HISTOEY OF HEEEFOKD CATTLE 



231 



resolutions were unanimously adopted by the 

 Board : 



''Whereas, Mr. T. L. Miller, Will County, 

 Illinois, breeder of thoroughbred Hereford cat- 

 tle, has exhibited his herd of thoroughbred 

 Herefords at the annual fair for the Tippecanoe 

 County Agricultural Association for 1877, at 

 which there had been no ring or class of individ- 

 ual entries provided in which he could show his 

 stock, which, of necessity, compelled him to ex- 

 hibit at great disadvantage, and 



"Whereas, The said herd were very generally 

 admired by the visitors attending the fair, in- 

 cluding gentlemen conceded to be experts in the 

 matter of breeding and handling beef cattle, for 

 their great uniformity of marking and their 

 general feeding and fattening qualities; be it 

 therefore 



"Resolved, That the thanks of this Associa- 

 tion are due and are hereby extended to Mr. 

 Miller for affording the visitors at said fair, in 

 so substantial a manner, with a pleasing variety 

 in the show of thoroughbred cattle, and that 

 he has the best wishes of the Association for 

 his future success in an enterprise which has 

 the laudable purpose of improving the breeds 

 of beef cattle. 



"And the secretary is ordered to make out a 

 certificate of this action of the Board and for- 

 ward same to Mr. Miller. 



"(Signed) Daniel Eoyse, Secretary." 



Among those who examined the Herefords 

 here were Messrs. C. M. Culbertson, Moses 

 Fowler, W. S. Van Nafta, Adams Earl, A. D. 

 Eaub, Eobt. W. Sample, Chas. B. Stuart and 

 others, whose attention for the first time was 

 then drawn to the great value of Hereford 

 cattle, and all of whom afterward became breed- 

 ers of Herefords, in most instances getting their 

 start from our herd. 



Two weeks later Mr. Culbertson bought five 

 head that were in this exhibit. Five years later 

 the show of Herefords at Lafayette in 1882 was 

 very gratifying and encouraging to the Here- 

 ford interest, and it seems hardly possible that 

 such a change could be wrought in five years, 

 and thus, what had at the time seemed a some- 

 what discouraging exhibit, really proved one of 

 the most successful ever made by an exhibitor. 



In the year 1879 Mr. C. M. Culbertson sent 

 Mr. Geo. Morgan (who was then my superin- 

 tendent) to England to purchase as good a herd 

 of cattle as could be found. The result was. 

 if we remember rightly, the importation of 

 thirteen head. In 1880 we imported 109 head 

 from England, and Mr. Morgan imported for 

 Mr. Culbertson and Mr. Hershey of Muscatine. 

 la., something over 200 head. From that time 



the importations have increased, in some years 

 amounting to over 1,000 head. Public sales 

 were held in this country at which the higher 

 range of prices has been from four hundred to 

 fifteen hundred and odd dollars per head. 



Our beginning with Herefords, like Mr. So- 

 tham's, was up-hill work, and had we depended 

 upon the farmers' trade of the agricultural 

 States we should, like him, have been over- 

 powered by the hostile Shorthorn interest, but 

 on the plains we were enabled to promptly show 

 results, so plain by comparison, that the Here- 

 ford was victorious from his first introduction. 

 But we are convinced that the Herefords are 

 the best "general purpose" or farmers' cattle, 

 and believe Hereford breeders should never be 

 content till their merits are well known by 

 every farming community of the whole country. 

 On the range, when known, they have the field 

 alone without a rival, but until every bovine has 

 assimilated the true Hereford thrift his all- 



SHORTHORN COW CONQUEROR. A BREEDERS' 

 JOURNAL CARTOON OF 1882. 

 ("While the Shorthorn breeders claim the virtue of grade 

 Hereford steers due to Shorthorn dams, the farmer 

 looking on decides that the credit is due to Hereford 

 bull.") 



conquering work of improvement must be vigor- 

 ously continued. 



It is easier for some Hereford breeders to "let 

 well enough alone;" to be satisfied with exist- 

 ing conditions ; to curry favor with the opposi- 

 tion, and at the same time reap where they have 

 not sown from the active sowing of others : and 

 while the herd of an active advocate of Here- 

 fords should not be patronized more than these, 

 unless he really has a breed of Herefords equal- 

 ly good or superior, if equal, the great bodv of 

 Hereford breeders always will, as thev alwavs 

 have, yield a lo.yal support to those whose cat- 

 tle, pen and voice are ever doing honest, intelli- 

 gent and meritorious service for the Hereford 

 cause, and therefore for the betterment of the 

 cliief product of American agriculture, — good 

 beef. 



