386 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



merits and demerits of the different breeds of 

 cattle. The majority of the writers are gentle- 

 men engaged in breeding Hereford cattle for 

 stud purposes, some of whom have had very 

 little experience with the cattle they were (to 

 use a colonial phrase) 'cracking up/ as they 

 had, to my knowledge, been engaged in their 

 production only a few years. The object with 

 all Hereford advocates, clearly, has been to 

 prove that their cattle will subsist and make 



TARQUIN (12717). 



Bred by P. Turner, Herefordshire, first prize yearling 

 bull R. A. S. E.. 1887. 



condition on poorer pastures than Durhams; 

 that they were of sounder constitution, and 

 hence better able to withstand the effects of a 

 long drouth than Shorthorn cattle. Well, it 

 seems to me, Mr. Editor, that all the correspond- 

 ents possible will never lead the public, for 

 whose benefit you permit the ventilation of the 

 subject in your columns, to a just conclusion, 

 for gentlemen who have invested a consider- 

 able capital in Hereford cattle, with a view to 

 making a profit by the disposal of their male 

 calves as young bulls to their neighbors, are 

 quite sure to do vigorous battle against other 

 breeds, but I am of the opinion that sound, 

 practical tests afford the best proofs of all. 



"Let the Herefords and Durhams be brought 

 into competition, under exactly similar con- 

 ditions, and the results made public, and the 

 question of which is the best breed for our 

 climate and pasture will quickly be settled. We 

 have had one such test, the result of a challenge 

 I issued through your paper, and I will now, 

 with your permission, issue another challenge, 

 as we have now unfortunately a most favorable 

 opportunity of proving which breed has come 

 through the drouth the best. I have a lot of 

 pure-bred Durham cattle here in a paddock that 

 is stocked at the rate of a beast to six acres. 

 About 150 of these are breeding cows, and. I 



would show any number of them, not being less 

 than 15 per cent, of the whole, for condition 

 against a like proportion of Herefords, not be- 

 ing less than ten head, to be selected from any 

 one herd in Leechhard district that has been 

 sustained by the natural pastures for at least 

 two years. The only conditions I impose are 

 the cows competing must be four years of age 

 or over and breeders, the test to take place 

 within two months. 



"W. K. PEBERDY. 

 "Gellenbah, 22d Jan'y, 1881." 



THE CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. 



"To the Editor of the 'Queenslander' : 



"I have to-day seen W. K. Peberdy's chal- 

 lenge of the 22d of January. If I read it aright 

 it is merely a question as to which breed of 

 cattle show the best condition after the late 

 drought. I will therefore take to Eockhampton 

 twenty Hereford cows that are four years, with 

 their twenty suckling calves by their sides, and 

 show them against W. K. I'eberdy's twenty 

 Shorthorns with their twenty calves. They shall 

 be there before the 22d of March, on a date 

 to be named by W. K. Peberdy, the best con- 

 ditioned cows to win the prize, which I propose 

 to be a ten-guinea cup, such as I gave at the last 

 show, and the loser also to give ten guineas to 

 the hospital. 



"I am glad to see Mr. Peberdy so very philan- 

 thropic as to breed Shorthorns for other pur- 

 poses than for sale and to make money. Un- 

 fortunately I and Archer Eignall Windom and 

 Frank Reynolds and Loder are compelled to 

 breed for the dirty dollars. Of course the cat- 

 tle shown are to be pure breds, out of the two 

 stud herds. I name Albert Wright of Nullal- 

 bin as judge on our side, and I recommend one 

 of these three gentlemen as umpire, namely, 

 Vincent Dowling, John Button, or James Ross. 

 "I am sir, etc., 



"BEARDMORE OF TOOLOOMBAR. 

 "22d of Feb'y, 1881." 



THE HEREFORD-SHORTHORN CONTROVERSY THAT 

 FOLLOWED. 



The acceptance of this challenge, it was sup- 

 posed, would result in a trial that would be 

 valuable to the Hereford interest in that coun- 

 try. 



Under date of 13th of March, Mr. Peberdy 

 replies to this and objects to showing calves 

 with the cows, and that the distance to Rock- 

 hampton was some 80 miles further for him to 

 travel than for Mr. Beardmore, and then pro- 

 poses to issue another challenge to Mr. Beard- 

 more, privately, through his agent at Rock- 



