OF THE SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB 317 



A DODDIE DEVOTEE FROM THE PAMPAS 



124. The second judge to come to the International Livestock 

 Show from the Argentine was WILLIAM J. GRANT, to officiate in 

 the breeding and fat classes of Aberdeen-Angus in 1919. So 

 appreciative of his work were the Aberdeen-Angus breeders that 

 they requested him immediately upon the completion of his 

 duties to make the long journey again, two years later. MR. 

 GRANT was a native-born Scot, first opening his eyes to the light 

 in February, 1869, in Elgin, a few miles to the south of the 

 Moray Firth in Elginshire. His early education was obtained 

 in the Elgin Academy, and he was articled while still a youth 

 to MR. H. M. S. MACKAY, a civil engineer of his native town. 

 For five years he studied rigorously as a land surveyor and civil 

 engineer, and in 1890 proceeded to the Argentine as assistant 

 engineer on the construction of the Buenos Aires-Great Southern 

 Railway. In 1893 he received appointment as chief district engi- 

 neer of the Buenos Aires and Pacific, and eight years later was 

 promoted to chief construction engineer. 



In 1903 he purchased, 3,750 acres of land and began opera- 

 tions as farmer and stock breeder. His interests grew rapidly 

 until he was master of 11,000 odd acres, and found his time so 

 occupied that in 1908 he resigned his railroad position and 

 devoted his entire energies to agriculture. He has developed 

 two very excellent herds of cattle, one of Aberdeen-Angus and 

 the other of Shorthorn breeding. His Aberdeen-Angus herd con- 

 tains 85 pedigreed cows and about 300 purebreds that are unreg- 

 istered. The principal families represented are the Mulben May- 

 flowers, the Prides of Aberdeen, the Lady Idas, the Beauty's of 

 Methlick, the Advie Roses, the Ericas and the Blackbirds. The 

 Shorthorn herd is about the same size and comprises about 80 

 registered and 400 unregistered animals. MR. GRANT breeds 

 very largely on a merit basis and to secure this handles repre- 

 sentatives of both Scotch and English strains. The following 



