154 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



pull other breeds down to build up their own." 

 I would ask Mr. Clay, as he professes to be 

 an old breeder and dealer, and also your more 

 experienced breeders, whether Shorthorns with 

 long, silky coats are thoroughbred animals; or 

 whether the origin of that coat does not belong 

 to the Scots? I am perfectly satistied in my 

 own mind that that coat came from Scotland, 

 clandestinely bred into Durhams, for it was 

 never seen in their originals ; so say all the 

 original breeders. 



Again he says, "I do not know what Mr. S. 

 means by proof. The cow of mine which 

 weighed 2,020 pounds" (1 suppose Mr. Clay 



WINTER DB COTE (4253) 3204. 



(Bred by T. Edwards. Champion of England, 1871 to 1875, 



inclusive. Sire of Leonora, Beatrice, etc. From 



a painting.) 



here means live weight, much the best way of 

 selling Shorthorns), "was only stuffed six 

 months, and as good judges as Mr. S. offered 

 me $140 for her." He (Mr. C.) challenges any 

 cow in America to beat this. I could have fed 

 twenty cows of my own breeding that would 

 have beaten it fairly ; all raised on a light soil ; 

 much more, had they been raised on the rich 

 grazing land in Kentucky, with a close ad- 

 herence to the breeders' abundant corn cribs in 

 winter. My cattle never could enjoy such lux- 

 uries of "stuffing" as Mr. Clay says his "can 

 bear." My purse was always too light and too 

 much embarrassed to afford this extravagance. 

 So, Mr. Clay may boast of stuffing, but I wish 

 he would produce his balance-sheet with that 

 "stuffing." 



In 1844 and 1845 I took a Hereford cow 

 and a half-bred Hereford and Shorthorn cow to 

 Boston. I sold to Mr. Bennett (the noted sales- 

 man of Brighton) both cows. The former for 

 $150 — she weighed 2,313 lbs., when put on the 

 railroad scales at Albany, and when weighed 

 again at Brighton she weighed 2,247 lbs. The 



half-bred Shorthorn weighed somewhat lighter 

 and fetched a little less money, but was an ex- 

 cellent cow. I did not keep the dead weight of 

 either. The Hereford was milked once a day 

 until August 1st; afterwards grazed as long as 

 there was a good bite of grass and then put up 

 to feed. She was m good store condition while 

 milking and came to her stall good average 

 American beef. In the last of March I started 

 to Boston with her. The butcher who killed 

 her took the meat round Boston for public in- 

 spection on a sunny day and spoilt the whole 

 of it; it had been hanging in his stall long 

 enough for this purpose previous to this, and 

 for good keeping, and this was the reason I 

 could not get her dead weight. I never saw a 

 cow that would sink less oft'al. She was perfect 

 in her symmetry and her quality of meat proved 

 it could not be excelled. 



Mr. Clay further says : "As to the Herefords 

 I have nothing to say for or against them, ex- 

 cept they have never in public opinion risen to 

 the rank of contending for the supremacy." 



Can Mr. Clay, professing to be an old breeder 

 and dealer, plead ignorance for this assertion ? 

 Does he know nothing of Smithfield and Birm- 

 ingham shows ? "I guess not." I shall leave 

 this to you, Mr. Editor, as you are well and 

 impartially "posted" in this matter ; and you 

 know how frequently the Herefords have beaten 

 the Shorthorns while each breed were contend- 

 ing for the "supremacy" and the former always 

 met the latter under adverse circumstances. I 

 see by one of your papers "that a snug little 

 family party of Shorthorn breeders had pre- 

 viously controlled the Smithfield Club," but lat- 

 terly the "march of progress" had taken its seat 

 amongst them ; the pressure without called loud- 

 ly for justice, to break up this combined clique, 

 and has now succeeded. We shall now be able 

 to see which breed deserves the "supremacy." 



The home of the Shorthorns in England is as 

 rich land as Kentucky, which gives them everv 

 advantage — forces them on in early life. Still 

 the Herefords have always beaten them in early 

 maturity, when brought under a fair trial. No 

 better proof of this could be shown than in the 

 decision of Mr. White of Upleaden and the Rev. 

 H. Berry, producing the yearling Herefords 

 and Shorthorn heifers at Sir Charles Morgan's 

 shows at Tradegar — Mr. Berry giving the "chal- 

 lenge" and Mr. White beating him as a year- 

 ling. Mr. Berry, not being satisfied, challenged 

 to show Mr. White the second year, the heifer 

 gaining the greatest weight to be the winner; 

 Mr. White again accepted the challenge and 

 beat him in weight 112 pounds. I refer you to 

 this statement in one of the late Rev. J. R. 



