IN FOREIGN FIELDS 981 



to the freezing establishments for exportation to 

 London from 10,000 to 13,000 steers, and I have 

 never sold Durhams for a higher price, nor of less 

 age, nor fatter than Herefords; with this peculiarity, 

 that although both be fed on the same land the 

 Herefords have fattened sooner, and I have never 

 had a single animal of the Hereford breed rejected 

 on account of a suspicion of tuberculosis, which 

 disease is found largely developed in the Durham 

 breed. 



"One of the baseless reasons which the breeders 

 of Durhams use in running down Herefords is the 

 following which I have pleasure in giving you: 

 In our great Palermo shows of 1890, 1895, 1896, 

 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1902 a grand special 

 or champion prize was established to be awarded to 

 the best bull for producing the best meat breed. 

 During these nine distinct struggles the Durhams 

 won five times and the Herefords four. I must tell 

 you that in those different competitions the number 

 of Durham bulls was four or six times more numer- 

 ous than that of the Herefords, so that the triumph 

 was greater for the latter. At the present day we 

 cannot, unfortunately, compete in the same condi- 

 tions, because a champion prize has been established 

 for each breed, through the influence of the partisans 

 of the Durhams. 



"I have data given me by pedigree stock breed- 

 ers of both breeds which says that given an equal 

 number of cows and time, the Herefords have pro- 

 duced in the proportion of one and a half times more 

 than the Durhams." 



It should here be stated that the foregoing testi- 

 mony, as well as that which follows it, was pro- 

 cured by the author of this volume several years 

 ago, when this work was first projected. While 



