The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-09


way to improve the herds OF the country
nv The importation of thorougabreds of any
species.
The Hereford or "whiteface," as he is
commonly styled, is favorite with large
number of cattle men in the United stat s.
Notwithstanding the long lead the Shorthorn
has ALWAYS maintained. The rivalry batWe~n
the two has been very sharp a. times, ana
their respective merits have never yet peeh
fully determined to the satisfaction Oh lheiI
respective advocates. Henry Clay lntrouucSu
the Hereford breed into this country as .o-g
ago as 1877 and 1t is .ainly remarKap'e
that after four score years OF cutlvation II
this great cattle growing country very lew
bulls of a serviceable age exist today, elthSr
in the United States Canada. l. is De-
cause of this scarcity of suitable slreS 'hdl
importations are now being so largely maze.
The fact serves as a blunt and almost orut-
al demonstration of the recklessness Win
which the cattle industry of America mas
been conducted. In their eagerness TO raise
steers for the beef market. ranch men nave,
wear after year sacrificed the best sources OF
reproduction for it is apparent to any one
who has watched the Western and S3uta-
western herds filing section by section mo
the market places that. That pure bred S res
and dams have been prolific and The eed
OF growers alone has neutraliz-d their work
so far as maintaining and multiplying the
species is concerned.
The Hereford is a popular beer animal
In England, where great care has always b. en-
exercised in his perfection as a meat pro-
Queer The importation of bulls and COWS
of the choicest selections, for breeding here
has been considerable, though spasmodic; AMI
the demand for their issue for export to Eng
land has been constant, and incr> as ng year
by year. The breed originally took kindly
to our climate; and half century ago, Wien
the area fer the cultivation of be prCduc-
ing cattle was cast of the Mississippi ri5er,
the pure blooded animals were frequently
met in the small herds of those earlier days.
When the industry of cattle G. owing
sumed larger proportions by opening up OF
the Western plains, the Hereford was among
the first sought, although queer notion pre-
vailed, in some Localities, at that tine tat
thoroughbred stock would be found unequal
to the rigors OF herding existence. But tie
Hereford took kindly to the life OF ranger;
and had the ranchmen been possessed OF
greater foresight and less avarice the breed
would probably have prevailed today over
all other of the beef-producing CLASSES, for
the Herefords have proved themselves to be
excellent grazers. They have, too finished
well on corn, and been the source of la g.
profits to feeders after having left the grasses
There have been many contests for su
premacy between the Herefords and the
Shorthorns, and the controversy has never
yet been decided to the satisfaction of the
advocates of either species. The record is
briefly stated by the Orange Judd Farmer, is
a late number as follows: Beginning with the
first show III 1873, up to the present time,
the highest honors were won eight times by
grade Shorthorns four times by pure-bred
Shorthorns, twice by grade Herefords, twice
by pure-bred Herefords, twice by Aberdeen
Angus. This prize was for the best animal.
which may have been an imported one What
demonstrates more fairly the comparative
popularity of the two breeds in this country
is the result of the contest of the chal-
lenee prizes offered for the best animal bred
and fed by the exhibitor. The animals In
these contests were strictly American bred.
The first challenge prizes offered in
1888 and since then were taken nine times by
Herefords, grade or pure-bred once by
pure-bred Shorthorn and once by pure-bred
Sussex. The honors at the 1897 show were
pretty evenly divided between Shorthorns,
Heretords and Angus.
This record demonstrates the fact that the
Hereford maintains a high standard of ex-
cellenee and the statement that his imaorta-
tions in large numbers is now in progress
should be welcome intelligence to every one
interested in the improvement of cattle. 1t
matters nothing to what extent individual
Judgment may differ as to the superiority of
one breed over the o her. 1t is enough to know
that the Hereford is one of the breeds con-
testing for the highest honors. 1t is to be
hoped that with the revival of the cultivation
care may be taken to reserve the forces of
Reproduction to degree that shall insure
more widespread dissemination of the breed,
with its consequent service to the general
cause of cattle breeding and the propagation
of ha nurect strains