170 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



1st, when she became dry. I kept her on a 

 good bite of grass, on a light sandy soil, as 

 long as the grass lasted, then put her up to feed. 

 She was economically fed (and not "stuffed") 

 until the last of March, when I started to Bos- 

 ton with her. 



This was the extent of her feeding. 



I will now for a finality, propose to meet Mr. 

 Clay's "challenge" in a fair way; I have two 

 heifer calves, "Prudence," calved August 29, 

 1856; "Woodlark," calved September 30, 1856. 

 These are all I have left this season. They ran 

 with their dams as long as any grass ; when the 

 cows came to winter quarters, they were allowed 



HEREFORD. SHORTHORN. 



(The thickness of Hereford and Shorthorn roasts compared. 

 Actual photograph of roasts from Hereford and Short- 

 horn bullocks dressed at Chicago Fat Stock Show, 1879, 

 showed Hereford 33 1-3 per cent thicker than the Short- 

 horn.) 



to suck their dams once a day; about the 20th 

 of December they were taken away, and now 

 live on oat chaff and cut cornstalks, mixed with 

 about a pint of oatmeal each per day, mixed 

 with their chaff, one common sized rutabaga 

 per day, cut up between them regular, and are 

 in growing store order, as I do not believe in 

 forcing calves; as spring and warm weather 

 approaches I shall increase the roots, and keep 

 to about the same quantity of oatmeal. These 

 calves shall be turned to grass in the spring, 

 until -next fall, wjien I will bring them with 

 me to Kentucky, at the National Show, place 

 them in any honest Kentucky grazier's hands, 

 against any two heifer calves now owned by 

 Cassius M. Clay, or Brutus J. Clay, of a similar 

 age ; if they have not any exactly the same age, 

 a few months difference imist be allowed for 

 accordingly. The four calves shall be weighed 

 when delivered to the receiver, the feed to be 

 weighed the whole year, and at the end of it 

 all four of them again weighed. The following 

 year shall be pursued with the same treatment; 

 coming in at three, again at four years old. 

 They shall be milked both seasons, each as long 

 as she will hold out in milking under the just 

 and economical management of their receiver; 

 the butter regularly weighed, and disposed of 



by him, he reporting quality and giving a just 

 account at different times, as he deems right. 

 At the end of this trial they will be five years 

 old; they shall be fed for one year, or two, as 

 agreed upon, the two heifers that make the most 

 butter and most beef, for the food consumed, 

 to be the winners. The quality of beef at the 

 "block" to be taken into consideration. Each 

 pair of heifers to be charged with what they 

 eat, of each kind of feed, all living on the same, 

 and allowing them a good and sufficient 

 grazier's quantity through the whole trial, the 

 losing heifers to be forfeited to receiver, to pay 

 expenses. Pedigrees of heifers to be given at 

 the time of delivery. There are plenty of men 

 in Kentucky that will act fairly between us. 



One more question, Mr. Clay, and I have 

 done for this time. Did you ever see a "Dur- 

 ham," "Shorthorn," or "Teeswater" with a 

 "long, silky coat" that you would "venture" as 

 a breeder to pronounce "thoroughbred?" I will 

 "venture" to assert that kind of coat is de- 

 scended from the Scots. The original " Dur- 

 ham s" have no claim to it, or ever possessed it ; 

 so say all the old breeders in England with 

 whom I am acquainted, and they are not a few. 

 Most of them speak from knowledge descended 

 from their ancestors. Every effort "Short- 

 horn" men have made to contradict this charge 

 has created a stronger desire in me to believe 

 it and that it was bred into them clandestinely. 

 I have every reason to believe the noted Hub- 

 back was half Scotch, no "proof" has ever been 

 shown to the contrary, but the more breeders 

 try to hide this plausible "history" of him, the 

 more likely to be true. 



I hope Mr. Clay's next letter will contain 

 more practical teaching, and I heartily wish 

 him success, though we differ widely in 

 "opinion." 



I am, etc., 



WM. HY. SOTHAM. 



WM. HY. SOTHAM'S LETTER TO B. p. JOHNSON, 



ESQ. 

 Secretary New York Agr. Society. 



Owego, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1855. 

 B. P. Johnson, Esq.: 



Sir : As you have undertaken to write an un- 

 called-for article in your "New York State 

 Journal" of that Society, placing the Short- 

 horns predominate in your opinion, in value, 

 weight, early maturity, etc., I think you have 

 done great injustice to the Society. No such 

 body has the right to endorse the opinion of any 

 man, without his producing the weight of each 

 breed satisfactorily, and prices sold for to the 



