COMMITTEE REFORTS. 437 



ous, it certainly appears ungracious to find fault, but there was 

 one feature in the Durham cattle obvious to the most casaal ob- 

 server and which ought not to be passed over in silence, via : 

 a great lack of uniformity, not in color merely, but as much 

 difference in style and points, as between animals of different 

 breeds, and this was observable too in animals of the same herd. 

 Now it is presumable that every breeder of blooded stock has 

 some definite object in view, a type of perfection either real or 

 imaginary as his aim ; and when he exhibits two animals 

 perfectly dissimilar, it is evident in one instance that his 

 pursuit has proven a failure. Nor was this lack of uniform- 

 ity confined to the Durham breed, for of the six aged Devon 

 bulls on exhibition, with the exception of color, no two of them 

 were sufiiciently alike, to have made a well-matched pair of 

 cattle. 



If it is true that uniformity in breeding is much more diffi- 

 cult of attainment, than breeding single animals of extraordi- 

 nary merit, may I not be allowed respectfully to suggest to the 

 Executive Committee the propriety of establishing herd jyremi- 

 v.ras^ — as has been done by other agricultural societies — suf- 

 ficiently liberal to induce breeders to incur the expense of ex- 

 hibiting. 



Of Devon cattle there were but few (only nine head) on ex- 

 hibition, which is to be regretted, as there are animals enough 

 of this breed in the state to have made quite an attractive fea- 

 ture in the Fair. Some sanguine admirers of the Durham 

 deemed this undeniable evidence that the Devons are going 

 down in public estimation — an opinion which the next State 

 Fair may prove to have been rather premature. 



In a state with topographical features as various as ours, there 

 are plenty of localities suited to the Devon, where with oppor- 

 tunity he would undoubtedly to a certain extent flourish to the 

 exclusion of the Durham. Half breeds are tlie lest in their pro- 

 per place, and it is believed that in Wisconsin we have room 

 enough and localities suited for both. In awarding the premi- 

 ums on aged bulls, the only class of Devons in which their was 

 any competion, an agreement of the committee was an utter 



