84 PEDIGREE BREEDING 



who were both untiring and undaunted in the work; for 

 much of the very considerable improvement now prevailing 

 extraordinary improvement when the years 1917 and 1918 are 

 contrasted with 1907 and 1908 is due to their efforts. A good 

 foundation has now been laid for the wide development of the 

 Shorthorn in the full usefulness of its original dual-purpose 

 capacity. 



The work of the pedigree Shorthorn improver was gradually 

 taken up by the breeders of other varieties of beef and dual- 

 purpose cattle. The special qualifications of these will be 

 described, in other chapters, but there is one point of consider- 

 able interest to which attention may here be drawn. 



A study of the markets of the last two decades will show that 

 for export the Shorthorn has generally been sold to foreign 

 buyers at much higher figures than any other breed. It is 

 probably safe to estimate that, if the best breeding stock of 

 other breeds has made an average price of 100 per head, the 

 same class of stud animal of the Shorthorns' Herd Book has 

 made 400. Not only were the prices higher, but the numbers 

 of Shorthorns exported were very much greater. With slight 

 variations this has gone on for many years. So great have 

 been the difference in price and the numbers exported, that 

 for many years I have wondered why purchasers from all parts 

 of the world who merely wanted to start herds for the repro- 

 duction of beef should have shown this marked preference. 

 Other breeds are as hardy, show as great power of rapid growth, 

 are equally good graziers of somewhat inferior pasture, make 

 equally saleable carcases of meat when fat or finished, yet the 

 preference for Shorthorns continued. Fashion, the want of 

 enterprise on the part of the breeders of other stock, the en- 

 couragement given by leading British Agricultural Societies 

 are all given as explanations of this very marked preference, 

 but they are not satisfactory. Apart from the fact that the 

 foreign commission agent is quite smart enough to see through 

 all such artificial factors for himself, there is another reason for 

 not accepting these explanations. The strange preference has 

 existed so long, so many specimens of other breeds have been 

 exported, and so much capital has been expended upon the 



