' • — ■ — -^ 807 



.SHOET-HOEN BREEDERS ASSOCIATION. 



I 



1 tlunk the proper thing to do is for some of the prominent breeders 

 to lay aside such fads. Malie this thing practical and don't worry about 

 the tabulation or the paper part of it. 



Mr. Douglas: If we pass this resolution will it not strike a body blow 

 to that part of the Herd Book of the American Association which provides 

 that no animal shall be entered that can not trace to an animal that has 

 a certain place in the English Herd Books? 



Senator Harris: When the new association was formed it was decided 

 to admit into the future records of the association all animals already 

 recoi-ded. We admit all the English importations provided they trace to 

 column 20 of the English Herd Book. We do discriminate against some, 

 families. Of course on the other side they do admit new families. W^hile 

 I was one .of the directors of the American Herd Book I opposed 

 admitting those new families. In the eighties the Scotch created new 

 families in order to import them. The Scotch cattle had a want of 

 popularity at that time, and I did not think they ought to be allowed to 

 unload that kind of cattle on us. England is a little country. When 

 an application is made for a new herd the directors can send some one 

 out to examine it. They are pretty careful to examine the foundation 

 stock and all about it. That is impracticable in this country. England is 

 full of what are called "non-pedigreed" cattle. All the groai Hairy herds 

 around London and Liverpool are of this class. At a recent dairy show a 

 cow of that class took the champion prize. They have the loundalion 

 there. Mr. Booth used to say that five crosses of a pure bred bull on any 

 dairy cow made a shoit-horn. I believe five crosses of pure bred bulls on 

 any good market cow makes them to aU intents and purposes short-horns. 

 The question with us is how we shall properly rehabilitate the old breeds 

 of cattle that run away back past recent importations. There are old 

 families in Ohio and Kentucky that were originally selected with more 

 care with reference to their purity of blood than any of the modern 

 importations. I think we ought not to throw away all that magnificent 

 foundation. 



Mr. Donlej', however, has put his finger on the sore; he got right 

 down to the nerve. This thing of whether you tabulate the pedigrees or 

 whether you drop the imported cow is not the thing; but let a dozen of 

 the prominent breeders take cattle of this kind and use them at the head 

 of their herds, and the thing is done. When I had my herd they were all 

 imported from Mr. Cruikshank's herd. After a while I saw the necessity 

 for a change. I did not like Mr. Cruikshank's cattle, after the use of 

 Cumberland, especially. They began to get small and weak, and were 

 not as sturdy as cattle bred from other sires. I got a Golden Drop cow 

 by a Bates bull, and I bred my Cruikshank bulls to this cow, and then used 

 her blood on the whole herd. They were the best cattle I had. and wh«n 

 I dispersed my herd thoy brought the highest price. 



