694 



Aberdeen- Angus Cattle. 



[Nov., 



monster animals before one it is difficult to realise the results 

 attained by breeders of the 20th century, who by selection and 

 registration have evolved the type and quality of the breeds 

 exhibited at our present-day shows which give so much satis- 

 faction to the butcher and the public, not the least important 

 feature being early maturity. 



Towards the end of the last century the London and country 

 butchers began to resent the character of cattle exhibited at 

 the Smithfield Club and other shows. The cow and ewe classes 

 then in existence proved sources of loss, the character of the 

 meat being so wasteful as to be useless to the customer and 

 unprofitable to the trader. Protests were made and the Council 

 of the Smithfield Club eventually deleted such classes from its 

 schedule. The abolition of the cow and ewe classes did not, 

 however, entirely meet the objections to show cattle from the 

 butcher's point of view, and further pressure of the meat 

 traders caused the institution of the Carcass Section by the 

 Club, the Council of which eventually generously provided 

 funds for handsome prizes, and the Section is now acknow- 

 ledged to be very popular and highly educational. This 

 Section is open to all breeds and is now judged by members of 

 the meat trade, whose awards have given general satisfaction, 

 and definitely fixed the superiority of the Angus, which either 

 in its capacity as a pure breed or its value as a cross (principally 

 with that other great breed, the Shorthorn) has produced the 

 champion carcass of beef on every occasion but one, viz., in 

 1903, when a Welsh runt took the laurels. 



The carcass com.petition was established in 1895, and 

 champion prizes were first given in 1899. Since then the 

 Angus breed has been successful on five occasions, the Angus- 

 Shorthorn Cross on 15, the Angus-Hereford once, the Angus- 

 Dexter once, and the Welsh once. Thus in 23 competitions, 

 Angus and Angus crosses have been supreme on 22 occasions: 

 a remarkable record that cannot be explained away. 



A memorable date in the annals of Aberdeen-Angus Cattle 

 was 1892, the first year distinct classes were allotted to the 

 breed at the Smithfield Club Shows. In the main section 

 since (26 shows) pure Angus cattle have won the Champion- 

 ship 14 times: Aberdeen- Angus and Shorthorn crosses twice. 

 Such a record is so striking that it needs no adjectives to 

 accentuate it; yet, the records created by the Angus at the 

 Great International Show in Chicago are even more telling. 

 Judged by the most expert members of the great packing 



