13G 



HISTORY OF HE II E F II D A T T L E 



Now did Mr. Sotlmm ever hear of a shrewd 

 Yankee by the name of Ezekiel Peabod)', who, 

 having tried in vain to dispose of a horse for 

 $40, rode him one bright morning briskl}- into 

 the town of C. (where several sportsmen re- 

 sided), and oifered to wager $15 that the afore- 

 said horse could out-run anything in C. for a 

 mile; and how that he finally consented to sell 

 'Connecticut Eclipse' to young "Squire W. for 

 $150, before the race came oft'? But would not 

 Ezekiel have betrayed a great want of discre- 

 tion had he suffered his motive for making the 

 bet to leak out in the presence of a third per- 

 son who was under no obligation to keep it from 

 the other parties? 1 will merely add that this 

 'silver cup' challenge came to my ears long be- 

 fore it was openly made to me. Verium sap. 



actual measurement of milk — or, rather, the 

 pounds of butter made during one week of each 

 month from the time of calving to the time of 

 exhibition — the matter to be decided at the an- 

 nual fair of the State Agricultural Society — I 

 hereby distinctly inform him he shall be met. 

 Satisfactory piroof to be had, of course, of the 

 milk and butter produced by each cow, and the 

 bet to be forfeited in case either party should 

 'sell out.' If Mr. Sothani accepts this challenge 

 he will signify it in your next number, to enable 

 tlie proper steps to be taken. 



"Henky S. Randall. 

 "Oortland Village, March, 1841." 

 We find in this controversy Hepburn charg- 

 ing fraud in the breeding, aiKl when obliged to 

 admit the merit of Mr. Sotham's cattle, then 



JOHN R. PAGE'S CONCEPTION OF SIR CHARLES (31311 543 



"In reply to that challenge I may be per- 

 mitted to say that I never have paraded my own 

 stock before the public. I have discussed the 

 merits of the Shorthorns and Herefords as fam- 

 ilies without converting my communication into 

 advertisements setting forth the merits of my 

 own animals, as the vendors of patent medicines 

 recount the wonderful virtues of their nos- 

 trums. My herd, always small, has been ren- 

 dered still more so by recent sales, and circum- 

 stances have induced me to turn much of my 

 attention to crosses between the Shorthorn and 

 other varieties. But if Mr. Sothain is really in 

 earnest — if he wishes to risk $50 or $100 on the 

 milking properties of a pure Shorthorn and a 

 pure Hereford, by the proper tests (say the 



claiming the credit due to Shorthorn crosses. 

 Mr. Randall there leaves the argument and the 

 merits of the breeds and proceeds to personal 

 abuse. These two men are representative Short- 

 horn men from the time that Berrv entered 

 upon the Hereford-Shorthorn controversy, from 

 1820 to 1830 down to the present time. 



The Randalls, Hepburns, Aliens, Pages, Ste- 

 vens, Nichols, Matthews, Andersons, dudys, 

 Sanders, Rusts, and the entire list are of one 

 class, and made use of the same measures, and 

 substantially the same language. They came 

 before the stockmen of the world in W?A with 

 the livery of that august society termed the "So- 

 ciety for the Ditfuision of Useful Knowledge," 

 oflicered by the nobility of England, and used as 



