368 A HISTORY OF SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



He never got a calf in all his long career but 

 what would readily sell at a first-class price; 

 while as a show bull and getter of show ani- 

 mals he stands unrivaled." At Mr. Spears' 

 great sale of 1875 the Nelly Ely family, largely 

 the get of Gen. Grant (tracing to imp. Lady 

 Elizabeth by Emperor), were pronounced by 

 many of the most prominent breeders of Ken- 

 tucky and other States the best family of cows 

 they had ever seen together, and the fine aver- 

 age of over $1,500 was attained in the sale-ring 

 that day.* Prominent among the Nelly Blys 

 may be mentioned the 5th and 7th of the fam- 

 ily, the latter a grand breeder and show cow 

 and sold for $2,000. Of his bull calves the most 

 noted that we now recall were Mr. Kissinger's 

 famous Starlight 11018, Duke of Forest Hill 

 (never beaten in the show-ring except by bulls 

 got by Gen. Grant) and Major Story. The two 

 latter were shown at all the leading fairs of 

 the West, usually winning first and second. A 

 wonderful show calf also was Major Jones, 



* Col. James W. Judy of Tallula, 111., the veteran auctioneer who made 

 this sale, in response to a query as to the character of these cattle, under 

 date of Feb. 4, 1898, said: " The Nelly Blys bred by Mr. Spears were a grand 

 family of cattle good feeders, good milkers and very prolific and almost 

 invariably good colors and very uniform in their general make-up, which 

 was very neat, and I think many of their sterling qualities were largely due 

 to the blood of Gen. Grant. He was a low-down, well-proportioned, blocky 

 bull; a yellow or pale red, with no white; solid red, with a remarkably 

 mellow hide and as fine a coat of silky hair as I ever saw on a bull, and 

 was a very uniform and regular breeder, and was a great factor in spread- 

 ing the fame of the Spears Nelly Blys in fact did more for the reputation 

 of Mr. Spears' herd of Short-horns than any bull he ever owned, the 21at 

 Duke of Airdrie not excepted," 



