284 CATTLE 



number of importations were made, including a very superior lot 

 by Gudgell & Simpson of Missouri. In 1882 Mr. T. W. Harvey 

 established at Turlington, Nebraska, in charge of William Watson 

 (a son of the famous Hugh), a herd of Aberdeen- Angus that for 

 ten years, until its dispersion, was a wonderful factor in advertis- 

 ing the breed, containing as it did some of the most noted cattle 

 of the time. Between 1880 and 1883 inclusive it is estimated 

 that about two thousand Aberdeen-Angus cattle were imported 

 to the United States and Canada. 



Characteristics of the Aberdeen- Angus cattle. In general con- 

 formation this breed differs somewhat from the Shorthorn and 

 Hereford. On this especial subject a leading Scotch authority 

 makes an interesting comparison of this breed and the Shorthorn, 1 

 which is well worth presenting here : 



In general form a model polled animal differs considerably from a model 

 Shorthorn. Both should be lengthy, deep, wide, even, proportionate, and 

 cylindrical. The polled animal, however, should be more truly cylindrical in 

 the body than the Shorthorn. Its points should be more quickly rounded off : 

 or, in other words, the frame of the polled animal is not so fully drawn out to 

 the square as that of the Shorthorn. Critics pointed out in some of the best 

 polled animals of about half a century ago a tendency to approach too nearly 

 to the square type of the Shorthorn. In a beef producing animal a broad, 

 square frame can hardly be said to be a blemish ; for if it is thoroughly well 

 covered all over, it will carry more beef than a rounder frame. A compact, well 

 rounded frame has always been a leading characteristic of the polled breed, 

 and the main reason why a square Shorthorn-looking frame is objected to in 

 a polled animal is that such a form is foreign to the breed. 



The head tapers at the poll and is somewhat prominent in the 

 forehead., while the distance between the prominent eyes is con- 

 siderable and the length of nose only medium. The head as a 

 whole impresses one as belonging to a good feeder type, showing 

 a strong, full muzzle and nostril. The neck is usually smoothly 

 attached to head and shoulder, showing excellent finish, but the 

 shoulder, sometimes tends to be a bit prominent instead of nicely 

 laid. The back tends to sag some behind the withers, although 

 with the best specimens this weakness is not manifest. The ribs, 

 as already indicated, show a rounded rather than square turn, and 



1 James Macdonald and James Sinclair, History of Aberdeen-Angus Cattle, 

 p. 418. London, 1910. 



