A HISTORY OF SHORTHORNS IN KANSAS 579 



methods. Tomsons have never been plungers. 

 Every purchase has been carefully considered. 

 Every dollar has been paid out only when it was 

 clear that the investment was a wise one. So 

 year after year they have climbed a little higher. 

 There is a valuable lesson in the history of this 

 firm. The path to the same success Tomson 

 Bros, have achieved is still open and opportun- 

 ities are as good now as they were for them. It 

 is true, Shorthorns can no longer be bought for 

 what they paid for their start ; neither does the 

 beginner have to sell his produce for from $25 to 

 $5Q each as T. K. Tomson & Sons did in their 

 early experience. 



It was stated in Part I that the real history of 

 the Tomson herd began with Gallant Knight. It 

 is doubtful if many bulls of the past two or three 

 decades proved as good sires of females as Gal- 

 lant Knight, though he did not have the benefit 

 of great matrons as many sires of the present 

 day have. Scarcely a year of the twelve in 

 which his get were shown in the fair circuits but 

 that one or more of his daughters claimed a 

 championship. His use in the herd brought about 

 a uniformity in type that gained wide popularity 

 for the Tomson productions. The Gallant 

 Knight females proved of great value as pro- 

 ducers and the Gallant Knight blood is still a fac- 

 tor in the Tomson herd. 



Archer, a dark roan of generous scale, a son 



