HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



157 



upon asserting that the "Shorthorn" was the 

 "best breed of cattle" without "proof." Now, 

 every intelligent agricultural writer and reader 

 ought to know that the word of a man is not 

 more worthy of credit because they may go 

 before a magistrate and make oath to the same. 

 Each one gives his opinion, no doubt biased in 

 some extent, by habit and the amiable weakness 

 of self-interest. But, after all, a man's ability 

 and honesty will be very properly estimated by 

 the public/ as Mr. S. will no doubt find out 

 after awhile. 



The imputation against me as one of those 

 who are getting up an "excitement" about Short- 

 horns need not be proven to you to be untrue, 

 when you remember that I only write the few 

 articles in the "Ohio Farmer" by your request. 

 I am the first breeder of Shorthorns in Madison 

 County, and a breeder and dealer for more than 

 twenty years, and yet I never before wrote a line 

 on the subject. For Mr. Sotham's consolation 

 I will say that my herd is very small, and I have 

 a desire to increase it, rather than sell, even for 

 "exorbitant" prices! His remarks about my 

 cattle at the National fair at Springfield are 

 rather singular, as I had only one-half of the 

 bull Locomotive (who took the first premium in 

 his ring against the world) and no other cattle 

 at all. If through mistake he applied his re- 

 marks to me instead of my brother, B. J. Clay, 

 I need only say that he took more premiums 

 than any other man upon the same number, 

 and many thought he was entitled to the pre- 

 mium for the "best herd," which was not given, 

 I learn, because some other parties were not 

 willing for additional judges to be called in. 



The breeders of Shorthorns do not deem it 

 necessary to attack other breeds in order to 

 elevate their own. In giving my views upon 

 the "best breeds" I was willing to admit that 

 the Devons and Ayrshires were the best breeds 

 in some localities and under certain circum- 

 stances of climate and food. 



Mr. S. complains of our "stuffing" our "cat- 

 tle." Ours are the cattle that will bear "stuf- 

 fing" and "pay" well for the stuffing. We al- 

 ways avowed that they were heavy feeders and 

 would not recommend them where "heavy feed- 

 ing" was" not desirable, and yet as I suggested, 

 the Boston "Cultivator" asserts that those fine 

 ones in Maine and New Hampshire are crosses 

 of the Shorthorn, Devon and Longhorn. As to 

 the Herefords, I have nothing to say for or 

 against them, except that they have never, in 

 public opinion, risen to the rank of contending 

 for the supremacy, and with Mr. S. for an ad- 

 vocate I think the day is far distant when an 

 "excitement" in their behalf will be gotten up ! 



The best judges I have heard speak on the sub- 

 ject regard the Herefords as not a pure breed; 

 and if they were I must say that I have all the 

 more no fancy for them. I know not what Mr. 

 S. means by "proofs." The cow of mine which 

 weighed 2,020 pounds was only "stuffed" six 

 months; and the butchers at Albany, N. Y., 

 who are, I presume, as good judges of fine beef 

 as Mr. S., offered $140 for her, which was re- 

 fused by her owners. Now, this cow was by no 

 means the largest or finest of the breed, and 

 never was much "stuffed," and yet I venture 

 to assert there is no "Hereford" in America 

 which will weigh as much or bring as much 

 money at the block ! The above facts, if not 

 "proofs" can be proved by certificates, if we 

 have, to go outside of the rules of gentlemen in 

 this discussion ! 



What though I admitted that some families 

 or strains of Durhams or Shorthorns were "deli- 

 cate," do not fa'cts aver the same of all breeds of 

 all animals ? I desire to elicit truth and promote 

 the general good. If I was merely a defender 

 of Shorthorns, I should say buy any of long- 

 pedigree, without regard to quality, beauty, 

 form or constitution; but as I profess to en- 

 lighten others, as far as my knowledge and ex- 

 perience go, I wish them to use their own judg- 

 ment ; and I give them hints upon which I have 

 founded my own. 



I don't know how Mr. S. could dare to ven- 

 ture upon the assertion that the many engraved 

 likenesses of Shorthorns in the United States 

 were simply copies of the same animal; when 



YOKE OF HALF-BRED HEREFORD STEERS, 2 YEARS 

 OLD, OUT OF DEVON DAMS. 

 (Favorites of Wm. H. Sotham.) 



there are so many thousand living witnesses in 

 disproof of his allegation ! and yet his admis- 

 sion of a common type and common peculiari- 

 ties, when so proved, are in direct establishment 

 of the purity of the breed, and their great ex- 

 cellence in reproducing their like with so much 



