PERIOD OF BIG IMPORTS CONCLUDED 507 



The Hillhurst importing operations, involving 

 sales in the States in competition with home breed- 

 ers and importers, naturally did not arouse much 

 support from ' ' the trade. ' ' In fact, many of the best 

 of Mr. Cochrane 's cattle were permitted to sell below 

 their real value because it was obviously not the pur- 

 pose of western breeders to encourage speculation 

 in Heref ords via the Canadian route. 



The Leigh and Curry Importations. Mr. 

 George Leigh, of Aurora, 111., partly in association 

 with Mr. J. 0. Curry of that place, imported be- 

 tween the years of 1881 and 1885, 250 head of Here- 

 fords. There were twelve importations in all, includ- 

 ing many animals that had illustrious careers in the 

 west and from which many valuable cattle descended. 



The Grove 3d Quartette. In Mr. Leigh's shipment 

 ment of 1882 were the four The Grove 3d heifers, 

 Beatrice, Hawthorn, Ethel, and Eosina, winners at 

 Leominster in 1881. These were sold in quarantine 

 at Quebec in 1882 to Mr. Culbertson at $600 each. 

 They were placed on exhibition at the old Fat Stock 

 Show that fall where they were the objects of uni- 

 versal admiration. Mr. Parmelee, who was at that 

 time a collector of rare specimens of the breed, took 

 them from Mr. Culbertson at $1,000 each. In later 

 years Beatrice, Hawthorn, and Ethel drifted back 

 to Aurora, finally becoming the property of T. F. B. 

 Sotham. Beatrice and Hawthorn became famous 

 producers, and the former was still breeding in 

 1900 at the age of twenty years, among her progeny 

 being the champion bull Sir Bredwell, by Corrector, 



