116 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 



A CREATOR OF CART HORSE CHARACTER 



41. Jonathan Hall Truman possesses the singular honor of 

 being an English citizen who has contributed in the broadest 

 and most constructive way to the upbuilding of improved Ameri- 

 can agriculture. Mr. Truman was born in Whittlesea, Cam- 

 bridgeshire, England, November 26, 1842. He was educated 

 at the Oundle Grammar School where he gained the highest 

 honors, and upon graduation, he took over the cattle and sheep 

 business of his father, George Truman. 



Mr. Truman was invited to purchase the first shipment of live 

 fat cattle shipped from the United States to London. Being of 

 adventurous nature, and noting their superiority he purchased 

 forty head and shipped them inland to the market town of 

 Peterborough. These cattle were a great attraction, but caused 

 considerable trouble among the butchers and feeders who were 

 his customers. The butchers, indeed, refused to buy them at 

 any price and with John Bull conservatism, advised him not 

 to bring any more Yankee cattle to their market. Unable to 

 sell them he took them home to his farm, and retailed them 

 individually to small country butchers, being firmly determined 

 to gain his point and to establish a market for the American 

 export trade. He invited two of the largest butchers in Peter- 

 borough to look at some fat sheep he had on the farm, and pur- 

 chased a chine roast of grade Angus beef from one of them 

 for the dinner he intended to serve them when they inspected 

 his muttons. For the same dinner he also had a chine from 

 one of the Yankee bullocks. Placing both joints on the table, 

 he asked his guests to try a piece of the American beef. Both 

 refused, so were supposedly served with the grade Angus. After 

 acclaiming the farmer who fed the grade Angus as the best 

 feeder in the country, their surprise was overwhelming when 



