THE DEVON 479 



the last in 1881. About 1880 the Devon Cattle Breeders' Society 

 was organized in England, and the herdbook publication was 

 transferred to it about 1884 by Messrs. Hawkes and Risdon, who 

 had purchased the rights from Colonel Davy in 1883. Forty-one 

 volumes of the Devon herdbook have been published between 

 1851 and 191 8. About 1890 the South Devon Herdbook Society 

 was organized, publishing its first volume soon after in 1891, since 

 which time numerous volumes have been published up to 1918. 

 In the United States an "American Devon Herdbook" was first 

 published in 1863, four other volumes following, the last in 1879. 

 The "American Devon Record" was first published in 1881 by 

 James Buckingham of Zanesville, Ohio. Later this record became 

 the official register of the American Devon Cattle Breeders' Asso- 

 ciation. This organization has long been asleep, and the last vol- 

 ume of the herdbook that the author can locate was number seven, 

 published in 1903. 



The popularity of the Devon in America at the present time is 

 very low. For a breed with such an old and creditable history 

 it is a remarkable thing that it should have come to such a sub- 

 ordinate place among well-known breeds in America. But few 

 Devons are seen at the fairs outside of New England, while at 

 the large live-stock shows and 'state fairs of the Middle West, 

 classes are not provided for them, so little interest is shown by 

 the few persons engaged in breeding them. At the Louisiana 

 Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 1904 — the greatest American 

 catde show in history up to that time — the Devon exhibit was 

 represented by two small herds and hardly produced a comment 

 by the live-stock press. 



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