Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-10-31
Herefords vs.. shorthorns.

wv. 3. Campbell, In the breeders Gazotte.1
Theories invented by professional
"quill-drivers" look very well on paper,
but as am not skilled in this profess
sion, am compelled to rely wholly upon
facts and actaal experience to judge Of
the superiority Of any breed as range
cattle, and therefore will not attemptto
theorize upon Mr. G.. w. Rust's theo-
ries in your issue OF October I'd, but
cheerfully give farther details as per re-
quest, though fear his controversies
with Mr. L. l.. Miller have 80 embitter-
ed him against the Herefords that it is
impossible for him to look upon them
or their friends with any degree OF fair
ness. So far as / could learn. the
twenty-five Heref0rds and the twenty
six Shorthorns referred TO in my former
atticle were fed and handled in substan-
TALLY the same manner up to the time
of their purchase and were allowed to
run in open pasture for sixty or seventy
days prior to their shipment, after
which they were turned in with my
range cattle as heretofore stated. Now,
it may be that the twenty-five Here
fords rustled around and selected all
the choicest morsels OF grass, and
Herewith put on thick armor Of tall
low, which withstood the fiercest storms
Of winter, while the unsuspecting Short
horns were quietly snoosing.
But be this as it may, twelve of the
Shorthorns died. and the remaining
fourteen were as poor rs crows, and had
not shed their old coats when the espring
roundups came.
On the other hand, every one Of the
twenty-five Herefords lived and were in
good flesh and sleek as moles at tho
roundups. If one breed is as hardy
rs the other, rs Mr.. Rust claims;
why was the mortality 80 great among
the Shorthorns when there was none at
all among the Herefords on the same
range and under precisely the same cir
cumstances ?
am willing to admit my experience
is somewhat limited ,as have only han
died cattle on the plains for sixteenshort
years, and that tests made by such an
amateur as myself are very tame affairs
when compared with the theories Of one
who has had long experience in cattle
matters in the way OF "quilldriving"
In conclusion, will say, for five or
six years past have been steadily sup
planting my Sholthorn bulls with white
faces. and last year alone disposed of
over 200 head of aristocratic red, white
and roans, and hope to never own an.
other. The Herefords are good enough
for me, either ON the broad prairie
ranges, in our tame pastures, or in the
| feed yard.
BY the way, will state that I. fed
car load OF Shorthorn bulls last winter,
including one disabled Hereford, all Of
which had been in service on my ranch
up to November 1st. The Hereford re-
ceived an injury about October 18th
which resulted in a structure, and in
consequence had to be thrown, cut open
and operated upon by veterinarian at
| three different times. Notwithstand-
ing these disadvantages and the tort
ures conneceed Herewith, he laid on
flesh more rapidly than the Shorthorns
and when the lot were sold in Kansas
City, the Hereford brought II cents
more per pound than the Shorthorns,
and all were sold to the same party.
Mr.. Rust will, in all probability, the
orze again, and theoretically prove to
your readers that these surgical opera
tions were an advantage to the Here
ford, that it relieved him Of vast
amount OF Lad blood which enabled
him to fatten more rapidly and evenly,
and to lay on a supersbuudance Of flesh
in the most valuable parts. and had 10
not been for this favorable chain Of cir
cumstances the ShorthOrns might have
out-sold him in the market.
w. l.. CAMPBELL.