VOL  XXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, FEB. 6,1886.
NO. 6
STOCKMEN H CONVENTION.
Annual Meetings of the Industrial Associations of the State.
INDIANA    SHORTHORN   BREEDERS.
Proceedings of Annual Meeting.
January 26 tbe Shorthorn breeders of
_ the State met in annual convention at the
, rooms of the State Biard of Agriculture,
.President Robert Mitchell, of Prlnce-
'ton, in the chair. Opening business
•was dispatched, including reading of
aninutes of preceding meeting, the appointment of various business committees and enrollment of new members
{about 24 in number), and the association listened to the
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS.
President Mitchell reviewed briefly the
history of the association, from its organization in 1872, pointing out the fact that
the membership has not increased as
rapidly ss should be, and asking whether
the association has faithfully done all it
could for the advancement of Shorthorn
interests. In his opinion it had done very
little. Breeders of other kinds of cattle,
Herefords and Jerseys, for instance, are
aided by newspapers, devoted in whole or
in part to themselves, and it would vastly
improve the status of the Shorthorn if its
advocates would use more printer's ink.
Again, at the fat stock shows, the Hereford men have, by their energy and perseverance seemingly eclipsed the Shorthorn;
not because the Shorthorn is the inferior
breed, but because of lack of enthusiasm
and definite action on the part of the
breeders. "The seeming victory of the
Herefords the past two years at Chicago
may be accounted for by two facts; first,
the perseverance of Hereford breeders;
second, tbe freshness, so to speak, of the
Hereford from the fountain head. I mean
by that that these cattle have but lately
left the hands of the English breeders,
who have bestowed upon them great care
and sound judgment; while Shorthorns
have been bred for many years, and, I
might say, not all the time as carefully
bred as they ought to be. It is an admitted fact that a large per cent of the best
steers yet shown at the Fat Stock Show
with white faces were out of Shorthorn
oows. The Hereford bull seems to have
the power to stamp white faces on all of
his get, yet when you come to view the
beautiful square carcass it certainly shows
more of the form of the Shorthorn than of
the Hereford. Again, the best Shorthorn
blood has not made its appearance at that
great beef show. Good prices have been
realized for bull calves for breeders, and
none but culls have been steered, and so
the race thus far has been unequal. Again,
have Shorthorn breeders been hunting
England and Scotland over for prize animals to win victory with? Why, no; and
the Hereford men themselves seem tired
-of that folly, for they now impose a tax
of |100 on any one that repeats it.
"What then is our duty? The Shorthorn of the future must be the animal that
comes quickest and most profitable to the
block, and in order  to establish  its su
periority the knife must be used more
freely and the best blood must be brought
into active competition on the block. I
believe each breeder should steer several
of his best calves each year, feed them
liberally, and take a couple of them with
him to the fairs, to show farmers what
kind of steers the Shorthorn makes. This
will be an object lesson and will do more
to win favor than anything else. We
should also assist liberally with our money
our brother breeders who are willing to
win victory at the Fat Stock Show for you
and me.   'Money makes the mare go.' "
In conclusion, President Mitchell referred with commendation to the action
of Governor Gray in quarantining the
State against diseased cattle, last November, and suggested that the association
consider the question of judging animals
at fairs and decide what system is fairest
and best adapted to the purpose.
Following the address, a committee, consisting of Messrs. Nelson, Wilhoit, Lancaster, and Lockridge, was Instructed to
consider the suggestions and recommendations of President Mitchell and report
to the association.
The treasurer, Hon. E. S. Frazee, reported |19 75 in the treasury.
