402 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



cattle. Cattle were slaughtered and weighed 

 the day after the show. A pen of Shorthorns 

 won that dressed an average of 1,005 pounds 

 each; our three dressed 988 pounds each. But 

 our cattle traveled 100 miles further to show 

 than the Shorthorns, and of course the whole 

 distance was traveled by the cattle on foot. I 

 wanted to bet the owners of Shorthorns that 

 ours were the best butchers' and consumers' cat- 

 tle and leave it to the decision of the butchers 

 who purchased both pens, but they would not 

 make the bet, but agreed to leave the matter to 

 the judgment of two butchers whom we knew, 



CASSIO (6849) 13352. 



Bred by P. Turner, Herefordshire. Rated the best bull 

 ever seen in Canada. 



without having a bet on it. The butchers, not 

 knowing which was the Hereford carcass and 

 which the Shorthorn when hung up in shop, 

 decided that the Hereford carcass was far and 

 away the best. I may say that we decided to 

 each select one carcass from our three, and 

 have the decision on that. I then offered to 

 enter into a sweepstakes of from $100 to $250 

 each and show a pen of bullocks this year same 

 ages (3| to 4 years), the prize to be awarded to 

 the cattle that show the best beef for butchers 

 and consumers. 



"The Shorthorn men would not enter into the 

 matter on those terms, so I decided not to be an 

 exhibitor this year. The following were the 

 classes we won in last year: First prize for 

 best fat bullock in the yard, any breed or age; 

 first prize for best pen of three fat bullocks, any 

 breed or age ; first prize for best pen of four fat 

 bullocks under 4 years old; first prize for pen 

 of three heifers from 2 to 3 years, any breed; 

 first prize for pen of six fat Hereford bullocks, 

 any age ; first prize for best Hereford cow bred 

 in district; first prize for best Hereford bull 

 bred in district. 



"Our pen of three Hereford heifers beat a 



pen of Shorthorns that were awarded a prize of 

 $500 for the best pen of Shorthorn heifers. The 

 latter was a great honor, as the pen of Short- 

 horn heifers were the best that had ever been 

 shown in North Queensland, and were stud cat- 

 tle out of a stud herd, while our three heifers 

 were grade heifers (about three-fourths bred), 

 out of our general herd. I could have shown 

 pure heifers from the stud paddocks very much 

 superior to those I won with, but they were too 

 valuable to travel 200 miles to a show and the 

 same distance back again. 



"With regard to the great opposition to 

 Herefords from the breeders of Shorthorns in 

 this country. I fear it will last much longer 

 than it has with you in America, simply because 

 the breeders of Shorthorns outnumber the 

 breeders of Herefords in this country by at least 

 five hundred to one, and our leading journal, 

 the 'Queenslander/ stopped all correspondence 

 on the subject last year. We want someone like 

 yourself in this country to start a journal in 

 the interest of Herefords. However, I hope a 

 great deal of good will arise to the breed in this 

 country, when people are more acquainted, gen- 

 erally, with the great success they are having 

 with you in America, particularly if they go on 

 prospering and giving satisfaction on your 

 ranches and ranges, where, I presume, your cat- 

 tle have to exist on the natural grasses as they 

 do in this country. 



"I am quite sure they are gaining ground in 

 Australia, and that Shorthorns are gradually 

 losing favor with cattle breeders, particularly 

 in the poorer pasture districts. Of one thing I 

 am certain, that is, that pure Shorthorns have 

 decreased in value quite 50 per cent, in Aus- 

 tralia in the last five years and as no cattle are 

 permitted to be imported from England, it looks 

 bad for the breed. 



"One of the largest stud herds in Australia, 

 and also the very best, has lately been sold at 

 auction and realized very poor prices, compared 

 with what cattle from the same herd brought at 

 annual sales four or five years ago. 



"I refer to Messrs. Robertson Bros., Colac, 

 herd in Victoria. About eight years ago they 

 bought out another celebrated breeder called 

 Moreton, of Mount Derrimut, and gave him 

 close on $200,000 for about 400 head of pure 

 Shorthorns (his entire herd), and now I see, 

 looking over the sale lately held, that their 

 whole herd of cattle, numbering over 850, near- 

 ly all of which were pure bred and 350 of them 

 stud cattle, brought a total of $95,575. In this 

 number were included several out of and got by 

 imported high-class English cattle. 



"The highest price brought by a bull was 525 



