HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



497 



mcstic arts in the leading agricultural state of 

 the Union. The state, through the legislature, 

 has been very liberal, and given much latitude 

 to the operations of the Board in creating the 

 same, leaving the free exercise of our better 

 judgment in the promotion of the interest in- 

 volved, and thereby increasing the responsibili- 

 ties of this Board. One of the more prominent 

 methods for the promotion of agricultural in- 

 terest has been, and will be for some years, the 

 exhibition of the annual State Fair. It seems 

 that the great importance of a just and com- 

 petent award of our premiums would justify a 

 departure from the old custom of selecting com- 

 mitteemen, at least in the more important de- 

 partment of live stock, where the competition 

 is sharp. It is important that some means 

 should be devised to secure competent men to 

 act as judges, whose attendance can be de- 

 pended upon, and relieve the Board from the 

 necessity of selecting from the visitors men who 

 are frequently not as skillful as the good repu- 

 tation of the Board should require." 



The committee to whom was referred the 

 president's address, reported as follows, on the 

 matter of awarding premiums: 



"Fully realizing the importance of more care 

 in awarding premiums, especially in the classes 

 of live stock, we would recommend the passage 

 of the following resolution: 'That the presi- 

 dent, together with the superintendents of the 

 several classes, be, and are hereby constituted a 

 committee, and empowered to employ as com- 

 mitteemen such gentlemen of recognized fitness 

 in the several departments as may be deemed 

 necessary, the remuneration in no case to exceed 

 the actual expenses of such gentlemen/' 1 



Under this resolution, committeemen were 

 selected, who were deemed competent and im- 

 partial, to judge the different lots in Class A 

 (cattle department), which committeemen 

 having been selected with care and without 

 outside influences, were to act as judges and 

 no protests were to be allowed. We were ad- 

 vised of this action on coming to the secretary's 

 office on the show grounds at Springfield, be- 

 fore the opening of the show. We gave it our 

 hearty approval and urged upon the superinten- 

 dent that under no consideration should the ar- 

 rangement be broken. It was carried out, al- 

 though the Shorthorn exhibitors undertook to 

 break it up. 



For 1880 the class premiums for both breeds 

 were the same, but competition between breeds 

 was suspended. 



For 1881 the classification of Herefords and 

 Shorthorns was even ; the sweepstakes confined 

 to competition for a herd consisting of bull and 



four cows or heifers of any age. We have not 

 the data before us for 1882, but premiums in 

 class stand on an even basis. 



This, then, in a concise form and up to the 

 year 1882 when we ceased showing, is the rec- 

 ord of the society as it stood between breeds. 

 Each of the incoming 'presidents recognized 

 the necessity of a change in the manner 

 of selecting judges. Each recognized that 

 the system on which they had worked was de- 

 fective, and so far as the record shows, but one 

 change was made, and that in 1879, and that 

 only held in practice one year. Each and all 

 of the presidents recognized the responsibilities 

 that rested upon this Board, the importance of 

 the issues that were submitted to their manage- 

 ment, and that the live stock interest was one 

 of the largest and most important that they 

 had to deal with. They appointed awarding 

 committees at each and every annual meeting, 

 with the knowledge that these committees were 

 not likely to act, and have depended upon 

 judges selected from the crowd of visitors; 

 men who were, in the language of President 

 Scott, "frequently not as skillful as the good 

 reputation of the Board should require." This 

 custom was in vogue for thirty years, and we 

 submit that under such a system the awards 

 had very little value. The Shorthorn interest 

 sought to perpetuate this custom, that under 

 the excitement of the show ring they might 

 select men in their interest. 



Leaving the State Fair and the action of 

 the Board in reference thereto, we are prepared 

 to take up the management of the Fat Stock 

 Show. The first of these shows was opened 

 December 2, 1878, the Herefords winning the 

 sweepstakes for the best cow in the show, and 

 no other. The second was held November 10, 

 1879; third, November 15, 1880; the fourth, 

 November 7, 1881. 



The action of the Board in reference to se- 

 lecting judges for this show was to take them 

 from the different sections of the state, recom- 

 mended by different members of the Board. 

 Men, as a rule, who had no experience with 

 first-class bullocks, such as would be exhibited 

 at this show, whose decisions did not carry 

 weight or authority where the judges are known. 

 Of the four shows mentioned, we only wish to 

 call attention to a few facts therewith, and these 

 mainly as regards ages at which cattle have 

 been exhibited. 



At the show in 1879 the slaughtering test 

 was introduced with results as set forth on 

 page 147, Vol. XVII., Illinois State Report, 

 which we show in a schedule in Chapter 16. 

 Each of the bullocks represented in this sched- 



