THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



339 



Bulls one year old, nine entries; premium taken 

 by George M. Bedford. This bull was eighteen 

 months old, and weighed 1430 lbs. This was, in 

 my opinion, the finest bull on the ground. He was 

 good all over, and notwithstanding his size, which 

 as no merit of itself, he was fine in every point, 

 with small bones, perfect symmetry, and a fineness 

 of handling, unsurpassed; in a word, he came up 

 entirely to my ideas of what a pure, high-bred 

 Short-Horn bull should be. The second prize was 

 taken by E. G. Bedford, with a roan bull — very 

 fine, as he had to be to get even the second prize, 

 for the class was an excellent one, and contained 

 several animals of uncommon merit. 



Bull calves, twenty-five entries; premium to 

 George Bowman, with a bull calf of perfect form 

 and first rate quality. He was, I understood, got 

 by the imported bull John O'Gaunt (No. 11,621 in 

 Herd Book). It was this bull, John O'Gaunt, which 

 I said in my article in the September number I 

 thought one of the finest bulls I had ever seen, with 

 the exception of his horns. I saw him in 1852 

 just imported, and about twenty-two months old. 

 He cost his owner, Col. James S. Matson, in Ken- 

 tucky, about $1000. He stood him twelve months 

 at $25, an d he went to 104 cows during the year. 

 He sold him before the great sale last year at 

 $4000 to a company on the south side of the Ken- 

 tucky river. The company stood him for the last 

 year at $50, and he went to 80 cows. So you see 

 Col. Matson made $5600 by him, and the company 

 have made this year $4000, and the bull not yet 

 four years old. This is the way they do things in 

 Kentucky. Our folks think $50 a pretty high price 

 for a calf. Matson bought a Cotswold buck at the 

 Company's sale last year, and stood him at $25, 

 and made a "big season." I am, however, getting 

 off my subject. 



Cows four years or over, nine entries; premium 

 to Mr. R. Duncan for a Kentucky bred cow, and a 

 fine animal she was. Second premium to B. J. 

 Clay for " Diana," bred in Kentucky, beating some 

 imported cows. 



Cows three years and under four, five entries; 

 premium to Abram Renick for a Kentucky bred 

 cow, '"'Duchess," as perfect an animal as any man 

 need wish to see. Her pedigree, which I happen 

 to know, is long and rich, and her appearance equals 

 her breeding. No breeder need wish to possess a 

 superior animal, and if he does, he is not likely to 

 get it, for this cow is as near perfection as cows 

 get to be. It affords me great pleasure to give my 

 opinion about this cow, for no breeder has taken 

 more pains in breeding and rearing his stock than 

 Abram Renick. I doubt Avhether any man in the 

 Union has bred as many good bulls, and bull breed- 

 ing tests a breeder's qualifications more than any 

 thing else. As strange as it may seem to you, it 

 is much easier to breed good cows and heifers than 

 ft is to breed good bulls. Tested in this way Abram 

 Renick stands at the top of his profession. He 

 bred the premium yearling bull, spoken of above 

 as belonging to George M. Bedford. The second 

 premium bull was bred by his brother James. 

 They were both got by the same bull, "Renick," 

 which last was also bred by the Renicks and sold 

 to ©apt. Ben. Warfield and his son William, who 

 now own him and the imported bull Young Chilton 

 also. The bull "Renick" is now eight years old, 

 but fine and vigorous, and the getter of more real 

 fine stock than any bull in the Union. I purchased, 

 when in Kentucky two years ago, for my friend, 

 Mr. John Sanders, of this county, " Cossack," an 



own brother of the above cow "Duchess." He is 

 very fine, and will, no doubt, leave some superior 

 stock in this county. The second premium in this 

 class was taken by Mr. William T. Calmes, with 

 "Princess," bred by himself, an uncommonly fine 

 cow, not quite equal in quality to the premium 

 cow, but one of which any breeder might well be 

 proud. I think there were one or two imported 

 cows shown in this class. 



Heifers two years old, eight entries. This, as a 

 class, was the best of any class shown. It was 

 the best I ever saw T or expect to see again soon ; 

 they were all so good that there was great diffi- 

 culty in deciding the superiority of one over the 

 other. I think I was nearly paid for my trip, in 

 seeing 8 two year old heifers, of such perfection of 

 form, and first rate quality. They elicited the ad- 

 miration of every judge, and they desired procla- 

 mation to be made from the stand "that such a 

 ring was never seen, and that each was worthy of 

 a premium." Highly as I have always thought of 

 the Short-Horns, their great excellencies were ne- 

 ver before more fully impressed upon me. To mag- 

 nificent size they united fine touch and every cha- 

 racteristic which belongs to their celebrated race. 

 The premium was given to E. G. Bedford; and the 

 second to W. H. Renick — both bred in Kentucky. 

 There were, I understood, some imported heifers 

 shown in this class. 



Heifers one year old, twelve entries. First pre- 

 mium to J. Duncan; second to H. Stonestreet. 

 This as a class was also very fine, and the judges 

 differed more in their opinions than in any other. 



Heifer calves, eighteen entries. Premium to Mr. 

 Alexander for a perfectly formed heifer, rather 

 hard in "the touch," but with that exception as 

 perfect as any animal of her age could be. Second 

 premium to Col. J. S. Williams — fine, also, and if 

 I recollect right, superior in quality to her com- 

 petitor. 



There were four entries of "fat bullocks, four 

 years old or over;" two entries of "free martins, 

 or spayed heifers, four years old or over;" three 

 entries of " fat bullocks, free martins, or spayed 

 heifers, three years old and under four;" two en- 

 tries of " free martin or spayed heifers, two years old 

 and under three;" five entries "fat bullock, free 

 martin, or spayed heifer, one year old and under 

 two;" " oxen three years old and over," eleven en- 

 tries; "oxen under three years old," six entries — 

 all fat and fine as Kentucky corn and blue-grass 

 could make them. 



Hogs came next, and although there were not 

 very many upon the ground — about fifty in all — 

 they were fine. They like the Irish Grazier and 

 Woburn hogs better, I believe, than any others. 

 They must have hogs that can travel well after 

 they are fattened. The Suffolks are too short- 

 legged for travelling, but I have no doubt that to 

 cross a Suffolk boar with Grazier and Woburn sows 

 would give them a very superior animal, with suf- 

 ficient length of leg for travelling. 



The show of sheep was most excellent, especially 

 in Cotswolds and South Downs. There were about 

 forty sheep shown, consisting of long, middle and 

 fine wool. I do not profess to be much of a judge 

 of Cotswolds, but cannot help thinking those shown 

 by Mr. 0. H. Burbidge, of Bourbon, who took all 

 the premiums for long wools, are as fine as any of 

 their kind. 



On the third day the horses were shown. It was 

 a fine show, as might be expected in Kentucky, 

 both in blooded horses and roadsters. There were 



