Bureau County, Illinois - Chapter 32: Bureau County and Its Blooded Stock - the Growth of This Valuable Industry - Who First Experimented in This Line, 1885

BUREAU COUNTY AND ITS BLOODED STOCK - THE GROWTH OF THIS VALUABLE INDUSTRY - WHO FIRST EXPERIMENTED IN THIS LINE - CATTLE AND HORSES, ETC. . ETC.

TO the Denhams, who came to this county in 1838, especially to Luther Denham, is due the credit of the first attempt to open here a stock farm; that is, a farm devoted to the propagation of improved stock of any kind. The brothers came here and examined the country with this project in view (more especially the raising of improved sheep), and after examining the country far and wide concluded to purchase Red Oak Grove and make here an extensive sheep farm. From the general state of the country the scheme was somewhat premature in its attempted development, but it was an index mark in the right direction, and there is but little doubt but some of the great results the people are to-day enjoying were greatly accelerated in their coming by the far-seeing efforts of Mr. Denham.

Robert Otley brought the first thoroughbred cow into the county. A few inferior graded cattle had been brought here, but this was the first thoroughbred. This was more than a quarter of a century ago, and the novelty of the thing is well attested by the excitement and great interest it created far and near. The word passed around that Otley had brought into the county a cow that had cost $1,100. To a people that had bought and sold cows from $10 to $30 this was a marvel indeed. Long and special visits were made by many to see this remarkable animal. Up to this time the general theory was that good or poor stock was wholly a question of good pasturage and easy access to the corn crib. Therefore, size was the one thing looked at in judging cattle, and this and the probable amount of flesh that could be put on large, rough frames were the tokens of comparative value. But the start once made, as was done by Otley, the value of blood and pedigree were soon well understood subjects, or at least sufficiently understood to interest men, and cause them to see that here were both profit and pleasure.

" The soil, climate, natural grasses, and later the cultivated grasses, and especially blue grass, stamped this country as one well adapted to cattle-raising to a greater extent than was usually found in good farming districts. Although many of the earlier settlers were reared in localities where stock-raising took a secondary and cropping a primary position in the affairs of agriculture, they soon decided that here on the fertile prairie it was much easier, and far better pecuniarily, to pay more attention to the raising of beef. The market was far from home, and it was much easier to have the extra produce in the form of flesh, which would walk to market, than to have it in grain which * had to be hauled. "When the principal market for both grain and stock was Chicago this matter of transporting the crop was important, and it is still important, though the railroads come nearly to our doors; and it is considered more advisable than ever that the surplus of the farm should be in that shape which is the least trouble to move about and dispose of.

" The improvment in the class of cattle from the first settlement of the county to the present time has been very great, and some think there is not much room for further advancement in this line. Any one going over the county from one side to the other in any direction cannot help but be struck with the wonderful difference of the grade of cattle in different localities. Although the number of improved bulls now used in the county is very great, there is still room for as many more, and the standard of excellence of those now in use could be very much raised before they would approach very near to the highest type of improved cattle.

"While we have not the climate, and perhaps not so fine blue grass and living water as Kentucky, we can raise as good cattle as are raised anywhere, but they require more care and feed in winter, and the cost of production is materially increased. Compared with the older stock districts of Kentucky cattle-raising in this county is in its infancy.

" One cannot say when the improvement in our cattle began, for it has been continued, to a greater or less extent, ever since the county was fairly settled. New settlers coming in brought their favorite stock, and some of it was so much better than the stock already in the locality that it was sought after and extensively used as a source of improvement to the general stock. Frequently this improvement was not followed up by something better, and the standard was not raised much for several years, and in too many cases went back somewhat. It was not always possible to get improved stock at a price that these pioneers thought best to pay, and in many cases the desire for anything better than what they had or could obtain without much effort was lacking. They did not realize the importance of improved stock, and only obtained it when it was brought among them, lacking the energy required to advance under difficulties.

" As the county became more settled up new arrivals from stock-growing districts brought their cattle with them, fully awake to the importance of good cattle, and satisfied that here was a place where they could be grown to great advantage. These men kept up their stock by bringing more as they were needed, and in many cases did not hesitate to obtain them from a considerable distance, generally the locality where they formerly resided. To snch men as these, full of energy and awake to the possibilities of a new country, who were content to wait years to reap their reward, and were not discouraged if the immediate benefits were not great; who could withstand the opposition of their short-sighted neighbors, we owe our present improved stock of beef cattle.

