634 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



or concerted action of any kind, the cattle remained without fixed char- 

 acter, varying in different localities. The country of Watson had the 

 Angus "Doddie," that of McCombie the Buchan Humlie, both mostly horn- 

 less and mostly black and much of the same character not being widely 

 separated by distance or environment. 



The hornless and black character was preserved and intensified but 

 the main object was to produce an animal that would consume the product 

 of the farm and make the best return on the London market, "rent pay- 

 ers" as they were called, as their breeders were all on rented farms. These 

 men thought this could be best done by selection from the native cattle, 

 but others having the same object in view had seen the Short-horns in the 

 Tees valley and Barclay of Ury, Hay of Shethin and others established 

 herds of this breed in Aberdeen, laying the foundation of what is now 

 termed the Scotch Short-horn. From these herds Cruickshank probably 

 drew his inspiration and certainly a deal of material that has made Silly- 

 ton so famous. The bulls of these herds were all used in this country as 

 well as others brought in and from that cross on, the cattle of the country 

 became very popular, the bullocks aiding in no small degree in establish- 

 ing the claim of "Prime Scots" on the London market and how much if 

 any of this blood was taken in to build up the superior qualities of the 

 modern Aberdeen Angus, we do not know — neither have we any reason 

 to care. A uniform type is surely fixed, not only among themselves but 

 when crossed on other breeds they produce this uniformity of excellence 

 as well as appearance with wonderful certainty. Until 1878 this breed was 

 little known outside of their own locality and not at all in this country, 

 when at the world's fair in Paris McCombie surprised the world by mak- 

 ing a clean sweep against every known beef breed of cattle as there ex- 

 hibited, numbering against him 170 head. This brought them into notice 

 abroad and a few years later some large and valuable importations were 

 made to this country, being closely followed by others. Fortunately these 

 importers were men of considerable means and good ones were brought, 

 as by this time their qualities were becoming known and it took 

 money to move them. Their career in this country is too well known to 

 justify reciting here. To recount their fat stock prizes would amount to 

 all the prizes that ha've been offered within the last 15 or 20 years in Britain 

 and America, as over 75 per cent have been taken by them. And still it 

 goes on. This year in Chicago all championships were taken and 8 out 

 of 9 principal prizes. This week it was Shamrock in Chicago and next 

 week the most perfect specimen of beef animal skill has yet produced 

 Lyia of Glamis at Smithfield (London), where this show season all the 

 championships and 9 per cent of the prizes fell to the pure bred Angus, 

 where their crosses in every instance stood second or "reserve number," 

 as it is called there. But why repeat, as it is now taken as a matter of 

 course — so much so that in the anguish of spirit Mr. Mitchell, 

 who guides the destinies of Choice Goods, Ruberta and Cicely, exclaims 

 as we quote here from the Twentieth Century Farmer dated Feb. 4, 1903 : 

 "The day of 1800 and 2,000- pound three-year-old steers has long since given 

 way to the tidy yearling, familiar to us as 'baby beef,' and when the Short- 

 horns are able to land the championships in steer classes and car lots at 



