DEC 45 
THE BUBAL NEW-YOBKEB, 
3niJu$lr'l Societies. 
NOTES OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS AT 
THE SIXTH ANNUAL (CHICAGO) 
FAT STOCK SHOW. 
(Rural Special Report ] 
On entering, I notice for the first time that 
my ticket reads American Fat Stock Show. 
Formerly the title was Chicago Fat Stock 
Show uniformly and always. The impression 
and suggestion to me are that if the Chicago 
people do not turn out better to see and sup¬ 
port an exposition of one of the greatest of 
agricultural industries, and one from which 
Chicago has received immense benefits, theie 
is nothing to prevent a transfer of the Ameri¬ 
can Fat Stock Show to a place where it would 
get a more generous support and liberal en¬ 
tertainment. 
. *** 
Turning to the left as we enter, we first en¬ 
counter a long line of draft horses — Nor¬ 
mans, Clydes, Shires, and others, whose high 
condition and enormous proportion of fat 
and flesh over muscle, suggest tlmt they 
were by no means out of place in a fat stock 
show. And why not ? Is it anything but a 
prejudice as silly as it is ancient, that leads us 
to think horse-flesh is unfit for human food ? 
We laugh at the Jews for refusing to eat pork, 
while at the same time we do not see or ac¬ 
knowledge that we perhaps go as far wrong in 
rejecting horse-flesh. However, it is only a 
question of time, when the flesh of fat and 
healthy horses, past their usefulness, will be 
regarded as second only to oxen that have 
reached a similar stage. 
• *** 
A rapid turn through the larger portion of 
the Exposition, leads me to the conclusion that 
the mature, or aged fat cattle on show, are in 
some measure inferior to those of the two 
previous years; but at the same time there is 
more than a compensating improvement in 
the young things on exhibition, and a consid¬ 
erable gain in the number of entries. The 
Herefords aud the Short horns retain nearly 
the proportions of last year; the Devons aud 
Ayrshires have disappeared, and for the first 
time in the annals of the show the polled cat¬ 
tle are out in force, either as competitors for 
the prizes or for exhibition and subsequent- 
sale. 
*** 
I note, too, Kentucky is well represented, 
and so is Ohio in Short-horns, with Iowa and 
Canada not far behind, while the Herefords of 
Indiana outnumber all others of the same 
breed. If to these are added the contribution 
of polled cattle from Canada, Short-horns 
from Missouri. Herefords from Wyoming and, 
last but by no means least, the draft from Illi¬ 
nois herds, I am impressed the affair is not 
indeed a Chicago but an American Fat Stock 
Show, as my ticket reads. 
*** 
The Short-horn grades of John G. Gillett, 
of Logan Co., Ill,, as from the start, continue 
to be a leading feature. My impression is, 
they are not quite up to his steers of last year 
or the year before. McMullin, the steer that 
carried off the sweepstake honors as the best 
tat animal for two years in succession, is here, 
and though ho has gained nearly 300 pounds 
and is as smooth and well proportioned as 
before, he has boot, beaten at lust. This steer 
is a remarkable example of the success of Mr. 
Gillett's methods of no shelter and open-air 
feeding, and strengthens the position of those 
who follow similar courses in handling stock. 
Whether there is any just parallel in the case 
or not. most, of us are aware that household 
jiets—cats and dogs, for example—may be fed 
rich food copiously with perfect safety, so 
long a« they are forced outside nights, but 
if suffered to stay inside, and especially if they 
have access to the fireside, they presently 
sicken aud soon die. While Mr. G.’s methods 
are likely to continue to be for a long time 
more followed by n vast majority of home and 
Western feeders, it is pretty evident that those 
who coddle their cattle will be the chief prize- 
takers at future fat stock shows. 
*** 
The Holstein men presented the claim 
that theirs is not only the best milk breed, but 
also that its merits are nearly equal In the pro¬ 
duction of beef. The latter part of tho claim 
was hardly sustained; but the sules which took 
place during the show demonstrated that 
Dutch cattle already have, or are about to 
enjoy, a “ boom” as a milk breed, which will 
equal, if not exceed, anything attained by the 
Jerseys. Something over 54,000 for a two 
year old daughter of Mercedes, aud a refusal 
of $1,500 for the calf in her, “male or female, 
dead or alive,” is something near a measure of 
what the Holstein sales have developed in the 
fast-rising tide of their popularity. 