" The short-horns were the breed of cattle most extensively used in improving our beef cattle. Devons were introduced to some extent, but they finally gave place to short-horns. The short-horn cross on the native cattle was such an obvious improvement, and the pure bred ones such fine looking animals, that no effort was made to try other breeds, as this one so nearly satisfied all, and was more easily obtained. I do not know of a Hereford ever being owned in the county up to the present time.

" Polled cattle have been introduced lately, and are very popular with some people. They can never be subjected to as severe a test as an improved breed in this county as the shorthorns were, because the average quality of our cattle on which they are to be crossed is so far ahead of the stock on which the shorthorn was crossed with such marked success. So far the polls are all black, being either Galloway or Angus.

" The first lot of these polls was brought to this county by A. L. Stevenson, of Lamoille, in April, 1882. They were brought from Canada, and were mostly grade Angus, only a few being full-blooded.

" In October, 1882, a shipment of twenty heifers and one bull of the Galloway breed were landed at Quebec, direct from Scotland. These were imported by I. H. Norris, of

Lamoille, and after the usual quarantine, arrived at his farm. They were a strange sight to most of the people, as they saw them for the first time, with their long, shaggy hair and hornless heads, their jet black color in decided contrast to the snow; and their general appearance was so different from the cattle usually seen here.

" In February, 1883, Charles Woods, of Lamoille, got a few Galloway cattle from Michigan, mostly grades. This made Lamoille the center of polled cattle for the county, and when, a year after receiving his first, Mr. Norris received twenty-three Galloway calves direct from Scotland, he took the lead in polled cattle for the county. They are a new thing, and as yet but little tried, and their special merits in this prairie country are not yet known. Their friends are very enthusiastic and predict a bright future for their favorites.

"So far as I can ascertain, the first pure bred shorthorns were brought to this county by Evan Ogan, from Greene County, Ohio, in 1848. This was only two years after the publication of the first volume of the American Short-horn Herdbook, and pedigrees were not so carefully kept then as later, and it is not much to be wondered at though greatly regretted that the pedigrees of this lot were lost. It may have been for the common good that such was the case, as without pedigrees their value was materially lessened, and people could afford to own them who might not have been able to own the same cattle with pedigrees. Then, too, they stood on their individual merit, and were sought after and kept for their superior qualities, and their worst enemies could not say pedigree was all there was to them. They were good representatives of the breed as it existed then, and their descendants are still owned and highly valued in the same neighborhood where they first arrived. They still furnish some of the best, cattle that go from here to the beef -markets. About 1856 he returned to Ohio and brought out six head of pedigreed cattle, which he kept here until about 1870, when he went to Missouri and took most of his cattle with him.

" Ira P. Evans purchased of J. N. Brown & Sons, Berlin, 111., a bull, in 1854, and the same year or the year following purchased several heifers of the same firm.

" In 1863 Owen Lovejoy, of Princeton, purchased two heifers and a bull, of Alexander, of Kentucky. The bull was by the imp. Duke of Airdrie (12730), and one of the heifers was recorded, the other was not. Before this Mr. L. had kept Devons. These Kentucky cattle were sold at the sale, and the stock remained in the neighborhood.

" In 1864 William Norris, of Arlington, purchased three registered cows of J. N. Brown & Sons, which formed the foundation of his present herd. He had used short-horn bulls a few years before. This is the oldest herd now kept in the county, and at the present time contains more thoroughbred cattle than any other herd in the county.

" In 1869 Mr. Norris purchased of F. W. Stone, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 3d Grand Duke of Moreton 8252. This bull proved very prepotent, and at one time the number of his sons used as sires in the county far excelled those of any other bull. They were prepotent like their sire, and it can be safely said that this bull did more to improve the general grade of cattle than any other ever owned in the county. His sons and grandsons were universally extra beef animals.

required every few years, and cows were added to raise the standard of breeding in the herd. Some of these cows were of noted stock. Among them might be mentioned Miss Maggie, a daughter of the famous Miss Wiley cow, Duchess of Clark; Geneva's Beauty, by 5th Duke of Geneva (33645); Sidonia 5th, by imp. Grand Duke of Thorndale, 2d (31298); and her daughter, by Duke of Oxford, 38th (38172); a Eenick Rose of Sharon, and others from some of the best herds.

