188 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



Every one of common sense who read his work 

 was aware that his object was to make money 

 out of the Shorthorn breeders who paid him for 

 his puffing of Shorthorns and condemning 

 Herefords (fl 93), by which he had to stretch 

 his conscience, but his self-contradictions in the 

 latter partially destroyed the effect which he in- 

 tended to convey. This is how all such men 

 lose their prestige. Lewis F. Allen, when he 

 wrote his book on cattle, had no practical knowl- 

 edge of breeding. Had he studied it impartially 

 he would have found while praising the Bates 

 so highly for purity of blood they had more of 

 the alloys, even to "the old black cow," than any 

 other breed; although he pretended to have the 

 most horrid abhorrence of the Galloway cross, 

 he was aware of the improvement, and procured 

 it in his repeated mysteries. Still, he stuck to 

 it that not a particle of it was in his herd, 



W. S. VAN NATTA, "HICKORY GROVE," FOWLER, 



IND. 



(First Chairman Herd Book Committee American Hereford 

 Cattle Breeders' Association.) 



though Mr. Matthews, of Virginia, proved con- 

 clusively from his own statements in "Bell on 

 Bates," and other authority, that such a state- 

 ment was utterly false. Lewis F. Allen, who 

 was constantly quoting Bell, etc., must have 

 been aware of this fact, but he overlooked all 

 imperfections in Bates and his breeding. 



All who have ever read Bell on Bates will 

 corroborate Mr. Matthews' articles in the "Na- 



tional Live Stock Journal." Allen was, like 

 Youatt, determined to uphold the Shorthorns 

 with extreme flattery, at all hazards, although 

 he felt too poor to support them ; he patronized 

 the Devons because they were cheaper, better 

 and more profitable than the noted herd of 

 Thos. Bates, who disliked Booth, because he 

 beat him in almost every instance when they 

 came fairly into competition together. 



Bates was continually condemning Booth 

 (!| 94) for his Galloway cross, to which Mr. 

 Booth openly confessed. Bates contended that 

 his "pure bloods" were far above Booth's "al- 

 loys," which ought to have been taken into con- 

 sideration in the showing. Here lies a serious 

 myth. Could it be possible that Bates did not 

 know how his cattle were bred at the time he 

 made the statement; that all his families pos- 

 sessed it? which has since been proved, by his 

 own conviction, which his weakness could no 

 longer hide, for his general positiveness was one 

 of the certain marks of his weak judgment. 

 There he allowed his fancies to rule over reason, 

 and thus they ruled over him. When Bates 

 showed against Booth he was very desirous of 

 having such committees favorably disposed to- 

 ward him, and if he did not succeed in this, his 

 rage deprived him of his reason, and made him 

 a laughing stock, forgetting the old adage, "that 

 reason governs the wise man and cudgels the 

 fool." It was hard work for his friends to make 

 Thos. Bates believe this, and no man living 

 can believe contrary to his convictions, or doubt 

 when he is convinced ; if he affects to do other- 

 wise he deceives himself. 



Thos. Bates proceeded, flattered by his fol- 

 lowers, some of which were never more happy 

 than when sheltering themselves behind in- 

 trigue, proof of which has been ample in the 

 sales of Shorthorns in this country. I say 

 much of Bates and his followers because I think 

 they have done much injury to Shorthorns in 

 this country and in England, and it was their 

 combined influence intended to injure me and 

 the Herefords. 



There are no better men in the world than 

 Shorthorn breeders, and if so many of them 

 had not been led away by the farcical Bates, the 

 Shorthorns would have been in high repute. I 

 always liked a good Shorthorn cow, if not pure ; 

 and I shall be highly pleased to see the best 

 contending against the Herefords under com- 

 petent judges, who will reward merit where 

 it is justly due. It is profitable to have two 

 breeds that can contend against each other; it 

 is stimulating to success. 