*** 
But while the competition is going on be¬ 
tween the Jerseys, the Ayrshires and the Hol- 
steins, in a sort of triangular contest, the 
three parties in interest do not seem to be 
aware of the appearance on the horizon of a 
fourth, which certainly sooner or later will 
enter the fight, and perhaps in the end, carry 
off the chief of the honors for milk and beef 
both. These are tho Short-horns, which, hav¬ 
ing lost something from injudicious breeding, 
are bound to recover it and something more; 
that more being a determination to breed back 
to the old standard of first for milk and beef 
both. Those who ha ve had the good fortune 
to have seen in the older cattle-breeding 
counties of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and D- 
linois the Short-horn cow of a generation ago 
at her best, know something of what she is 
capable of, and will not be surprised if in the 
course of five or ten years, she beats the but¬ 
ter, cheese, milk and beef record of every¬ 
thing standing on hoofs. 
*** 
The sudden appearance of the Herefords in 
force at the front and the extraordinary popu¬ 
larity of the breed aud prices obtained for 
them, are chiefly due to their value for what 
is called “top crosses” for native Western aud 
Southwestern cattle. The prepotency of a 
Hereford bull is so strong that when bred to 
one of the small, loeg-horued, native cows, 
the progeny has, in almost every case, the 
full Hereford marks—red body, white face 
and belly and heavy lateral horns. Speci¬ 
mens of these crosses from the Western Plains 
were so nearly in appearance full-blood Here¬ 
fords, as to deceive all but a thoroughly well 
informed stockmau. That the Short-horn 
bull is far from accomplishing this feat and 
that he cannot withstand the hardship of the 
Plains as well as the Hereford, is not all due 
to any measure of innate constitutional weak¬ 
ness or any want of a long line of full-blooded 
ancestors; but to the covetousness and want 
of judgment of breeders who have refused to 
use the knife when it should have been used. 
Said a prominent Short-horn breeder: "If for 
the last ten years half the Short-horn males 
bad been trimmed and half the heifers 
spayed, the total value of well-bred Short-horn 
cattle would certainly be equal to and per¬ 
haps double what it now is. 
*** 
But, after all, the surprise and sensation of 
the affair were the polled cattle—the black 
polled Angus in large numbers; the long, cur- 
ley-haired Galloways, with a coat like a New¬ 
foundland dog’s, in smaller numbers, and a 
few red polled cattle. These last, by the way, 
impressed me as being finer bred than the 
others; in fact they appeared among neat 
cattle what the thoroughbred racer is among 
horses. When compared with the Short¬ 
horns and the Herefords, the polled cattle are 
small. Being without horns, and having an 
enormous development in breadth and depth 
of chest, “heart and lung room.” as breeders 
say, the aged bulls have in this a striking re¬ 
semblance to the buffalo without his short and 
curved horns and what may be called his 
mane. In this feature of the black polled An¬ 
gus, which he enjoys in common with the 
other polled breeds, the suggestion is offered, 
whether or not, if they show the prepotency 
of the Hereford in marking their progeny, 
the latter will not find u formidable rival in 
furnishing improved blood to the half-wild 
stock of the West. In some notes on the Illi¬ 
nois State Fair, l reported to you that I had 
a conviction (hat the polled breeds were on the 
road to and would soon reach great popularity, 
aud the attention they drew and the prizes 
they took at the fair under notice, illustrate 
and enforce the correctness of my first im¬ 
pression. 
*** 
The truth is, the Herefords and the Short¬ 
horns both have reached too large propor¬ 
tions to be profitably cut and sold by the 
butchers or satisfactorily bought and eaten 
by the consumers, and it may be doubted 
whether a smaller breed would not be as 
profitable to the feeder, because even now a 
ripe steer of 1,200 pounds will bring several 
cents a pound more than one in equally good 
condition weighing from 1,000 to 2,000 pouuds. 
The reasons why a moderate-sized or even a 
small carcass is greatly preferred by the con¬ 
sumer and butcher both, were very' clearly 
seen on examination of the enormous car¬ 
casses of dressed beef which were the con¬ 
cluding and really the grandest thing in the 
whole exhibition, and of which more will be 
said in these notes further aloug. 
