336 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 
THE WORLD CHAMPION RUBERTA 
140. At the Illinois 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. Ropsins & 
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. 
