Historical articles

By His Get a Bull Should be Recognized in the Pedigree Carolina Breeder Says Great Si res are Not all Show Animals A Kenn bred Cow and Her Mninebred Calf Mlkin I Good on an Abandoned Farm Editor Aberdeen Angus Journal I read with considerable interest what Prof CA Wilson had to say in the Aberdeen Angus Journal of September 10th concerning What Makes a Good Pedigree and am obliged to differ with him I believe his views are the generally accepted views of those who have not dug deeply into the subject which view I believe to be at variance with the true facts in the case Prof Wilson says in his first statement that the important animals in a pedigree are those of both sexes that have won at the shows Takin this statement literally we acknowledge y influence that all the great breeding animals of our herd are those that have been exhibited at the leading_fairs and stock shows and are the only animals worth considering when looking for excellence in pedigree _ Let us see for a moment just what this means Our Aberdeen Angus Association is composed of some 5,000 breeders of pure bred cattle Perhaps one hundred of these breeders exhibit from one to twenty animals each year probably four hundred animals all told accepting Prof _Wilson's reasoning we must pick from this little group of animals the timber from which to construct our best pedigree When we do this we admit that the best breeding animals as well as the best individuals of all our 300,000 or more registered cattle belong to the little group of men who are regular exhibitors at the leading shows of America This I for one am not ready to admit by any means believing as I do that _for every great prize winner at the shows fifty _equalgood individuals can be found in the other 4,900 herds in our land owned by members of the Association And that for every breeding animal exhibited at the show the non exhibiting breeders of the country can furnish one hundred _ _ _ Admitting that Prof Wilson_ is right can mean only this that twenty five breeders members of our Association by consistent exhibition of their cattle for_ a period of five years could establish an aristocracy _of Aberdeen Angus within the Association to which the other 4975 breeders must needs bow down and from which we must needs secure all our breeding bulls if we are to lay claim to having well bred cattle Such an idea is simply nonsense And it would be a rare joke indeed on the great mass of breeders of the country f_or_ me to_ give to this little handful of exhibitors this great advantage for the privilege Of P31 1118 them our Association premium money My idea is that the purpose of the shows is to advertise one breed and to _pa y the exhibitive breeders in part for doing this work for the breed we allot them a certain amount of cash each year out of the Association treasury 1h_e purpose of constructive breeding is to raise the standard of excellence of a breed and ani_mals of either sex that do this work are entitled to be called great no matter if they never see the inside of a show ring In other words 3 great breeding animal is great because of what he does in breeding and _not what he does in show All great breeding animals of the Angus breed cannot be exhibited In the first place there is no need for such extensive showing and in the second place because of the great number of splendid individual animals the breed contains no show ground in America could accommodate one third of them By AL FRENCH Rockingham County North Carolina The fame of the premier beef breed has not been established by the little handful of animals exhibited at the stock shows but by the thousands of blocky thick fleshed mellow hided black breasts that year in and year out have been producing bulls that have been instrumental in filling the stock yards with bonnie black steers that have out sold on their merits the steers of other breeds So I say it is the individual animal that has done the most to raise the standard of the breed on the farm and range that should be considered great and not the animal alone that throu h the ministration of an expert fitter an unlimited access to the feed tub wins_ at one of the great shows _If the prize winning animal proves himself in th_e breeding pen also he earns greatness but in that event he generally has the advantage of the bull working on the farm because of the better class of females that are brought to him because of the notoriety he has acquired I have known many bulls and females that have done wonders in breeding that never got within 500 miles of one of the great shows If you will pardon a personal reference I wish to say that I bred the bull that sired the animals that made up the first car of Mississippi bred steers of any breed to sell out of that state at above $8.00 per hundred pounds This bull was never in a show nor was his sire or grandsire I furnished the bulls for fifteen years that were instrumental in making a herd of grade Angus located near Columbus Miss and according to the testimony of the extension men connected with the State College of Agriculture was the greatest grade herd of any breed in the State of Mississippi None of these bulls were ever shown nor were their sires or grandsires I also bred the bull that sired the highest priced car of grade heifers of any breed sold in North Carolina up to 1913 This bull had no show record nor did his sire or grandsire Hundreds of the members of the Aberdeen Angus Association can show as good a record with bulls having no show record I claim bulls of this character are great bulls and are entitled to have the fact recognized in their pedigrees AL French Rockingham County North Carolina _ __ Aberdeen Angus In Old Virginia The first Aberdeen Angus bull brought to Southwest Virginia so far as I know was brought here by Messrs Palmer and Bowman Saltville Va in the early eighties and was used on high grade Short Horn cows to raise bulls to ship to Texas He probably never was bred to any pure bred cows after coming here His descendants showed the good and easy feeding qualities of the breed The next bull to come near us was bought from Mr JRK Bell of Pulaski Va by DL Berry Abingdon Va some fifteen or more years ago This bull made a great reputation as a breeder but was only bred to two or three pure bred cows Messrs Fortune and Rhea of Damascus were about the first to bring pure bred females to this country They bought some cows and heifers in Ohio about 1908 Two of these cows are here now are 13 years old regular breeders and strangers rarely ever take them to be over 7 or 8 years old Mr JRK Bell of Pulaski Va was really the pioneer breeder in Southwest Virginia and has furnished foundation cattle for many herds in this and adjoining States and doubtless should have some credit for the headway the breed has made down in Tennessee as he sold a load at Morristown some years ago or gave them away as he uts it Some of the cattle probably rought less than 3 cents per pound but he was doing good missionary work anyway I think the Parr's of Culpepper County were the pioneer breeders in Eastem Virginia if not in the State and have furnished the foundation for many herds in this and other States New herds are being started right along in the State at the present time A number of Angus breeders met at Blacksburg during the meeting of the State Farmer's Institute last August and Dr Lowe was present and organized a Virginia Aberdeen Angus Breeders Association to the extent of electing a President VicePresident and Secretary l reasurer and arranged for a meeting during the Winter Farmers Institute which had to be called off on account of FIu We hope to have another meeting soon and perfect the organization We regret very much that Mr AG Parr President and Mr JRK Bell Vice President of Virginia Aberdeen Angus Breeders Association are in poor health and not in condition to take very active parts in getting the Association going AF Buchanan Glade Springs Va Aberdeen Angus Journal October 10 1919 Page 15