*** 
Considering that it was the first appearance 
of tho Polled Angus in competition with tho 
Short-horns ami the Herefords, from the fact 
that the imported Black Prince, a three- year- 
old steer, got the first-class prizes, aud the 
animal entered for slaughter, another of 
scarcely less worth, it is plain their merits as a 
beef breed were seen at a glance and ac¬ 
knowledged from the start. Further, it 
seemed to be the general opinion of average 
observers, except among men who entered 
animals for competition, that a gross mistake 
was made by the awarding committee in not 
conferring the blue ribbon of the grand sweep- 
stakes upon Black Prince Certainly, to my 
unprejudiced judgment, he appeared uearer 
the ideal of perfection as a prize fat steer 
thau any I have seen, and it was not without 
satisfaction I found many good judges of the 
same mind. 
* 
The awards of the committee were sub¬ 
jected to more adverse criticism than usual. 
This was partly due to the fact that one class 
of committee was made up from the point of 
view of the feeder, and the other from that 
of the butcher, and che consequence was that 
awards were made of the most incongruous 
characters; and this, too, where Herefords 
were competing against Herefords, and Short¬ 
horns against Short-horns. A part of the ex¬ 
planation, however, may be that there was a 
feeling that every exhibitor from every State 
and section was entitled to something, even if 
given at the expenses of those who could 
afford to spare something of which they 
had received so much. In concluding these 
first impressions of the Sixth Annual Fat- 
Stock Show. I must not neglect, to notice the 
noble exhibits of aged steers contributed to it 
by John B. Sherman. Superintendent of the 
Chicago Stock Yards. They were magnifi¬ 
cent creatures, and their merits were duly 
recognized in the many prizes given them. 
And at the same time it is no more than jus¬ 
tice to say of Mr. Sherman’s labors, that no 
man has contributed more liberally of time, 
money, sympathy and the sound advice which 
comes of a laborious and honorable life de¬ 
voted to the stock interests of Illinois and ».he 
entire Western country, to make the show the 
really great success it is b. k. Johnson. 
AT THE FAT STOCK SHOW. 
[Rural Special Report.] 
Will the show pay expenses ? is the ques¬ 
tion that has agitated interested ones during 
ohe exhibition. The first days were intensely 
cold; Friday was warmer, and Saturday was 
lovely. On this day 50,004) school children 
clambered over every available space and 
swarmed everywhere, and the surmises of 
some of the little city innocents in their judg¬ 
ment of the stock were often ludicrous, and 
not to the purpose; but they were delighted, 
and certainly saw many object lessons they 
will never forget. It was a good thing for 
the management to do—admitting them free 
—and hence mauagers and children were 
happv, and other visitors seemed unusually 
good-natured. Exhibitors were often nervous 
over the juvenile investigations, but received 
the inquiries of the little ones in good part, 
as affording important physical and anatom¬ 
ical knowledge to the rising generation. The 
second week of the show was pleasant as to 
temperature, but unpleasant in respect to rain. 
My own opinion is that, heavy as the expense 
of this exhibition has been, che State Board 
will leave Chicago without loss to its treasury. 
This is all it desires. 
*** 
The fat chicken show was a failure, and has 
yearly been so at this show. This year the 
dressed poultry were a scandal to the average 
feeding capacity of the average hen, aud the 
single blue ribbon ornamenting the lot seemed 
ashamed of itself to be found iu such com¬ 
pany. The caged chickens, on the other 
hand, were happy. They were placed in the 
gallery as a side-show, aud an extra admit¬ 
tance fee was asked to see them. Hence they 
got very little poking from parasols, umbrel¬ 
las aud walking-sticks. Really, the manage¬ 
ment should refuse to make awards except to 
birds specially fattened for the show. Poultry 
cannot be too fat. I find better fattcued Cowl 
at the supply stalls than l saw dressed at the 
show. Poultry raisers who will instruct 
themselves iu caponizing fowls and making 
them fat for the market, may make some 
money in these days of largely accumulated 
wealth. 
The exhibition of cattle 1 have already 
touched upon in a former communication. 
It was, without doubt, the largest collection 
of superior bullocks tho world oversaw; supe¬ 
rior to English shows in numbers, as it cer¬ 
tainly was in the maturity and excellence of 
the beef; for whatever may be said of Euglisb 
turnips, Uush pastures aud an abundance of 
cornmeal are what make sound beef. The 
sale of breeding stock, including milk breeds, 
was quite satisfactory to the owners, especially 
so to the Hereford owners, tho really good 
animals bringing unusually high prices, show¬ 
ing the increasing estimation in which this 
meaty, majestic and ancient breed of British 
cattle is held. The Hereford men have had to 
fight their way in Illinois step by step, and 
the acrimonious belligerency of a noted and 
able Hereford breeder has not tended to 
soothe the feelings of the parties interested. 