Thomas Wilhoit, of Middletown, according to program, presented a
STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE,
for consideration, as follows:
R-tmp:   Level, with good length and breadth     8
Thigh and Twist:   Full and well down-._.      fi
Hips:   Broad, level and well covered- „..    6
Fuxkb:   Well letdown and lull     3
Loin:   Broad, level and meaty      8
Ribs:   Fleshy and broadly sprung     7
Crops andChine: Welt filled, meaty and no depression „     9
Heart Girth:   Full aud large     »
SHOULDERS:   (smooth and well covered      4
Brisket :   Well let down aud forward with little
or no dewlap; broad between forelegs-     8
Neck:   Clean and tapering  «     2
Horns:   Med um size, clean, tapering and welt
formed- i     1
Ears:   Medium siz., fine and lively      1
Byes:   Mild, but full and bright-      2
Head:   Clean aud fine, masculine ln bull     2
Bones and Legs:   Fine and shapely, short     6
Tail:  Well set on, tapering and fine     2
Hair:   Abundant and mossy- *     2
Handling: Mellow, neith-.r soft nor unyielding  _ „     6
Skin: Fine, elastic, loose and medium thickness.  -      2
Upper Line:   Level and straight-     4
Lower Link :   Low down and even from brisket
to twist —     S
Weight for Age: Bull, 1,000 pounds at 12
months, l,500p unds at 24 months, 1,800ponnds
at 36 months, 2,100 pounds at 4. months Female, 850 pounds at 12 months, 1,100 pounds
at 34 months, 1,500 pounds at 38 months, 1800
pound, at 42 months .-      4
Symmetry: Smoothness, style and general at-
tracti veness— _,     4
Total   _ 100
In explanation of his comparatively high
marks for crops and chine and girth about
the heart, Mr. Wilhoit stated that he regarded these two features the most important points of the animal indicative of
constitution and vitality. The loin is also
rated high because of the value of the
meat.
Considerable discussion ensued as to the
best means to be adopted to secure a uniform standard for the United States, which
is felt to be very desirable. It was decided
to appoint a committee to make arrangements to meet all similar committees that
might be appointed, at the next Fat Stock
Show at Chicago, and with them to agree
upon a standard and submit their opinion
to the National Shorthorn Breeders' Association for action. Pres. Mitchell and
Messrs. Lockridge, W. J. Quick and Wilhoit were designated for this duty.
t James N. Sankey, of Terre Haute,' presented a paper on the
VALUE OF SHORTHORNS
over other breeds of cattle.
■ (Mr. Sankey reviewed the early history
of the Shorthorn, showing its derivation
from a breed of cattle of "extraordinary
size, coarse heads, with short horns, heavy
necks, high coarse shoulders, hips wide,
rumps long and thighs thick." Intelligent
breeding developed the symmetry of the
animal, preserving its size and other good
qualities. Early history records the wonderful milking jproperties of Shorthorns,
and if they are not so prominent in this
regard as formerly, it is because milk and
Gutter have been neglected in the struggle
for beef. At the London Dairy Show of
recent date a pedigreed Shorthorn cow
won the prize as the best milker, against
116 competitors. He continued: "Inthe
1884 fat stock exhibit at Chicago, Hoosier,
the best Hereford on exhibition was 1389
days old at the time of slaughter and
weighed 2030 pounds, while Clarence Kirklevington, 17 days younger, weighed 340
pounds more. The Hereford gained at the
rate of 1.49 pounds per day from birth,
and the Shorthorn increased 1.74 pounds
per day. While we have to admit that the
Shot thorn did not fare so well at the Fat
Stock Show of 1885 in the grade ring, and
the grand prize was secured by Regulus,
th_pre is some consolation in the fact that
it is the only time, and that Cleveland, a
Shorthorn, was the best yearling of any
grade or breed in the hall.""
Remarks:
Prof. Latta, of Purdue University—I
would like to know if it is the general
opinion that we should strive to raise a
combined milk and beef animal, or should
tbe Shortho-n be devoted to beef, leaving
milk a minor consideration.
Mr. Frazee—Same families of Shorthorns
are good milkers, others not. They can
be made good dairy anim<tls with proper
treatment, and without detriment to beef
qualities. We should raise the combination animal.
Mr. Gordon—My best milk cows do not
have as fine heads and horns as the others,
but always have superior necks.
