THE AMERICAN HERD BOOK. 241 



country, and in the importance of establishing and maintaining a 

 domestic record was unflagging, a sufficient number of pedigrees were 

 forwarded within a year to venture the compilation of a first volume. 

 Accordingly the work was done and an edition of six hundred copies 

 printed in the year 1846. It was a meagre book at the best, con- 

 taining the records of only 190 bulls, and about 350 cows and 

 heifers, with several names of their produce appended. The sales of 

 copies were so few, that the work resulted pretty much in a dead 

 loss, financially, to say nothing of the time and labor spent upon the 

 compilation. With such a result, it may well be supposed that a 

 further enterprise of the kind would not be soon attempted. Per- 

 haps 150 copies of the book had been sold within a year from its 

 issue, and the remaining ones were long stored away in our garret, 

 ultimately, as we anticipated, to find their way among other waste 

 material to the paper mills. 



In the course of a few years times changed. The year 1852 had 

 awakened a new impulse in American Short-horn progress. That 

 and the succeeding year had brought some new importations into 

 the country, and the spirit in neat stock improvement had become 

 aroused to further progress, importance, and extension. 



Several valuable importations of Short-horns having been made 

 into Kentucky and Ohio during the year 1853, in the succeeding 

 year (1854) many of the spirited breeders in Ohio who had been 

 engaged in late importations, formed an association with a large 

 subscription list for the payment of premiums, and invited the 

 " United States Agricultural Society," then in existence, to hold their 

 annual October meeting at Springfield in that State. The society 

 accepted the invitation ; wide publicity was given to it, premiums of 

 most liberal character were offered in the prize lists (confined chiefly 

 to neat cattle of various breeds), and anticipations were indulged 

 among the Short-horn breeders more especially that it would be an 

 event of great interest and gratification, as well as drawing a wide 

 attendance ; and in its result the public were not disappointed. The 

 Kentuckians came over in strong array, both in person and with 

 the choice of their herds. Ohio was " at home," and furnished, as 

 might be supposed, a full quota of her best cattle, as well as a mul- 

 titude of spectators. Indiana contributed her share of both; and 

 even New York unexpectedly sent a few of its fine Short-horns 

 and Devons, while the late liberal-hearted Mr. Roswell L. Colt, of 

 Paterson, N. J., some 600 miles away, sent from his home, a nice 

 selection of his unique little Alderneys, which, during some previous 

 16 



