SOME AMERICAN BREEDERS. 259 



tion in 1896 as vice-president. His interest in matters pertaining to the breed 

 has always been very great, and his work in the interests of the breed has been 

 invaluable both in a practical way, and with his pen. 



Holstein breeders will long remember his famous contribution to the liter- 

 ature of the breed, which was published in nearly every agricultural paper in 

 the United States, and known as "Gillett's Comparison." In this article he 

 demonstrated by the records of twenty-five leading cows in the Columbian Test 

 compared with twenty-five largest records made under the Holstein-Friesian 

 system of Advanced Registry, and officially authenticated by the officers of 

 institutions and state experiment stations, the superior qualifications of the 

 Holstein-Friesian breed as butter cows. 



MR. A. C. HALLMAN of New Dundee, Ont., was born October 25, in the 

 year 1858, in Waterloo county on the old homestead near the village of New Dun- 

 dee, Ontario, and is of Canadian birth and German parentage. 



His father, J. S. Hallman, was also born in the same county of Waterloo, 

 and his grandfather, Rev. Jacob Hallman, was born in Montgomery county, 

 Pennsylvania, being one of the pioneer settlers there, and went to the province 

 early in the "twenties," and cleared up the old homestead. He had nothing to 

 start with but lots of ambition, but amassed a nice fortune. In his day he had 

 walked the distance between the two countries. On the mother's side was 

 Mary demons, who was born in Waterloo county, a daughter of A. D. dem- 

 ons, also of Pennsylvania origin. 



The subject of this sketch was raised on the old homestead and received a 

 common school education. His intentions were to obtain a thorough educa- 

 tion and become a professional man, but his help was needed on the farm and 

 his pleadings were unheeded; his training from youth up was on a large well-reg- 

 ulated farm, operated as a grain and stock farm. High-grade and full-blood 

 Shorthorns constituted the live stock until the last four years of his stay under 

 the parental roof, when pure-bred Holstein-Friesians were adopted. Mr. Hall- 

 man's love was for domesticated animals of all kinds, and increased as he grew 

 older and served to retain him contentedly on the farm. 



The foundation of the celebrated herd known as the Spring Brook Herd of 

 Holstein-Friesians was laid in the spring of 1883. Mr. Hallman's father, with 

 two other gentlemen, became dissatisfied with the milking qualities of the 

 Shorthorns, and, going West, selected three imported heifers and two imported 

 bulls from the herd of George E. Brown, then of Aurora, 111. These cattle were 

 imported not with the intention of starting a breeding concern, but merely for 

 their own private farm use. His delight in fine cattle was greatly increased 

 when these noble black-and-white beauties graced the farm of which he then 

 had charge, and he decided to establish a herd for breeding purposes. In the 

 year 1884 Mr. Hallman started farming a few miles away from the old home- 

 stead, on a farm nicely situated on the public highway between St. Petersburg 

 and New Dundee, and now known as the Spring Brook Stock Farm. A part- 

 nership was formed with H. Hillgartner as silent member and the firm estab- 

 lished, known for years as A. C. Hallman & Co. 



Another importation, or rather a selection from an importation, was made 

 in Toronto from a large consignment of about 100 head then passing through 

 Canada, also owned by Mr. Brown. Out of this lot were selected seven head, 

 six females and one male. Another importation was made in 1886, selected 

 from the famous Lakeside herd at Syracuse, N. ., and that of T. G. Yeomans & 

 Sons of Walworth, N. Y., and still another in 1888 from the Lakeside herd and 

 that of G. S. Miller of Peterboro, N. Y. The herd numbered for years about 

 sixty head. A dispersion sale was held in 1895, when the partnership was dis- 

 solved by mutual consent, and the herd reduced to about thirty head, which in 

 connection with about 100 head of the celebrated bacon hog, the " Red Tam- 

 worth," now constitutes the breeding stock. 



The object in the selection of foundation stock was always to obtain the best 

 representatives of the most popular families and richest breeding, backed with 

 high records. Mr. Hallman has exhibited stock since 1885, and claims that 

 there is no other herd in Canada that can make such 'showing of successful 

 winnings as the Spring Brook herd, which he thinks has carried away more 

 honor, first silver medals and prizes on bull and progeny, and single prizes, than 

 any other herd. 



