290 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



and during that time thousands of the best cattle that were pro- 

 duced in Great Britain were brought to this country and furnished 

 the foundation of the herds that are now being produced with such 

 eminent success and such great excellence by the American breeders 

 of today. 



The breed has its history in a succession of victories in the 

 show yard. It also has its history as furnishing the most remark- 

 able list of public sales of any breed of cattle in existence. In 1875 

 a sale of 85 head of cattle was made in Great Britain by Mr. 



, where they made the remarkable average of $2,839. 



A few days later Lord Dunmore sold 39 head, at an average of 

 $3,510 a head; and one bull brought 4,500 guineas, the equivalent in 

 American money of that time of $26,900. But the highest sale in all 

 Shorthorn history — in fact, the most remarkable sale of all bovine 

 history, was that made September 10th, 1873, at New York Mills, at 

 which 109 head of Shorthorn cattle made the remarkable average 

 of $3,504. That was a time, of course, when men had lost their 

 heads, and some of them soon afterwards lost their purses as well, 

 because at such prices as that it is a very, very rare thing that any 

 man, no matter how judicious he may have been as a breeder, no 

 matter how judicious as a feeder and as a fitter, no matter how 

 judicious as a salesman, I say that very few men could hope to get 

 prices out of cattle bought at such fabulous figures that would bring 

 them a profit. I cite that not as an example to be followed, not that 

 we hope ever to see such a sale as that repeated in Shorthorn his- 

 tory, but I cite it simply as a fact of Shorthorn history. 



Until recent years the Shorthorn breed had practically no suc- 

 cessful competitor. I am aware that the champions of other breeds 

 will relate to you, and they have a right to do so, the long and suc- 

 cessful list of prizes and championships they have captured in 

 recent years at the International Fat Stock Shows of this country. 

 We grant them that ; we grant them the merit and the honors they 

 have won, but in explanation of that will say that unfortunately 

 Shorthorn breeders became indifferent to the matter of fat stock 

 shows, and many of them have, in recent years, been attempting 

 to win championships with steer calves that they thought were too 

 indifferent to win out as breeders in their herds. Too many of 

 them have made that mistake. Some men have gone forward 

 steadily, showing a good class of steers, and have made a creditable 

 record for the breed, but during the last 18 months a very encourag- 

 ing improvement is perceptible. The Shorthorn breeder is waken- 



