HISTOEY OF HEEEFOED CATTLE 



192 



opinions in my own way, and in plain language. 

 Have you seen the letter of Wm. Kingham?" 

 "Yes, I have. You could not have had a 

 better endorser. Although he is not a classi- 

 cal writer, he certainly is a very practical man, 

 and seems to write facts." I will here copy the 

 letter. 



[We omit the letter of- Mr. Kingham, which 

 we have reproduced heretofore in Chapter XL 

 — T. L. M.] 



Mr. Ayrault asked me if I would not sell him 

 my best bull for $100. "If you will do so I will 

 have his picture taken and my name shall be 

 put under him as the owner, which will go far to 

 help you, and you know as you are situated you 

 cannot afford to pay for that picture."' I asked 

 him what I should do for a bull to show at the 

 vState Fair at the head of my herd. "Your 

 young bull is good enough," said he, "and my 

 name appearing in the paper under the picture 

 (|] 96) of Tromp will do you great service. I 

 am so well known amongst cattlemen and have 

 great influence with some of them. I lend 

 them money to buy the cattle they take to New 

 York market. Eemember, the cow I got for 

 lending you the money, died, from which I had 

 no benefit ; you must sell me the bull lower on 

 that account." "Had your man known enough 

 not to have turned her into that wet, young 

 clover the cow would have been still living, 

 which you must -be aware." This he admitted. 



I consented to let him have the bull, though 

 I thought him worth double the money. Tromp 

 was put in the "Cultivator," but his picture did 

 not do him justice. The State Show at Roches- 

 ter came. The prizes were as they always had 

 been, half in value and half in number, that 

 for Shorthorns. Mr. Ayrault beat me in bulls, 

 but I gained most of the others in Herefords, 

 but they were not sufficient to pay the expenses. 

 Many who had a strong passion for red had a 

 forcible effecting prejudice against any other 

 color ; condemned their white faces and long 

 horns. The Shorthorn men were exceedinglv 

 jealous of them as rivals. L. F. Allen was there 

 and blew his horn loud and long. The majority of 

 the Executive Committee were Shorthorn men, 

 or influenced by them ; many had been so from 

 the commencement of the New York State Ag- 

 ricultural Society. It developed that the object 

 of my money-lending friend was to get these 

 cattle of me by degrees at very low prices. His 

 constant plea was that chattel mortgages were 

 very precarious, and that I must consider it a 

 very great favor to have money lent upon one. 

 I sold him two heifers to apply on the debt, for 

 $60 each, about half as much as they were really 

 worth. My calves were not in the mortgage, so 



I sold a bull and a heifer calf to a gentleman 

 for $200, and the gentleman drove them off. 

 I went to Mr. Ayrault and paid $125 of it on 

 my debt. "Why, you had no right to sell any- 

 thing without first consulting me. I shall send 

 my man and have them driven back again." 

 His lawyer lived next door, whom he consulted, 

 who subsequently informed me that he in- 

 formed him that I had a perfect right to sell 

 those calves, and apply the money as I thought 

 proper. "Now, sir, if you sell another calf of 

 either sex out of that herd I will have them all 

 sold." 



This transaction made quite a stir in Geneseo 

 and the neighborhood. Now, my money-lending 

 friend was known by the familiar name of "Old 

 Slikey." Numerous men came to caution me 

 against "Slikey's" tyranny, and told me of 

 many he had ruined by lending money and tak- 

 ing advantage of them. Beware of "Old Slikev" 



CHAS. B. STUART, LAFAYETTE, IND. 



(Framer of the American Hereford Cattle Breeders" .^LSto- 



ciation's Rules and By-Laws.) 



was constantly brought before me. , "He will 

 catch you unawares, as is his custom." I felt 

 that I was in a very precarious situation. I 

 realized this to be the case, for he foreclosed, 

 the sale was advertised, and before I knew of it, 

 the hills were out and the sale was to take place 

 ten davs from the date of the bill. 



