88 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
the performance of their duties at the last fair, gave universal 
satisfaction to exhibitors. The obvious fairness of making 
the awards, rendering it next to impossible to show favoritism, 
must commend itself to all. 
REPORT OF THE CATTLE DEPARTMENT. 
BY C. H. WILLIAMS, SUPERINTENDENT. 
The show of cattle at our annual exhibition held at Milwau¬ 
kee, September, 1871, exceeded in numbers the very fine one 
of the previous year, and in some classes excelled in quality 
any former exhibition. 
This fine show would seem to indicate, that the breeders of 
improved cattle are still engaged in the laudable competition 
for pre-eminence in their business, and that each exhibitor had 
confidence in his progress and success sufficient to induce him 
to come forward with his stock in competition with others in 
the same business. 
It is to be hoped, these comparisons and competitions, made 
public by our annual exhibitions, will make its impress on the 
mind of the general farmer, such that they will be stimulated 
into efforts to bring about that very desirable result, the im¬ 
provement of the “ native ” cattle of the state. 
The number of cattle shown at the last exhibition being in 
excess of the stalls provided, the society, in anticipation of a 
still larger show, doubled their former number, but notwith¬ 
standing this enlargement of accommodations, the cattle on 
exhibition more than filled the stalls provided, causing a dou¬ 
bling up, in some cases, not convenient or pleasant to the own¬ 
ers of choice stock. This state of things will sometimes occur, 
lor the officers of the society can not know how extensively 
the growers of stock will exhibit. » 
The stately and popular short horns, the handsome red De¬ 
vons and the gentle Alderneys and Ayrshires were on exhibi¬ 
tion in about their usual proportions as to numbers—the short 
horns largely in excess of any other class—with a very credit- 
