HISTOEY OF HEEEFOED CATTLE 



387 



hampton. The second challenge by Mr. Peberdy 

 is as follows : 



"To definitely settle which is the best breed 

 of cattle for the central districts of Queens- 

 land, Herefords or Durhams, I now issue the 

 following challenge to Mr. 0. C. I. Beardmore, 

 he having written viciously against Durham 

 cattle and warmly in praise of Herefords. 



"The conditions of the challenge are as fol- 

 lows : 



"1st. The cattle exhibited by Mr. Beard- 

 more shall be pure Herefords, and the cattle 

 exhibited by me shall be pure Durhams. 



"3d. The definition of the word 'pure,' as 

 applied to the different breeds or pens of cattle 

 exhibited, shall be taken to mean that the cattle 

 exhibited as Herefords shall have no admix- 

 ture of Durham or Devon blood in their veins ; 

 that the cattle exhibited as Durhams shall have 

 no admixture of Hereford or Devon blood in 

 their veins. Should either pen contain one or 

 more beast that, in the opinion of the judges or 

 umpire, is not 'pure,"' then the pen shall be con- 

 demned, and the opposing pen be awarded the 

 prize. 



"3d. That judgment shall be given on differ- 

 ent points of merit and awarded by points as 

 follows : 



"Condition of cows, ten points. 



"Best cattle for pastoral purposes generally, 

 ten points. 



"Aggregate weight of pen, five points. 



"'Greatest yield of milk, five points. 



''■'-tth. That the judges be requested to make 

 their award on the merits of the pens placed 

 before them by the exhibitors, independent of 

 any prejudice they may have against either 

 breed. 



"5th. The cows exhibited shall be in full 

 milk, but it shall be optional with exhibitor 

 whether he pens the cows' calves. 



"6th. Should the judges desire it, the whole 

 of the cows shall be milked in their presence, 

 after being fourteen hours apart from their 

 calves, to decide their qualities as milkers. 



"7th. Should the points be awarded in equal 

 number to each breed, then the umpire and 

 judges shall examine the cattle again as one 

 hodj, and shall, having taken into considera- 

 tion the points of the contest, decide which is 

 the best pen of cattle on the whole, and award 

 accordingly by majority. 



"Should Mr. Beardmore be disposed to ac- 

 cept the above challenge as it is given, I will 

 meet him in Eockhampton with ten cows of 

 mine to compete with ten cows of his for a piece 

 of plate to be selected by the victor, of the 

 value of $100, at any time he may please be- 



tween now and the date of the P. A. and H. 

 show in the above-named place, or during the 

 week that show is held. It is, perhaps, better 

 that Mr. Beardmore should understand that 

 I will not travel my cows that are rearing calves 

 150 miles to meet him, but if he accepts the 

 challenge, I will truck them down. I omitted 

 to add that the cattle exhibited by either party 

 shall have been his property for, say, six 

 months prior to the issue of this chal- 

 lenge. I am quite willing to accept Mr. A. 

 Wright as judge on Mr. Beardmore's side, and 

 will also accept either Mr. Vincent Dowling or 

 Mr. James Boss as umpire; and will appoint 

 either Mr. Cunningham, of Rannes Station ; 

 Mr. Wood, of Calliangal, or Mr. Lamond, of 

 Stanwell, as judge on my side. I shall not 

 consider myself bound by this challenge unless 

 I receive notice of its acceptance fourteen days 

 before the date fixed for the contest. I may 

 add, I make condition a leading point to suit 

 Mr. Beardmore ; I also make weight a minor 

 point, so that it may tell against myself, and 

 destroy any objection he might otherwise have 

 to the condition. 



"(Signed) W. K. Pebeedt." 



To which Mr. Beardmore makes the follow- 

 ing reply: 



"To tJic Editor of the 'Queenslander' : 



"Sir : I have to-day received a copy of a sec- 

 ond challenge from Peberdy on the subject of 

 Herefords vs. Durham cattle. In your issue of 

 the 9th of February Peberdy issued a challenge 

 which I accepted without alteration and left 

 him to name the day. To that I adhere, and 

 will do so two months longer; after that, I shall 

 have to wean my calves and not be in a position 

 to produce twenty mothers with their progeny, 

 and I now again call Mr. Peberdy to stick to 

 his challenge as then issued or hand over two 

 guineas to the hospital and then retire into 

 obscurity. 



"With regard to his second challenge, my 

 Herefords are not milkers, and therefore I 

 could not compete for milkers. My Herefords 

 are not broken in, and could not be put in a 

 yard singly to be handled, and I have yet to 

 learn how cows are to be in full milk and have 

 no calves. Peberdy's words are : 'The whole 

 of the cows to be milkers.' In his fifth clause 

 calves are to be optional, in his sixth it is 

 pretty evident there must be calves in the con- 

 test. Again, Mr. Peberdy states that he can't 

 drive his cattle 150 miles, but must truck them. 

 Now. all Hereford men have contended that 

 Herefords are better travelers — this is one of 

 the very points I took up — and Peberdy's de- 



