HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



335 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



CHALLENGE TO TEST ALL BEEF BREEDS ON A BROAD SCALE 



It was our aim to have a conclusive test 

 made that would go far to prove authoritatively 

 the position that we took, viz., that the Here- 

 ford was superior to all other beef breeds in 

 "economy of production and value of product." 

 We made the following challenge in 1881, to 

 test the merits of the Herefords and Shorthorns 

 by selecting 200 cows in the State of Illinois 

 and breed one-half to Hereford bulls and the 

 other half to Shorthorn bulls, and bring the 

 produce before the Illinois State Agricultural 

 Society, and there determine the merits of the 

 two breeds for beef production. 



We also offered to select 2,000 cows in Colo- 

 rado and breed one-half to Hereford and the 

 other half to Shorthorn bulls, and bring the 

 produce to a test that should determine their 

 merits. Neither of these propositions has been 

 accepted, and neither will be. We then made 

 another proposition to exhibit before the Chi- 

 cago Fair Association in 1881 : "25 dry cows 

 that have bred and suckled their calves since 

 Nov., 1880; 25 calves with them; 25 yearling 

 heifers." Of the cows we expected to show in 

 the contest we said: 



"None have been grain fed, except when 

 milking before grass grew this spring ; and none 

 having been grain fed since the 15th of May, 

 and while dry in the winter were on hay and 

 stalks only. The heifers were on grain in the 

 winter, but run in the yards, and since the 15th 

 of May have been on grass only. 



"I will show the above named stock against 

 animals of like age and condition, selected from 

 any Shorthorn herd in Illinois, Kentucky, Mis- 

 souri or Iowa, for a premium of $250 on each 

 class, the cattle to be owned by the exhibitor on 

 the 1st day of August, 1881. 



"The manner in which the cattle shall have 

 been kept shall be certified to under oath by 

 the owner and one of the men who has had 

 charge of the same. 



"The premium money, if not provided by the 

 Society, to be provided, one-half by the Short- 



horn interest and the other half by the Here- 

 ford interest. 



"I will in addition show my old bull Success 

 and twenty-five cows or heifers of his get against 

 any Shorthorn bull and twenty-five cows or 

 heifers of his get; all of the cows and heifers 

 to have been on grass since May 15th, and with- 

 out grain, for $250 or $500. 



"I will show Conqueror, Bachelor, Will, Wash- 

 ington and Kansas, bullocks shown at the Fat 

 Stock Show last fall, against a like number of 

 similar ages shown at that show, for $250 for 

 best bullock, and $250 for best five bullocks." 



The following from the "Breeders' Journal," 

 prepared by the author, shows a further propo- 

 sition on the subject : "The discussion as to the 

 merits of the different beef breeds has been 

 active. At the commencement it would have 

 seemed as though the Shorthorns were firmly 

 fixed, as the leading breed for the production of 

 beef, and this held for several years after these 

 discussions commenced. A leading writer, T. 

 C. Jones, in their interest said, as to the merits 

 of breeds, that 'it had already been decided that 

 the Shorthorns held the first position, and it 

 was not a question to be again opened/ 



"This same writer at another time did com- 

 pare the breeds, and when we took this up and 

 invited a full and frank investigation as to 

 merits, his reply was that 'life was too short to 

 enter upon a partisan discussion/ and declined 

 the invitation. 



"In discussing the merits of the different 

 breeds in England, with three prominent Scot 

 and Shorthorn men, we said this, that the Here- 

 ford would go from pasture to the top of the 

 London market, while neither the Scot nor the 

 Shorthorn could go there except through four to 

 six months in the stall. This our opponents ad- 

 mitted. It is here that the merits of the Here- 

 ford stand pre-eminent ; as a grazing beast, and 

 from grass, carrying his product to the top of 

 the market. 



"While in England we visited the grazing dis- 

 tricts. There are such districts in England 



