SOME AMERICAN BREEDERS. 269 



had known. Upon the death of Mr. Chenery, who had prepared and published 

 a volume of the Herd-Book at his own risk financially, but " by authority " of 

 the association, Mr. Houghton began to keep the records and prepare the herd- 

 books from time to time as secretary. He thus, in his early days, largely con- 

 ceived and carried out the plans which have resulted in placing the present 

 association before the world, the most successful organization of its kind. 



He drew the charter and by-laws for the Hplstein Breeders' Association, 

 which was the successor of the original association, and was, during his long 

 connection with the breed, a most careful conservator of what he believed to be 

 its true interest, and was active and vigilant in everything which had any 

 bearing upon the subject and would advance the breed. 



MR. SOLOMON HOXIE of Yorkville, N. Y., was born at Brookside, N. Y., in 

 1829, and in 1833 his parents moved to Edmeston, N/ Y., which town was at the 

 time largely owned by the heirs of Col. Robert Edmeston, who had received it 

 by grant from the King of England. Owing to circumstances connected with 

 foreign ownership, this tract of country was only partly settled, and the priva- 

 tions and experiences of the settlers were somewhat similar to those of earlier 

 pioneer life. 



Mr. Hoxie in 1874 united with others in forming the Unadilla Valley Stock 

 Breeders' Association, which for many years was one of the largest and most 

 progressive societies of its kind in the country. It was located in the northern 

 part of the Unadilla Valley, in the counties of Otsego, Chenango and Madison, 

 and for convenience of access to the public a fine farm was purchased in 1876 

 at Whitestown, in Oneida county. Here a part of their herd was kept for 

 exhibition and sale, under the care of Mr. Hoxie, who was one of the executive 

 committee of the association. The remainder of the herd was kept in various 

 parts of the Unadilla Valley, in charge of another member of the committee. 

 The history of this association would form a long and interesting story, for its 

 part in the introduction of the Holstein-Friesian breed was a series of skillful, 

 aggressive moves which placed their cattle in the front ranks as prize-winners 

 and producers. 



In 1876 Mr. Hoxie moved to Whitestown, to better look after the associa- 

 tion's interests, and still resides there, though through the establishment of a 

 new post-office his address was changed to Yorkville. 



In 1879 he went to Europe as the agent of the Unadilla Valley Stock Breed- 

 ers' Association, for the purpose of purchasing and importing cattle; and again 

 in 1880, accompanied by Mr. Irwin Langworthy, he visited Holland and 

 selected the noted bull Mooie, 26 D.-F. H. B. In 1882 he made another trip, 

 this time in company with Mr. S. Burchard, of Hamilton, N. Y., who is one of 

 the inspectors of the Holstein-Friesian Association; Mr. Cornelius Baldwin, of 

 Nelson, O., the famous expert on dairy cattle; and Mr. L. C. Payne, of Gar- 

 rettsville, O., who has long been prominent as a breeder. This visit was the 

 longest which Mr. Hoxie had yet made, and he remained in Europe for six 

 months, studying not only the characteristics of Holstein-Friesian cattle, but 

 also those of the Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, and other places. 



In 1879 Mr. Hoxie was made the secretary of the Dutch-Friesian Herd Book 

 Association, and filled the position with rare ability and good judgment until 

 the formation of the Holstein-Friesian Association in 1885. He was also during 

 these years the editor of the herd book, and prepared and published volumes 

 containing a large amount of interesting and valuable information. In 1885 he 

 was elected an honorary life member of the Friesian Herd Book Association of 

 Europe, an honor we believe possessed by no other American breeder. 



Mr. Hoxie has written much on the subject of Holstein-Friesian cattle, and 

 portions of his work have been translated into Hollandish, and published in 

 Europe. He is a most interesting writer. One of his best efforts, perhaps, was 

 an article which was published by Harper's Monthly, in August, 1888, though 

 many articles of equal value have been prepared for, and published in, the 

 Register, which have called out much praise from its readers, and have been 

 widely quoted by the agricultural press. 



But Mr. Hoxie's life work, and that which must survive to distinguish him 

 in the history of the improvement of live stock, is the Advanced Registry, sev- 

 eral volumes of which he has most carefully edited and prepared for the Hol- 

 stein-Friesian Association, which has adopted the system. We regret we are 



