a06 



HIST R Y () F ]1 E K E E K i) C A T T E E 



have to offer you to-day some ol' tlie most tasli- 

 lonable blood descended trom Mr. l^ates' tru(; 

 and unadulterated original Dukes and Duch- 

 esses, well known the wide world over, and you 

 all well know that 1 am the gentleman who 

 sold Mr. James 0. Sheldon's cattle of precisely 

 the same families at Windsor, at the very gate 

 of your Queen, and as there are many exalted 

 Bates breeders among you I shall expect you to 

 bid spiritedly." 



Here was John Bull and Jonathan pitted 

 against each other, regardless ol' consequences. 





AT A COUNTnY FAIR IN MISSOURI. 



After the first bid John's flattering tongue was 

 of no use to him — nods were rapid and the 

 order of the day. Fanciful John Bull was so 

 extremely anxious to bid, and Jonathan out- 

 numbering them, nodded conspicuously or gave 

 tongue. The auctioneer became so confused 

 he did not know which hid to take first; he 

 almost fancied that it was he that was up for 

 sale instead of the Duchess. An automaton 

 would have answered the same purpose as John, 

 amid such bidders. The representatives of both 

 nations acted more like lunatics released from 

 an a.sylum than breeders of discretion, seeking 

 proper and profitable animals, as an example 

 to benefit mankind. 



When the Duchess sold for forty tliousand 

 dollars, the shouts from the crowd were loud 

 and long, neither John Bull nor Jonathan could 

 command themselves ; hats were thrown in the 

 air, men were crazed in delight; Jonathan and 

 John Bull shook hands with each other, and 

 with such a grip that all supposed that the two 

 nations would never be divided, and that Thos. 

 Bates would be king over all. . One would sup- 

 pose that Bedlam had been let loose, or that the 

 lunatic asylum at TJtica was on fire, and that 

 the scattered inmates were attracted, by the 

 h.ideous noises, to take a part. 



When I'age asked for a bid on the next ani- 

 mal, be was overcome; his voice failed, and 

 when artii'ulation came, a lialf dozen bids had 

 been offered. "Go on," said John, and they 

 did go on like men on the high road to ruin. 

 When the sale was ended, some of them sup- 

 posed they had been dreaming ; others boasted 

 of their bargains, and felt as proud as "Luci- 

 fer." After the Englishman for whom the 

 Duchess was said to be purchased was infornu^d 

 of the transactions he jireferred to pay $fO,000 

 forfeit rather than $;i(),()0() more and take the 

 I)ueheBs, which offer was accepted, and a rich 

 New Yorker agreed to take her, but she died 

 before she was delivered. The majority of the 

 Duchesses were either hopelessly barren or fol- 

 lowed the fate of the Duchess, who was buried 

 in utter silence, and in the dark with her thin 

 skin on, in honor of Thos. Bates, Esq., Kirk- 

 levington, Eng. J am not posted as to her hav- 

 ing a marble tomb erected over her to denote her 

 sacred memory. 1 could tell you much more; 

 I have said so much on Bates and his followers 

 to show how much this elan set against the 

 Herefords. Now I intend to show what I and 

 my Herefords went through after this bubble 

 burst. All I have told you about it has been 

 true, which I will challenge any man of truth to 

 deny. 



* =;: * 



PART X. 



You saw by the letter from Mr. Wm. Cother, 

 Esq., that there was no Herd Book for Here- 

 fords when J imjKjrted ; but the breeders from 

 whom 1 purchased kept a reliable record of their 

 own. After the present Herd Book was estab- 

 lished, some of the best breeders were very care- 

 less about entering their cattle. Being so well 

 satisfied with th(^ pedigrees kept hy themselves, 

 and feeling confident of their practical judg- 

 ment in selecting the sires to maintain the supe- 

 riority of their herds, they felt perfectly safe 

 in keeping the sound doctrine of self-preserva- 

 tion. 



The Hereford breeders were principally prac- 

 tical men, not easily led away by novices or 

 theory. The profits of their cattle kept them 

 independent. Any one conversant with the 

 Hereford fairs (f 106), and seeing the immense 

 number of white-faces that came in on these 

 occasions (the money that changed hands 

 there, aside from that paid to the breeders of 

 steers, at their homes), and sent directly to 

 those graziers spoken of in Mr. Cother's letter, 

 could not but see their true value. 



Th(' graziers, knowing the truth of the supe- 

 riority of Herefords for grazing, purchased 



