SHORT-HORN BREEDERS' ASSOCIATIOiS', 303 



The short-horns averaged in pounds 1,765; in days 978, and showed a 

 gain per day of 1.81 pounds. ■ 



The yearling Herefords averaged in pounds 1,338; in days 685, and 

 showed a gain per day of 1.9G pounds. 



The short-horns averaged in pounds 1,389; in days 650, and showed a 

 gain per day of 2.14 pounds. 



Thus you see that in each of these three classes, taliing the hundreds 

 of animals that were exhibited, there was a uniform story that in gains 

 per day the short-horns outranlied all the others. I think that justifies 

 the universal popularity of the short-horns. It was an experiment on a 

 large scale, and the figures I have given show the general average of all 

 the breeds shown. That explains why the Herefords are confined, so far 

 as England is concerned, to the little counti-y of Herefordshire. The 

 Aberdeen Angus is confined to Scotland, but the short-horn is found 

 everywhere— it is the cosmopolitan breed — so I think we can safely stay 

 with it. Properly fed, properly bred and properly handled, there is no 

 possibility of a man losing money with a good short-horn herd. My 

 experience in the practical handling of cattle covers pretty nearly my 

 whole life. The first animal I remember was when I was four years 

 old. I have never forgotten being set upon the back of a large, white 

 short-horn bull. While men have failed for many reasons— speculation, 

 improper breeding or the chasing of some irridescent di'eam- even with 

 the low prices of this j'ear there is a good profit underlying the raising 

 of good short-horn cattle in a sensible way. 



Mr. Robbins: I have been much interested in what the speaker has 

 said. I don't think there is anything of more importance confronting us 

 than the problem of how to discard this family name. If Colonel Harris 

 will take a httle more time to teU us how to go about doing away with 

 it, I am sure we would all like to have his views. A few of us have talked 

 this matter over, and have even gone so far as to tabulate our pedi- 

 grees in our private catalogiies. When we speak of the matter people 

 usually say: "Well, our short-horn association will not record that kind 

 of a pedigree, and we don't want it." 



Senator Harris: You can not record very well cattle with a tabulated 

 pedigree. Space will not permit it. You can not increase the bulk of your 

 columns, but you can give the name of the animal, its age, and the name 

 of the breeder; you can say it is by a certain sire, by a certain dam out 

 of a certain sire, and stop there. Leave out such words as "tracing to 

 Young Mary." You gentlemen must adopt that rule. The Short-horn 

 Association will do whatever its stockholders ask it to do. That should be 

 the first step, I thinlv, in this reform, just simply to drop discriminating or 

 distinguishing cattle by the name of a cow imported sixty or teventy 

 years ago. 