"Among the bulls used on the herd, the Young Mary bull, Kentucky 44074, was one of the best. He was bred by Vanmeter and Hamilton, Kentucky, sired by 20th Duke of Airdrie 13872, and is nearly related to the cow, Young Mary Duchess 2d, sold by A. L. Hamilton, Kentucky, June 11, 1884, for

" The last purchase was the imp. Oxford bull, Baron Oxford, of Niagara 42811. He comes of royal stock, and from the Bates standard, he is the best bred bull ever owned in the county; and but few of his family are owned in the State.

" In 1865, B.Vantress, of Maiden, purchased a thoroughbred bull, and the next year a cow, which formed the foundation of a herd. He has been a breeder ever since, and while his herd has never been very large (comprising at present about thirty head), it has contained some noted animals, and Mr. V. has shown much enterprise in obtaining good cattle, and the stock he raised has done much to improve the cattle of the county. The Princess, bull, Prince Oxford 53317, heads his herd.

" In 1869 William Cummings,of Buda, purchased a few cows of Robert Otley, Kewanee, mentioned above, and C. B. Price, of Ottawa, which formed the foundation of his herd, which at present numbers seventy-eight head, and is headed by Earl of Richmond (29480); (a Cruickshank bull); Viscount Booth and Major Ely, 3d. They have shown their cattle at local fairs more perhaps than anyone else in the county, and notwithstanding they have competed with herds from a distance, and even from different States, have been successful in winning many prizes, showing that our county has as good cattle as others. He owns the famous show cow Conquest 2d, A Young Phyllis, bred in Kentucky, and winner of over $2,300 in prizes.

" In the fall of 1873 Dr. Winter, of Princeton, purchased two thoroughbred cows and a bull calf, and in August, 1874, purchased the entire herd of Dr. J. M. Irvine, Sharon, Penn., consisting of nineteen head, lead by the Lady Elizabeth, bull, Clay Muscatoon 11517, bred by William C. Vanmeter, Kentucky. He proved to be a remarkably fine breeding bull, and laid the foundation of the present standing of the herd. In 1876 he purchased of George Murray, Eacine, Wis., the bull Mayflower 10469, noted among shorthorn breeders as one of the best breeding and show bulls. His get have brought as high as $1,650 at public sale. Mayflower raised the character of the herd very much. The Princess bull '2d Duke of Mt. Zion 29303', was used on the herd with good result In 1882 he purchased the imp. Wild Eyes bull, 'Wild Duke of Geneva, 14th,' a pure Bates bull, and his calves are proving very fine. Anyone breeding Bates cattle might well be proud of owning such a bull. Of his cows he has more Young Marys than any other family, and prizes them highly. Among his other cows are a well-bred Vellum, a Hilpa, Butterfly's Duchess, etc. Dr. Winter owned imp. Maid of Honor, the prize cow at the Centennial, for several years, but

" The Pleasant Ridge stock farm herd, owned by J. W. Aldrich, of Arispe, was founded by Verry Aldrich, in 1874. It now numbers twenty-eight head. The imported Victoria heifer, from the herd of Amos Cruickshank, Lyttiton, Scotland, together with the bull Viscount (35894), from the same place, were perhaps the best animals brought into the herd. Viscount was a very fine breeding bull, and was followed in the herd by Royal Duke of Pleasant Ridge 36889, one of his get, improving the stock very much.

" John R. Paden, Ohio, has a herd of nine head, and Webb Bros., of Buda, one of twenty- two head, reported in the Directory for 1884 of the Illinois Short-horn Breeders' Association.

" There are many others who keep a few short-horns, and still others who have been prominent breeders and dealers, but have since gone out of the business. A list of these is necessarily incomplete. Among them are: John Shugart, Elijah Dee, P. R. Shugart, A. C. Boggs, H. C. Reasoner, W. C. Henderson, H. C. Hield, Princeton; Jo. Brigham, S. P. Clarke, Dover; J. Benedict, John Fields, Arlington; B. Kirk, M. Dewey, A. J. Hains, Ohio; V. O. Cresap, Lu. Long, Van Orin; Samuel Hills, H. L. Pickering, Lamoille, and George Otley, of Neponset, who once owned the best bred and highest priced herd in the county, but these were sold a few years ago, and but few of them remained in the county."

