158 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



certainty. So far as you and my friend Allen 

 are concerned, you can answer for yourselves. 

 In conclusion, I'll give you one "proof" of 

 my belief in facts. 1 will, at the next National 

 fair, to be adjudged by the Society's judges of 

 sweepstake cattle, show two heifers, bred and 

 now owned by me, of the "short-horned" breed, 

 one year old last November, against any two 

 heifers, bred and owned by any one breeder of 

 "Herefords" in America, the loser to pay the 

 expenses of going and returning from the fair. 

 Or, in case there are no heifers of the same age 

 or near the same, I will show two 'shorthorn 

 females' of any named age of my own and my 



YOUNG HEREFORDS, BRED BY T. F. B. SOTHAM, 

 CHILLICOTHE, MO. 



brother B. J. Clay's- herd against any two 

 'Herefords' of any two breeders in America, 

 owned and bred by the same parties. 

 Your obedient servant, 



C. M. CLAY. 



Herd Books. P. S. Any attempt to create 

 jealousy between American and English breed- 

 ers, or controversy about which is the best herd 

 book, the American or the English, is ridicu- 

 lous. Herd books are simply general and con- 

 venient registers of pedigrees, and their merit 

 depends upon the fidelity and ability with which 

 they are edited. Both the English and Ameri- 

 can are good authority, and both needed for 

 convenience; and any refusal to put pedigrees 

 in either is based upon narrow views of the 

 thing to be answered by "herd books;" for they 

 neither give nor take away credit due to the 

 authenticity of pedigrees, further than that the 

 editors are presumed to be well versed in such 

 things; and that errors are more liable there 

 to be corrected, and frauds to be exposed. 



C. M. C. 



THOMAS BROWN S EDITORIAL. 

 WILLIAM H. SOTHAM. 



Mr. Sotham has sent us the copy of the "Mark 

 Lane Express" in which his notice and critique 

 of the National Agricultural Exhibition, of 

 Philadelphia, is contained. With the above 

 came also a letter, over his name, concerning 

 "Shorthorns," containing a vast amount of 

 spleen and emphatic, under-lined words and 

 sentences. We are requested to publish it or 

 send it back. Now, we don't think it is worth 

 the attention of the public, and not' worth 

 preservation by Mr. Sotham; we shall there- 

 fore gently drop it beyond that "bourne" whence 

 no letter returns. 



Since writing the foregoing, we have received 

 from the same source two other long letters for 

 publication, made frightful by italics and 

 threats; but they have gone the way of the 

 other! Ohio Farmer. 



MR. KEARY'S ESSAY. 



Mr. Keary, in 1849, wrote an essay on breeds 

 of cattle, favorable to Shorthorns, for the Royal 

 Agricultural Society; the Council of which 

 then comprised Shorthorn breeders, who had 

 much influence over that society ; much in the 

 same way as they have had over the New York 

 State Agricultural Society. I can vouch for the 

 truth, that Mr. Lewis F. Allen and Mr. Fran- 

 cis Rotch, Sen., and a few other such Short- 

 horn breeders, have nominated more "judges," 

 more presidents and more vice-presidents, more 

 members of ex-committee, than all the rest of 

 New York State people put together. The two 

 former have always been very officious in these 

 matters. This every one will admit who knows 

 anything of the society; and I think much to 

 its injury. Mr. Allen, being author of the 

 Herd Book, cannot back out of what he has said 

 so exultingly favorable to Shorthorns, although 

 turned to a Devon breeder. 



Mr. Rotch was not satisfied in helping nomi- 

 nate "judges" but assumed the responsibility 

 of teaching them the "true points of excellence" 

 in the different breeds; which I consider the 

 most absurd stuff ever penned by a breeder, al- 

 though the quality he advocated, if cellular sub- 

 stance could be called quality, exactly suited 

 to his own herd, giving the preference to soft, 

 flabby flesh, characteristic of the very herd he 

 then possessed. This was endorsed and adopted 

 by the New York State Society, and would have 

 been permanently posted on the books, had not 

 a few of us strongly opposed. These "points 

 of excellence" died a natural death, very com- 

 posedly, for I have not heard o,f them since 



