136 A HISTORY OF SHORTHORNS IN KANSAS 



fortunate purchase of Lavender's Best from D. 

 K. Kellerman & Son and a very unfortunate in- 

 vestment in the purchase of a successor to Laven- 

 der's Best at a low price. The Lavender's Best 

 cows were an unusually good lot. Nine of them 

 were at one time owned by J. T. Bayer and were 

 the admiration of local breeders. Mr. Conger 

 closed out the herd in 1907, having been in the 

 business for ten years. 



Another Woodson county owner of a large 

 Shorthorn establishment which he operated dur- 

 ing the same period in which J. H. Bayer, Dr. 

 Slavens and F. H. Conger were actively engaged 

 in breeding, was John A. Seaton. Mr. Seaton 

 and several sons came from Iowa in 1900 bring- 

 ing with them cattle purchased from several of 

 the well known herds in the vicinity of Newton. 

 They owned 1000 q,cres of land near Vernon 

 and the cattle had not only plenty of good 

 feed and good care but the herd had the use of a 

 strictly high-class bull in Prince Imperial 2d, 

 an Albert Harrah bred son of Canute. Mr. 

 Seaton died in 1906 and the herd was dispersed 

 by public sale. Prince Imperial 2d that had de- 

 veloped into a first-class show bull and an out- 

 standing sire, only six years old when sold, was 

 allowed by the breeders present to be purchased 

 by a shipper for $85 with 4 per cent off for cash 

 to be sent to Kansas City two days later where he 

 brought $125 for beef. 