dall, imported, in 1882-83, two droves of world-wide celebrated Galloway cattle. These were the first importation of this breed into the county, and there is not much doubt already but they will at once take front rank among the cattle breeders. The short-horns, the polled Angus and the Galloways are now the great leading favorites in the world, and while the Galloways are the last to come here, they certainly are destined not to remain the least. They take their name from Galloway County, Scotland, where they have been reared for centuries. The distinguishing marks of these cattle are: The color is black, with brownish tinge; head short and wide, withoat the slightest symptoms of horns or scure; hair soft and wavy, with mossy undercoat; wiry or curly hair is objectionable. Quite a controversy is now raging in England over the comparative value of the polled Angus and the Galloways. Of the latter it is conceded they are the thriftiest and hardiest cattle in the world. Centuries of growth upon the bleak hills of Scotland, upon a stubborn soil and in a severe climate, and without stabling, they seem to combine qualities that have never before been equalled.

It is mainly as a beef -producing breed that the Galloways have made a name for themselves. The quality of their beef is very similar to that produced by the West Highland and polled Aberdeen- Angus breeds, and is exceptionally good. Indeed, the beef of these varieties ranks as "prime Scots" in Smithfield and the other leading British fat markets, where it sells higher than that of the other breeds. Its superiority arises from he fact that it is well marbled, the fat being well intermixed with the lean. The Druid - the celebrated H. H. Dixon, author of the Eoyal Agricultural Society of England's Prize Essay on Short-horns, 1865, says: " There is no better or finer mottled beef in the world than the Galloway and Angus, and so the Smithfield prices show." To a similar effect Mr. M'Combie, the well known polled Angus breeder testifies: "There is no other breed worth more by the pound weight than a first-class Galloway." Joseph Hill, butcher, Wigan (England), who has been fifty years in the trade, says: "As a beef-producing breed there are no cattle in my opinion equal to Galloways. The quality is superior to any I ever killed, and the offal more profitable. I have been fifty years in the trade, and always found Galloway cattle second to none." Thomas Burrell, cattle salesman, London, says: "I can safely say that no breed of cattle in the London market fetch more per pound than Galloways when they are prime fat." John Gibbons & Sons, cattle salesmen, Liverpool, say: "Galloway cattle have always been in great favor with butchers in our market, being full of flesh, and having good offal. When fat no beef commands a higher price per pound." John Cross, butcher, Warrington, says: "It is my opinion that Galloway cattle are the best butchers' beasts, both as regards quality of beef and proportion of offal. They are without doubt what is wanted at present - beef, not bone and fat." These testimonies borne by breeders, feeders, cattle-salesmen and butchers are sufficient to show that the beef produced by Galloway cattle cannot be excelled in any point of view. In respect of proportion of dead to live weight, Galloways kill unusually well. Butchers who purchase the best class of matured Galloways state that they estimate them to dress about 60 per cent of their live weights, which, we need not say, is above the average of other breeds. Exceptionally good animals yield even a higher percentage. A feeder a few years ago sold a Galloway heifer, two years nine months old, whose live weight was 1,690 pounds, and

The Galloways are wintered in the open air. As the Druid in his Field and Fern said: " The sky and the hills of the glen are their only winter shelter; and however deep the snow may be they are kept out in the field." This plan has been pursued from time immemorial. A.iton, writing in 1810, says: "The calves are allowed the shelter of a byre in the night time and some fodder during the first winter, but are turned out and only get a little straw or hay in some sheltered place in time of snow in after winters." This system is pursued not from scarcity of house accommodation, but of deliberate choice by farmers who could conveniently give them the shelter of a roof. The inducement is not to save labor in attendance upon them, but it has been found from very lengthened experience that from their hardy constitution, and being inured to exposure, they are not only able to stand the severities of the climate, but that they thrive better and make more progress during the succeeding summer and autumn when wintered in the open air than under cover. The uniform testimony of experienced persons is that if two lots of Galloway cattle are wintered, the one in the house and the other outside - each lot being fed on the same diet, not only during the winter, but also during the summer months - the ones which have had no roof except the sky above them will be decidedly better cattle the following autumn than those which were well housed during the winter. As the Druid put it, ' ' Capt. Kennedy's experience is to the effect that unsheltered bullocks come to hand quicker in the spring than if they have the shed option." In August, 1883, a lot of Galloway steers, eighteen months old, were sold in Wigtownshire to a Liverpool cattle salesman for grazing purposes at £25 (120 dollars) each. Unfortunately they had not been put on the scales, so that we cannot give their weight, but, except for two months after they were calved, they had never spent a single night with a roof over their heads.