Others spoke in favor of combining beef
and milk in the Shorthorn, and a resolution expressing that sentiment was unanimously adopted.
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
Judge Buckles, of Mnncie, Ind., ably
presented the need of local county organizations as auxiliaries of the State association. He urged the organization of societies in every county, and to secure the
co-operation of the local papers in the
work ; at these monthly or quarterly coun
ty meetings have essays and discussion of
the improvement of live stock; where
thought best'embrace general agricultural
topics with live stock improvement. He
believed that there had been a'decided advance in Shorthorn interests in Indiana,
and with more perfect organization tbis
advance may be far more rapid than it has
been heretofore.
Remarks:
S. R. Quick instanced a county organization like those proposed by Judge Buckles
and showed that it had had an excellent
educative effect upon tbe farmers of Bartholomew county, one direct result being
the  purchase of  a number of  pure bred
Shorthorns by farmers who had previously shown but little interest in them.
Mr. Clore—What should we ask a farmer
for a thoroughbred Shorthorn?
Mr. Quick- Not less than f 100. These
associations soon convince them that they
are fully worth it.
A committee appointed laat year to consider means for the advancement of Shorthorn interests in the State reported that
the publishers of the Indiana Farmer
had offered them space for publication of
such matter relative to their Btock as they
might desire. They suggested that a directory of Shorthorn breeders of the State
be compiled, with all obtainable information about their stock. They approved
Judge Buckles' plan for organizing county
societies and recommended the association to adopt it. The report was concurred in. The space in the Fabmeb
was accepted, and the secretary was directed to edit the department. It was also
made the secretary's duty to compile a
directory as stated, and all members were
strongly urged to see to the organization
of county associations.
GOVERNOR ORAY,
in response to an invitation, addressed the
meeting, expressing himself as in favor of
legislation providing for the protection of
our stock from diseases of cattle in other
States, and giving the Governor power to
enforce quarantine.
By request Mrs. Virginia C. Meredith, of
Cambridge City, Ind., presented an entertaining discussion of
PROSPECTS OF SHORTHORNS.
She said:
It seems that the time is about here
when Indiana farmers want thoroughbred
Shorthorns on their farms in the place of
the old unimproved stock. This general
feeling is evidenced by four facts. 1.
Never were there so many sales of pure
bred stock in Indiana as in 1886. 2. Never
were prices so nearly satisfactory to the
sellers. 3. Never have so many farmers
purchased females. 4. Never have our
prices compared so favorably with those
of Kentucky and Illinois. Farmers have
long heard the cry "Save the timber," and
the equally venerable injunction, "Feed
all you produce." No ingenuity could devise a reason for saving beech trees with
dead tops. A calculation would astonish,
if it told truly how many profitable acres
could be added to every farm by the removal of|the| worthless beeches. Scientific
investigation may in time disclose that
beech leaves sour the soil. If the trees are
removed, the sunlight will promote the.
growth of blue grass, will sweeten its
flavor and will enrich its fattening qualities. As blue grass is not damaged by
frost, it is available every day in the year.
The ordinary woods pasture is an absolute
expense—a tax on the rest of the farm. It
is a superficial view that if an animal eats
what Is given it nothing more is needful.
Digestion and assimilation are the great
factors in profitable feeding. Experience
proves that hay must be cut fine and meal
mixed with it to get the best results.
SOCIAL RELATIONS AMONG BREEDERS NECESSARY TO ADVANCEMENT
was the next subject on the program and
was treated in a paper by Dr.N.D.Gaddy, of
Lovett. In the course of his remarks, he
spoke of the knowledge that can be gained
from books and forcibly argued that this
knowledge must be supplemented by interchange of Ideas among men before it
can become complete. Acquaintance be-
oomes capital, success depends upon
knowledge and knowledge largely upon
the social relations; and thus breeders
gain   more correctly  a knowledge  of the
(Continued on page 4.)