28 STEERS MORE THAN TWO YEARS OLD. 



thwart his earnest purpose. Common men, crossed in their expecta- 

 tions under such circumstances, are not likely to complacently ** accept 

 the situation," and are extremely liable, under the mortification of 

 failure, to involve themselves in a complication of difficulties, for which, 

 in justice they have only themselves to blame. Failure to comprehend 

 the " modus operandi " of driving is the defect of the common run of 

 teamsters. Whoever clearly comprehends what he wishes his team to 

 do — the how of doing it — is usually possessed of tact and force to 

 realize its execution. We are often led to believe that teamsters, like 

 poets, are "born, not made;" and yet- teamstership is an art which 

 can be acquired wherever there is that passionate devotion which makes 

 adepts in other arts. Such devotion we verily believe its importance 

 demands. For the information of any who may be in doubt, we would 

 say that of the two pairs of working steers entered as W. E. Bea- 

 man's, the third premium was awarded to the pair whose trial came off 

 first. 



In view of the annoyance we experienced, in consideration of the 

 greater duties devolving upon committees on this class of stock, your 

 committee beg leave to suggest the propriety of allowing the trial of 

 working steers to precede that of working oxen, in future exhibitions. 

 We also respectfully suggest that the Society create an office like that 

 of sergeantrat-arms, and fill it with a committee empowered to compel 

 ^attendance from owners of stock. 



While wearily traversing up and down the line of "two-year-olds'^ — 

 those seemingly immobile masses of youthful beef on legs, negligently 

 tethered to the Common-fence — with anxious intent to do full justice 

 to absent competitors, your committee could not but wish that they had 

 been on the ground to show that the said youthful beeves were not 

 merely reluctantly and awkwardly standing two by two, for the occa- 

 sion, but were capable of activities which might help to decide the 

 question of degrees of merit — below the superlative. Of the eight 

 pairs whose owners' names appeared under this class in the entry book, 

 your committee succeeded in finding but seven, until a few moments 

 before retiring. The missing pair was found in one of the pens ; but 

 unhappily (?) was not of a character to necessitate an alteration of the 

 verdict which your committee had pronounced on the others. 



Respectfully submitted in behalf of the Committee, 



A. B. DAVIS, Chairman. 