The Hereford men need not be afraid to show 
in any beef ring. The Short-horn breeders 
need not fear but there will always be ample 
demand for their noble and stylish breed of 
cattle. 
*** 
The sheep rings showed excellent animals, 
with a fair representation of the leading 
breeds. The prenriums were fairly distrib¬ 
uted as to localities, but Cauada, with excel 
lent long, and middle-wooled sheep and grades 
and crosses, received 10 of the 43 prizes 
awarded. Mrs. Ann Newton, of Michigan, 
who showed fine and middle-wooled sheep, re¬ 
ceived six prizes, two of them being in sweep- 
stakes, one for the heaviest fat i-heep and one 
for car-load. In the sweepstakes ring, one 
premium went to Illinois for \ wether tinder 
one year, but the grand sweepstakes went to 
Ohio. The heaviest fat sheep was from 
Michigan. Premiums for car lots went re¬ 
spectively to Ontario and Michigan, and the 
prize for early maturity went also to Michi¬ 
gan. 
The show of hogs was neither numerous 
nor contributed from distant localities. A 
hog if not fat, whatever the age, is nothing. 
It is the hog’s destiny to eat, sleep, grow' fat. 
and, this accomplished, to be converted into 
pork, bacon, lard, hams and sausage. The 
Poland-China is the favorite hog for Western 
feeders. The Jersey Red or Duroc is gaining 
in favor. So is the Victoria, though in this 
class Chester-Whites being classified with 
them, the Chesters stood first in the premium 
awards. Victorias coming second. The aristo¬ 
cratic Berkshires always have their special 
admirers, and Essex are also yearly growing 
into favor. In grades and crosses the Victo¬ 
rias stood first in classes one and under two 
years old, and in the grand sweepstakes the 
Poland-Chinas stood first. 
*** 
The sweepstakes lings and grand sweep- 
stakes iu cattle were, of course, the culmin¬ 
ating interest in the show. The following 
will give the facts in condensed form. There 
were two judgments—one by butchers and 
one by feeders. In these rings the premium 
steer or spayed heifer, three and under four 
years, judged by butchers, went to the Cana¬ 
dian Polled Angus. Black Prince; two years 
and under three, to the Short-horn, Clarence 
Kirkleavington; one year aud under two. to 
the Hereford, Ohio Bill. Judged by feeders, 
the Hereford Roan Boy, three and under 
four years, received the premium; two years 
and under three, Clarence Kirkleavington; 
one and under two years Scratch, a grade, 
received the premium. For cow three years 
or over. Canada’s Pride took the premium in 
both classes. In the grand sweepstakes the 
Hereford Roan Boy took the premium as the 
best animal in the show. On carload of eight 
cattle, three and under four years old, the 
first premium went to John B. Sherman, Chi¬ 
cago; the second to.John D. Gillett, of Elk¬ 
hart, Ill. For a lot of ten cattle, two and 
under three, the first premium went to J. D, 
Gillett; the second to John Ross & Son, 
Bucyrus, O. For a lot of twelve cattle, one 
and under two, the first, prize went to Fowler 
& Van Natta, Fowler Ind.; the second to C. 
M. Culbertson, Chicago. 
***■ 
Coming now to the last and crucial test, 
the butcher’s block, the steer Starlight 7 S 
Short-horn, took the premium as the best 
three-year-old and as the best steer on the 
butcher’s block in the show. This was the 
steer that received the grand sweepstakes 
prize at Kansas City as the best bullock in 
the show. At Chicago this steer could win 
nothing in the show ring alive, in any class; 
dead, he showed his superiority over all the 
best ill the show, even over the bullock judged 
best both by the committee of feeders, and 
that of the butchers Kansas City may well 
rejoice that the judgment there given has 
beeu vindicated at Chicago, although it re¬ 
quired the killing of a steer with a grand fu¬ 
ture before him, for his vindication. 
Chicago, Ill. JONATHAN PERIAM. 
THE SLAUGHTER TEST OF CATTLE. 
The slaughter test is the crucial one so far 
as beef cattle are eoneerued. Here the dis¬ 
tribution of the meat, relative quantities in 
the prime parts, marbling of fat and lean, 
or their mingling together are what nowa 
days count in the scale of profits to the 
butcher, and in palatubility and profit to the 
consumer. Every person likes fat beef, but a 
very little of tho fat of a bullock goes into 
the stomachs of the consumers. Hence there 
is really no profit to the beef eater in inor- 
