Live Stock Breeders' Association. 289 



serve the fertility of the soil of their farms; then, as live stock is 

 a necessary part of agricultural life, the question is, what kind 

 of live stock shall I breed ? It seems to me that that is a question 

 which must be settled by each one for himself. Briefly, it ought 

 to be that particular breed of live stock for which you, as an indi- 

 vidual, are best suited. Some men succeed in one and fail in an- 

 other; some have tried one breed and made an utter failure, and 

 have taken up another line, and made a great success of it. So 

 you can not lay down any absolute rule that will conform to all 

 cases. It is a matter of temperament, a matter of fitness, largely. 



But I am supposed to confine myself to a discussion of live 

 stock, particularly to cattle ; and not only to cattle, but I will bring 

 it down to the beef breeds of cattle, because with no other class of 

 cattle have I had any experience. Then the question to determine 

 is what particular breed of beef cattle shall we select. I am here 

 representing the American Shorthorn Breeders' Association, hav- 

 ing had a long experience, an actual experience, in the breeding of 

 shorthorn cattle, and it goes without saying that you would expect 

 me to speak in defense of shorthorns. 



Admitting the very great merit of the competitors of the Short- 

 horn, admitting that not all of the merit in the beef form is com- 

 prised in the Shorthorn breed, giving to others due and just credit 

 for the great merit they actually possess, we can still stand before 

 you and claim that there is no breed, considering both the beef and 

 milk-producing qualities, that is the equal of the Shorthorn. I be- 

 lieve that I am safe in taking that position. I believe that history 

 and the facts of the present day management of the Shorthorn 

 breed will justify me in taking that position, and I stand upon that 

 record, that as a beef -producing animal, and as a milk-producing 

 animal, the two combined, there is today before the American 

 people absolutely no breed of cattle that is the equal of the Short- 

 horn. The Shorthorn is one of the first improved breeds of beef- 

 cattle. The breed originated, as all students of the history of 

 Shorthorns know, in a few counties in England in about the middle 

 of the 17th century. The breed was improved by judicious farmers, 

 and from England it was brought to America, and has been taken 

 to all of the colonies of Great Britain, and from that start the breed 

 has been more widely disseminated than any breed in existence. 

 I will not weary you with a detail of importation. They came to this 

 country as early as 1794. There were a few imported during the 

 18th century, but most of them from 1810 up to the present day, 



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