IDOLMERE Grand Champion at Chattanooga Inter Stale Fair Chattanooga Teiin 1919 This bull ls another of the great sons of OV Battles Oakville Quiet Lad This is his first show since 1916 when he beat Epistos three times in s row under thrm different JI Huggins Damlridge Tenn Owned by Dr judges at leading Corn Bolt state fairs

Bred by WA Mclienry and a daughter of the famous International grand cham I Q 4 _ Q _ I 1 y 1 V 01 1 4190 Erica McHenr_v 43d 183813 the great 5 year old Ever green Trojan Erica cow that topped John Kiely's sale at Toledo at $5,700.00 pion bull Glenfoil Thickset 2d

Celebrated Angus Bulls of the Past Summary of Famous Aberdeen Angus Sires Contributed by Mr George Hendry to the Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society for l898 Fifth Series Vol x Old Jock I calved 1842 the noted Keillor sire is thus described in a private note to Mr Hendry from a well known breeder He was a much larger and lengthier animal than the present 1895 fashion probably not quite so good in quality with a little more length of leg and bone but altogether a large beef carrier The portrait of Old Jock shows him deeper round the heart than most we now see _ _ _ Cupbearer 59 the noted sire in the Kinnaird herd is described as a very massive deep chested _evenly fleshed bull with very gay carriage and unsurpassed quality He was one of the most impressive bulls the breed has produced _ _ Druid 225 calved 1854 another Kinnaird celebrity was a long straight bull with great style and carriage _his head and neck being considered superior to those of Young Viscount 736 In point of quality Young Viscount was probablyfhe better of the two though he would have been hypercritical lI1d Cd who would not have pronounced Druid to have been in that respect far above the average He was probably the best bull of the breed seen till the appearance of Young Viscount _ Panmure 51 calved 1840 of _Lord Panmu_re's breeding must be regarded as one of the most impressive sires the breed has produced He was an animal of no ordinary merit with fine o_utline and elegant head An _old breeder described him_ as having been a rather long low standing bull of superlative quality Hanton 228 calved 1852 bred by Mr Bowie and well known in connection with the Tillyfour herd was a bull of uncommon substance even flesh and first class quality with quarters that have seldom been excelled but he could by no means be called a faultless animal his head was somewhat coarse and flat on the top Prince Albert of Baads 1336 calved 1877 bred by Mr George Reid when shown at the Highland show at Kelso in 1880 being at that time three years old was considered one of the best bulls of modern times if not indeed of any time and he maintained his form well as an aged sire for at Edinburgh four years later his immense level frame and thick covering of fine flesh were much admired He was not so good on the top of his shoulders as he was when younger but this fault at his age was trifling and Prince Albert would probably have beaten Justice gay_and attractive as Justice was had it not been that with all his extraordinary merit he was considered slightly deficient in breed character On the top of his shoulders he was not first rate but this blemish was less _objectionable to some Judges than his head as he was rather long below the eyes which gave him a slightly weak expression of face but probably for size wealth and symmetry these qualities being combined without a supicion of coal seness he was one of the greatest bulls the breed has produced In his prime he weighed about 23 2 cwt Trojan 402 calved 1863 bred by Mr W M Combie Tillyfour and an epoch making sire his _ success in the Ballindalloch herd having been very conspicuous was individually a bull of very superior character and quality yet his merit was not of such outstanding mark as to have attracted the eve of any but a skilled breeder who could read through his defects his possibilities as a sire He left as will be seen from notices elsewhere an indelible mark on the Ballindalloch herd How well he mated with the premier Erica tribe is writ in the history of the Aberdeen Angus breed Young Viscount 736 calved 1873 bred by Mr W Duff Mr Hendry remarks was the bull of the century There have been bulls which had more bewitching gaiety about them but none that have possessed in such a superlative degree pre eminence in point of quality none that could be compared with him as a model of a great beef producing breed He did not require to be prepared for the show yard as he never lost flesh or form and his career in public was a triumphal procession He was the second good hit Sir George Macpherson Grant made in his selection of sires for he probably did more for the Ballindalloch herd than any bull ever in it That was the opinion of Sir George Macpherson Grant Druid 225 by Cupbearer 59 himself Some bulls make a name for themselves by the production of one or two animals which are shown successfully and talked about but the influence of Young Viscount was seeii in the uniformity of the good animals perhaps more in the female line than in the male line which he left at Ballindalloch The subsequent history of the herd its brilliant show yard victories and remarkable reduction