330 



HISTORY OF H E 11 E F R D CATTLE 



Mr. Zweck and his nephew. Mr. Zweck paid 

 in 1874 for the three bulls named $1,250. Hav- 

 ing had eight and eleven years' service, we 

 would like to ask ranchmen whether such pur- 

 chase would seem to them to have been a good 

 investment? It is simply a representative one 

 that may be repeated with Hereford bulls in 



A CARTOON OF 1882, BREEDERS' JOURNAL. 

 ("The Shorthorn committee discover the dam of Mr. Mil- 

 ler's grade Hereford steer Kansas.") 



the experience and practice of any ranchman. 

 Long prices may be, as in this case, the best 

 investment. 



Two other bulls taken at this time we sold to 

 Mr. Powell at Canon City, Col., for $900. We 

 followed this shipment by another in the fall 

 of the same year that were sold to the honorable 

 P. P. Wilcox, Geo. F. Lord and others. 



In 1875 we took a carload of Hereford bulls 

 to Denver, and they were sold to Mr. John Hit- 

 son at Deer Trail, Col., about fifty miles east 

 of Denver, on the Bijou. The grass was fine 

 there, the country not being overstocked. These 

 bulls, although in high condition when turned 

 out on the ranges, not only held it, but next 

 spring after running out all winter, never see- 

 ing a shed or a barn, or any feed except what 

 they got from the plains themselves, had round- 

 ed out, and thickened up, and had such splendid 

 rough, curly coats of hair that they had proved 

 their fitness for range conditions. 



We took two carloads of Hereford bulls to 

 West Las Animas, on the Arkansas Eiver, Col., 

 in the spring of 1876, all thoroughbreds and 

 good ones. After five months of work, we sold 

 them to cattle men as far west as Pueblo, on 

 the river, and south to the Cimarron River in 

 New Mexico. The Hall Bros., John W. Prow- 

 ers (fl 121), Abe Cronk, the Reynolds Bros. 

 (fl 122) and the Jones Bros, being among the 

 purchasers. These shipments were followed by 

 others up to 1877, or until a demand was cre- 

 ated that reached back to the States for grade 

 Hereford bulls. And this demand from the 

 plains for grades made a demand for the pure- 

 breds to cross upon Shorthorns and other cows 



to produce bulls for this trade; and from that 

 time there has been a steady and increasing de- 

 mand for Herefords that has more than kept 

 pace with the supply. 



While at work among the great cattle herds 

 of the West to create a demand for the Here- 

 ford cattle by taking the cattle out to these 

 gentlemen and showing them what superior 

 beef animals they were, we were not idle in ex- 

 hibiting o^r cattle at the various shows in the 

 East, and doing all that lay in our power to 

 secure fair play for the Herefords. 



This was a gigantic undertaking, as the fairs 

 were, as we shall show, under the control of 

 Shorthorn men. The judges were all appointed 

 by them. We trust we shall be pardoned if it 

 shall appear to any of our readers that we have 

 gone too much into detail in showing up the 

 frauds that were practiced ; also the opposition 

 that was encountered by the Hereford cattle and 

 their breeders. 



It was a matter of great expense to fit show 

 herds, and a further great expense to ship them 

 over the country for the purpose of educating 

 the people as to the great merit of the breed. 

 This was particularly so in 1876 when we took 

 our show herd to the World's Fair, the Centen- 

 nial Exposition, held at Philadelphia. This 

 trip cost $1,200 for expenses only, we being 

 there two weeks. There were no money prizes, 

 but we have a bronze medal (fl 123) in our pos- 

 session that was awarded to us as first prize, 

 the cattle being spoken of in the following lan- 

 guage: 



"Their exceedingly fine character, form and 

 quality entitle us to consider them to be first- 

 class specimens of the Hereford breed and 

 worthy of our highest commendation." Suc- 

 cess (5031) 2 was at the head of this sweep- 

 stake herd. This herd at the Northern Ohio 

 Fair, held at Cleveland, Ohio, won first sweep- 

 stakes for best bull and four cows or heifers, 

 owned and bred by exhibitor ($150), and first 

 sweepstakes for bull, Success (5031) 2, and 

 five of his get, $75. This was in competition 

 with the best Shorthorns in the United States. 



We visited Lafayette, Ind., with our herd in 

 1877, at which time there was no class for Here- 

 fords, they not being recognized in their pre- 

 mium lists. The society, however, awarded the 

 following certificate: 



"Office of the Secretary of the Tippecanoe 

 County Agricultural Association, Lafayette, 

 Ind., Oct. 9th, 1877. On Saturday, the 8th 

 day of September, 1877, at a meeting of the 

 Directors of this Association, on the fair 

 grounds, the following proceedings were had. 

 to-wit : On motion, the following preamble and 