Galloways are thus able to endure hardship arising from exposure to the elements during the severest weather in winter. The temperature in the lower parts of their native province is occasionally very warm in summer, and they stand that extreme equally well. They are still grazed pretty extensively in some of the warmest counties in England, and no breed there suffers less inconvenience from the heat or makes more progress than they do. It has, indeed, long since been demonstrated, that their vigorous, hardy constitutions enable them to stand the fatigue of traveling in very hot weather. At the end of the last century and beginning of this, when annually from 20,000 to 30,000 head were driven on foot from Galloway, a distance of 400 miles, to the southeastern counties of England, it was found that however broiling and trying the heat was, they not only remained fresh and active during the journey, but they invariably improved in condition on the road. "We may add - what is an important consideration in the case of cows which drop their calves in the open - that newly dropped Galloway calves are hardy, active, and well covered with hair, and, therefore, they can withstand the cold as well as seek their natural food at a very early period. In a very short time after birth " they are up and at it."

Some of the best cattle men in England and in this country fully agree with Thomas Burrell, cattle- salesman, London, when he said: "I find after several years' experience that the cross between the Galloway and short-horn are the best feeders, and they are

Milkers. - This industry has not kept pace with that of raising the beef -producing cattle in this part of the State. We, predict this will not always be the case, because this is a natural point for cheese factories and creameries. One of the staple crops here, next to King Corn, is grass; and the luxuriant growth of blue grass will always furnish the best pasturage, and the supply of the purest water can be furnished from wells that will tap an inexhaustible supply of pure water a few feet below the surface, and cheap windmills will keep them flowing crystal fountains. It is obvious that here is every essential requirement for the products of the dairy in their best form.

" It is now a well estabished fact in the minds of all who have given the subject attention that Bureau County is an excellent one for dairying purposes. Careful comparison of the products with that of the New England States demonstrates that ours is not inferior to theirs. We have all the requisites for making butter fully equal to the best. We have the Jersey cow, a luxuriant growth of rich grasses, and we depend largely on wells and wind-mills for our stock water, and consequently have an abundant supply of pure water, an indispensible article for making good butter. In about 1874 Deacon Enos Smith, of Maldon, brought into this county a pair of Jersey calves, a bull named Frank, and a heifer, Lillie Bell, from which he raised a choice dairy herd. In 1876 I shipped in from Massachusetts the famous Jersey bull, Bob Muhler (1442), and two cows, and I have made repeated shipments since, in all, 120 head. Many of these animals have been sold to parties, thus forming nuclei for dairy herds. Among the purchasers were: D. W. Lawrence, of Berlin; J. M. Stultz; Eichardson Bros., of Ohio Station; Fredrick Hintz, of Selby; A. L. Steele and M. Bradon, Dover, and Palmer & Foreman, Walnut, and many others. I believe all these would readily testify to the good qualities of the Jersey as a butter-making cow. And as this has now ceased to be a wheat-growing country, the farmers of necessity have had to turn their attention more to stock-raising; and I see no reason why the raising of a well-known breed of dairy stock should not be as remunerative as the raising of beef breeds or horses. My experience of eight years in handling and raising Jerseys is that a well-bred heifer will command as good price at two years old as a well fed steer will bring at three years old. "

Creamery. - The Walnut creamery, but now of Lamoille, was built in 1881 by J. J. McNeil. It is now run by J. J. and W. McNeil. During the past summer season (1884) they manufactured 1,300 to 1,700 pounds of butter daily; this being, we believe, the largest daily yield of any other creamery in the State. At the Lamoille branch during the winter months they manufacture butterine.

Cheese Factory. - The Willow Springs Factory, of Indiantown, was originally built by a joint stock company. It was burned in 1880, and rebuilt in 1881 by P. C. Bacon and S. G. Loverhill. They sold to Fosmer & Crofoot, and after running it a short time they sold back to P. C. Bacon, its present proprietor. The capacity of this factory is 10,000 pounds of milk per day, and the whole is so arranged as to easily convert it into a creamery. The products are not shipped away, but are used to supply the local demand.