sales are part of the legacy which Young Viscount left behind him He improved the females in form and substance imparted his wonderful constitution to whatever he touched and both as a show bull and a stock bull is entitled to be considered the greatest Aberdeen Angus sire which the last century produced A well known judge described Young Viscount as one of the most perfectly formed bulls for flesh carrying purposes he ever saw He was always in such condition that you could have taken him off the grass and sent him to the Smithfield Club Show to win By some judges his head was said to be wanting in expression but I am convinced that if put alongside the best bull we have ever seen a jury of experts would have been compelled to give Young Viscount the preference He was a most impressive bull he did not leave anything in the male line which was quite worthy of his reputation as a getter though I have seen the Young Viscount blood appear in some of the more recent show bulls for which he did not get all the credit he deserved In his females there was no mistaking the impress of this great sire A visit I made to Ballindalloch when Young Viscount's daughters were budding into matronhood two year old and three year old is a memory which will remain The elegance sweetness and quality of Sir George's females I have long been familiar with but Young Viscount's daughters were so beautifully ribbed up and natural to the touch that I could not help cogitating on the historic purchase at the Monteoffer sale in 1878 Iliad 2843 calved 1882 bred by Mr James Argo is thus referred to Iliad's fame does not by any means rest upon his record as a show bull He had not the depth substance and wealth of Young Viscount or the gaiety of Justice but he was a straight wellput together bull and his shoulders were if a little narrow on the top well placed while his quarters were long and nicely formed He was a bull that critics might pick faults in he might have had a little more crest and more character in the head perhaps but it must be remembered that similar remarks were sometimes used with reference to Young Viscount himself It was the extraordinary success of Iliad as a getter which entitles him to be ranked as one of the foremost sires of the last century He went to Ballindalloch in October 188 and remained there until July 1893 when he was killed During that period he left seventy eight calves in the herd and while his daughters rather outnumbered his sons there were forty one of the former and thirty seven of the latter it was in the male line that he scored his biggest suc_ cesses Aberdeen Angus breeders will not soon forget the excitement created in the showyard by Iliad's male produce when at Inverness in 1892 his sons Prince Inca Enthusiast and Eltham headed the three classes of bulls and when at Edinburgh 1893 Esmond Eltham and Eurotas repeated the same performance and when the same three with the transference of Prince Inca for Esmond the same year topped their respective classes in the show yard of the Royal Northern at Aberdeen Iliad had great opportunities at Ballindalloch where he was mated to straight bred females of high individual merit and of the choicest blood and as a bull breeder his opportunities were not lost He left more sires of first class reputation between 1885 and 1893 than almost any other Aberdeen Angus herd has produced in the course of its whole history Although his females were not equal in merit to his male produce his bull calves were characterized by their beautiful hind quarters which did not invariably follow in the case of the heifers that were got by him he left the mark of great quality in many of his calves in this line He proved exceptionally potent when used on Pride of Aberdeen females dashed with an infusion of Jilt blood continued on page 24 Cupbeai er 59 by Pat 29 February 25 1920 Page 19 THE ABERDEEN ANGUS JOURNAL

ID O OIIIIQI IO O I O OI continued from page 19 through Justice and on the produce of the Erica tribe by such bulls as Young Viscount and Erroll 2723 and in the estimate of his owner would be placed below no other sire ever used at Ballindalloch with the single exception of Young Viscount Justice 1462 calved 1878 bred at Ballindalloch was an exceptionally well bred sire By some good judges he was considered the best bull that had been seen up to his time He had a beautifully clean cut head with a high blooded look about him and had excellent barrel and quarters but he exhibited a slackncss around the waist which always gave his attendant trouble in the show ring His attractive carriage and symmetry enabled him as a rule to hold his oxm with the best bulls of his day Mosstrooper 2256 calved 1882 a noted bull bred in the Guisachan herd is mentioned as of small account from a show yard point of view but as having sometimes been classed with Iliad as a sire of extraordinary potency whose produce in the male line were for some years next to invincible He left 132 pedigree calves at Guisachan 73 bulls and 59 heifers The most famous of his sons was Cash 4558 this being a bull of magnificent symmetry substance and form and when at his best although his bone was considered a trifle coarse he was an undoubted prince among his contemporaries in