture. Vineyards affected by phylloxera were also being returned to pasture. The results were not immediate. In 1862, cattle sold at La Souterraine weighed about 600 kg. The decline of Anglomania in favour of economic pragmatism, and the criticism and fall of the aristocracy aided the development of Limousin cattle. The crowning moment was the honour received by the bull Achilles Caillaud to open the competition in Paris for all breeds in 1886 (the year the Limousin Herd Book was created), and the grand champion prize of all breeds won three years later by Charles Léobardy for his team. The First World War slowed down the growth of the Limousin breed, which carried through the interwar years despite a reorganisation of the herd book in 1923. Herd book registrations grew slowly, from 600,000 animals in 1890 to 800,000 in 1940. The Limousin breed almost disappeared when the French government planned to combine it with the Garonne,