Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-21
LIVE STOCK DEPARTMENT.
Progress in Cattle Breeding-What Con
stitutes Standard Animals.

to one of California's most important in
dustries; an industry which from year to
year has progressed towards the better
until within score of years it has risen
from the mediocre to rank with the best of
any land.
Between the years of 1870 and 1880 the
important breeders of thoroughbred cattle
could be counted on the fingers of one
hand, and the stock bred was principally
shorthorns. Now at the Park, in addition
to the exhibits in this class, are herds of
Aberdeen Angus, Ayrshires, Devons, Here
fords, Holsteins and Jerseys, composed of
animals of superior merit in their respective
classes.
1t was no easy matter to bring the State
forward at such pace to the position it
now occupies. Herds brought in here
from Eastern Staets and disposed of at pub
lie and private sales at State Fairs, have in
measure assisted in educating the farmer
to an appreciation of the true value of i'm
proved stock, but the brunt of the work has
been done, and the best results sprung,
from what has been done by resident
breeders.
These men having a permanent and
| abiding interest in the development of the
| best strains of the best blood, with charac-
| teristic push and energy and unlimited
| capital at command, have brought t. their
herds the very choicest animals of both
sexes, selected from the best Eastern and
| imported stock, and in such numbers that
| through their produce California now pos
sesses animals equal to the best of their
| breeds wherever found.
/ Nature has provided California with a
climate that places her breeders of any
| ind of or OF oIu anti ~
any other section of the Union. Our horses
have already come to the front. Not long
| ago Kentucky was the famous horse quarter
of the world, and everybody went to the
bluegrass region for bang-tail racers and
standard trolters. To day we lead as
record breakers in either class, and the
racing world is looking to California for its
| flyers.
| So, too, will it prove with cattle. With
| our climate and imported animals. the de-
| velopment of the progeny will be such that
perfection will be more nearly attained
than will be possible in any other quarter
| and we predict that in less than ten years
our State will become more renowned fol
cattle than either Kentucky or England
and the world coming to US for stock which
at tina. time, will be famous as the best.
The style, figure and quality which
should represent a perfect animal in the
opinion of good authority, would indeed
be difficult to obtain, and if found in any
particular one, objection would certainly be
made to it as type, on the ground that il
represented particular animal of certain
blood and breeding. Tastes, prejudces
and fashion would also enter largely into q
determination of what might constitute
perfection; but taste, prejudice and fashion
in stock-breeding are all more or less arbi
trary, the result of too much education, anG
frequently absurd, especially when, as they
often do, run counter the practical excel.
lence.
Accordingly, a standard or model O.
what a particular animal of a specia
breed should be, rather than what some
animal is, has by universal consent O
breeders been adopted as a standard of ex
cellence. and the animals that most nearly
approximate to that standard are Judged a.
superior.
A rating, or scale of points, comparing
an animal with standard model enable.
the critic to judge understandlngly as t
every detail OF make up. There are taker
into consideration the muzzle, head horns
ears, neck, chest, brisket, shoulders, fort
ribs, crops, spine, loiD, hips, rump, tail
hinder ribs, flank, udder, thighs, hind legs
twist, hair, skin, and what is known al
handling or touch; and there are animal!
in their respective classes that so nearly
approach the requirements of the model a.
to be worthy of being considered almost. i
not entirely, perfect.
While all the details before mentioned
receive their proper share of attention from
breeders, yet certain qualities are of much
more importance than Others 1t is, O
course, of more consequence that the loin
from whence come the choicest cuts, should
4 q mid - Al
horns should appear tapering and waxy. OF
that the nose should be free from mottlec
spots. The ideal animal would then be th,
one which natures in the shortest possible
time, and with minimum amount O
forage, producing a maximum amount O
choice cuts for the block, and the leas
refuse.
The breeders who first attained an6
maintained worldwide celebrity for the
nearness of this standard of perfection ars
of the past. The Bates and Booth strains
that in their day occupied the foremost
rank, were worthy predecessors of the
Cruickshank family, which the whole
breeding world recognizes as being the
largest and most celebrated existing herd Of
shorthorns of to-day, and the greatest nur.
sery of prize-winnlng cattle the world has
ever produced.
Not too much importance can be placed
on the selection of sire which is to head
| the herd, and it is now acknowledged by
all fashionable breeders that one to be
standard must be Cruickshank The in.
PRODUCTION of the Cruickshank strain to
this coast during the last two or three wears
| was long stride in the march of progress
and IN due time proper credit will be
| placed to the discernment, that foresaw the
possibilities bound to result from the in.
! vestment. As demonstration of the pre-
| potent powers of a bred to the line animal
| of this class, we can point to the premium
| young stock in the herd of A. Heilbron &
Bro, including bull and heifer calf, and to
the two-year. old heifer in the herd of Jos.
| Marzen, that not only took the first prize
here over all competitors, but wherever ex.
| hibited. All are sired by the Second Earl
of Aberdeen, pure Cruickshank, in the
4 herd of the first st-mentioned breeders.
So much as to the progress made by the
shorthorn class. Second in importance to
those just reviewed come the Herefords, a
class of cattle with many enthusiastic ad-
| mirers that are pushing them to the font
| with zeal that asserts itself at every turn
| ana fights for the attainment of superiority
every day in the year.
These animals have their own peculiar
| characteristics in a marked degree
A uniformity of color with the invari-
dulS WHilt tdCt anu neck eDdnleS person
who has ever seen one Hereford to know
just what another one will be as to coler.
They are fine boned, short-legged, stocky
and square built beef animal tnat fully
| merits the attention it is receiving, and the
representatives from our best herds COM
pete with and win premiums over the best
importations selected from a number of the
best Eastern herds with the particular OBJ.
lect in view of competing in the prize ring
In this class A. Heilbron & Bro, who
breed Herefords as well as shorthorns, won
the first premium for the best bull three
year-olds and over, the sweepstakes for best
COW, besides several other premiums with
younger animals, and a yearling Hereford
bull sold by them TO Mr.. Marzen also won
the first premium in his class.
When it is taken into consideration that
the firm of A Heilbro1 & Bro. are not
breeding especially for the prize ring, but
merely exhibiting with the broader view of