336 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 



THE WORLD CHAMPION RUBERTA 



140. At the Hlinois State Fair of 1901, one of the strongest 

 and most noteworthy competitions yet developed in Scotch 

 bloodlines was staged. Something of an international character 

 was attached to this contest, as the American-bred Ruberta, win- 

 ner of the two-year-old class, met the imported Cicely, winner of 

 the aged class, for championship. Cicely had been bred by Her 

 Majesty the Queen in her Windsor herd and was a champion 

 of the English Royal. As Cicely was Canadian owned thereby 

 making the contest international, it was deemed advisable to 

 bring in the veteran Hereford breeder, Thomas Clark, as adjudi- 

 cator. His decision was awaited with most profound interest by 

 the attending ringside and when the purple ribbon was finally 

 given to Ruberta, the clearest title to American championship 

 ever held by a showyard queen was conferred. This title was 

 successfully defended over a series of years. Ruberta was a 

 roan heifer, calved October 14, 1898. Bred by J. G. Robbins & 

 Sons, Horace, Indiana, she early acquired showyard fame, being 

 junior champion as a yearling at the first American Royal Show 

 and at the first International. Her 1901 victory made her almost 

 invincible in American Showyards, a position she held through 

 the notable Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Ruberta 

 was sired by the famous St. Valentine, (136) head of the first 

 prize Shorthorn herd at the Omaha Exposition of 1898. Her 

 dam was Russella, volume 44, page 854, by Czar 107007, tracing 

 to the twelfth Duchess of Gloster. Ruberta's career in the breed- 

 ing herd was almost as noteworthy as her showyard record. She 

 is the only cow in the Shorthorn breed that has been an Inter- 

 national champion and the dam of a champion. Her son, 

 Ruberta's Goods, won the junior ribbon at the American Royal. 

 In spite of the high flesh in which she was necessarily maintained 

 she produced six calves, and was a regular and certain breeder 

 throughout her life. 



