HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



333 



"This vexed question, of long standing, was 

 again brouglit promineiitly to tlie front during 

 the Bath and West of England Show at 

 Brighton. On that occasion it referred more 

 particularly to the decisions in the classes of 

 Guernsey cattle. In fact, every one who pro- 

 fesses to know what a Guernsey bull or cow is, 

 was simply shocked at the incompetent judges 

 who were appointed to adjudicate in regard to 

 this breed. 



"English breeders, as well as breeders from 

 the islands, have protested in strong terms 

 against the decisions to which they came. There 

 are certain points in all breeds of animals which 

 practical men look upon as of importance. 

 These points ought not only to be understood 

 by judges, but they ought to be recognized by 

 them, and thereby acknowledged in the form of 

 the awards they make. But the breeders in this 

 case say the judges were so oblivious of the re- 

 quired points of Guernsey cattle that they 

 awarded the prizes to inferior animals, and left 

 unnoticed, or merely commended, those which 

 were of the orthodox form. 



"This comes of the way the judges of agri- 

 cultural societies are appointed. In this coun- 

 try the authorities of societies have apparently 

 merged into bands or cliques, each member of 

 which seems to say, 'If you will give me a help- 

 ing hand I will do as much for you some day.' 

 There seem to be no bold critics or censor of 

 this baneful practice or organized cliquism. 

 In America a year or two ago the same per- 

 sonal favoritism prevailed. But they treat these 

 matters better in America than we do in the 

 old country. The system was vigorously at- 

 tacked in the American agricultural and live 

 stock journals. One principle laid down by a 

 leading critic was, that 'any one — no matter 

 who he was — who made an application to a so- 

 ciety to be appointed as judge should not be 

 taken anv notice of.' 



"Yet the judging of our live stock is mainly 

 entrusted to men who push themselves forward, 

 or apply to the chairman or members of the 

 council for the post. As we have intimated, the 

 whole subject has emerged into a system of 

 cliquism or something worse. Breeders of dif- 

 ferent kinds of stock have their crotchets, and 

 they take care to get themselves elected as mem- 

 bers of the council of the leading agricultural 

 societies. They then exercise their influence in 

 electing judges who will favor their own 

 crotchets. Thus some of the worst faults that 

 the modern herds and flocks of animals have 

 displayed during the present generation have 

 been encouraged, and are now being perpetu- 

 ated. 



"We cannot dwell upon these great faults to- 

 day, but we will do so on an early occasion. One 

 symptom, however, we may mention, which is, 

 the outrageous prices to which interested noble 

 lords, rich tradesmen and their agents have 

 puffed up certain tribes of animals, the main 

 end and object of which is, or rather ought to 

 be, to produce animal food at the market price 

 per pound over the scales. This is why we are 

 having the ground cut from under our feet by 

 European, American, Antipodean and other 

 breeders and feeders. Both animal food — be it 

 beef, mutton or pork — and such animal's prod- 

 uce as cheese and butter, are now being sent 

 from foreign countries of superior quality in 

 many respects, and in quantities that make 

 home efforts by tenant farmers, who are vic- 

 tims of the false system in question, an\dhing 

 but successful to either themselves or home con- 

 sumers. If our great agricultural societies were 

 left more open for the services of practical men 

 there would be no difficulty in appointing 

 judges who would give encouragement to the 

 breeders of more paving animals — those that 

 have a greater tendencv to produce flesh than 

 fat." 



GOLDEN TREASURE (V. 15, p. 12fi). 

 Bred by Earl of Coventry. 