Horses. - " He snuffs the battle afar off; lie clothes his neck with thunder," said the sacred songster thousands of years ago. Th is was the war-horse, more human than his barbarous master, yet he made his glories manifest even to them; and now how true it is that peace hath her victories more renowned than war. The horse is the crowning glory - the fleet-footed, proud-stepping King - of the whole brute creation. He has kept pace with the march of man in the line of civilization. From the degraded pack-horse to the famed war-horse, where he has gained the post of chief mourner, bearing the empty saddle in the procession as his dead rider was carried to bis final resting-place, when his country was draped in solemn black, and in the walks of peace has taken his place as still the best and first of man's dumb and faithful slaves and companions, until he has in the markets commanded the highest prices in money vaLue of any other slave, either brute or human. The story of the victories and achievements of the thoroughbred horse are quite as interesting and far more instructive than the best constructed romance. The names of Lexington, Hambletonian, Flora Temple and Maud S. and many others will not soon be forgotten. Hambletonian for many years yielded his owner $350,000 annually. This is a fact well known to horse- men. The writer will never forget the grand sight he witnessed at the St. Louis fair in 1855, when there were displayed in the ring fifty of the best bred stallions in the country. And among them was Lexington. He was blind and feeble with age, and was led in with a groomsman at each side of his bridle bit. His head was drooped, as were his ears, and those who knew nothing of the horse must have wondered why that old " crow-bait " was led into the ring. But the crowd recognized him, and what a cheer -went up from the vast audience. The blind old horse heard the wild cheering, and in a moment his head and ears were up, his nostrils were dilated, and he was Lexington again - upon the track, and ready to dash forward to the goal. What an instantaneous - what a wonderful transformation! And when his noble blood was fired how grand he looked - the very soul of action and strength and endurance.

The Blue Grass regions of Kentucky have become celebrated as the natural home of the finest type of the horse. The soil, the grass and the water are the secrets of this great success. Many of our best informed stockmen are convinced that Bureau County possesses every special advantage that may be found in Kentucky for the propagation of thoroughbred stock, horses and cattle especially. And while the business is now in its experimental state, yet its rapid growth in the past few years and the intelligent interest that is manifested by the leading men of the county, plainly indicate a great future is in store here for the stock fanciers. The following is a partial list of the leading breeders of fine horses in the county: Isaac H. Norris, Lamoille; S. P. Clark, Dover; William Norris, Arlington; Dr. W. H. Winter, Princeton: James Dunbar, Lamoille; Justus Stevens and J. I. Carpenter, Princeton; and Dr. Ezekiel Stitson, Neponset.

Trotting Horses. - This strain of horses was brought to Bureau County with reference to improving the breed of horses in 1872. Mr. E. S. Wordsworth and his cousin, James Wordsworth, brought here some of the best thoroughbred stock then to be bought. They brought from Orange County, N. Y., several stallions and mares descended directly from imported Messenger, the "great progenitor of trotters." The most noted were: Menelaus, Maj. Grant, Silver Duke and Woodlawn.

Menelaus was a son of Rysdyke's Hambletonian, Silver Duke and Woodlawn grandsons, and Maj. Grant a great-grandson. The mares and fillies -were numerous, and most of them of the best trotting and thoroughbred families. All were brought into this county to be " wintered," because of the fine quality of hay and pastures and the cheapness of grain. The Wordsworths lived near, and did business in Chicago, and had just gone extensively into the "blooded horse" business when the Chicago fire of October, 1871, so crippled them in business that they were obliged to sell many of their best horses, and get cheaper pasturage than close proximity to a great city could afford. Their enterprise was a total failure financially for three reasons: They had bought their stock when prices were at the highest point, and they sustained great losses in the Chicago fire, and both were inexperienced in the stock business. Both men soon became bankrupt, their fine selection of horses scattered, and the experiment was pronounced a failure. The men have passed into obscurity, but many of the horses that they brought from Orange County, N. Y., and from Kentucky, have become famous, and the breeders have scarcely profited by their experience, because they were made over-cautious. There were no horse-breeders nor horsemen in the county with experience, so that noblest of animals, the trotting horse, fared badly for many years, and, but for his fine constitution and perfect breeding, he would have become obscure if not extinct. Many very fine driving horses have been raised; many very fine animals have been ruined utterly by so-called training, and others killed outright. A horseman needs to be as well bred and as delicately organized as his horse. Instead, we find a most ignorant, coarse and often brutal man possessing sole power over a horse that generations of tine breeding have made perfect. Ignorance, stupidity and inexperience seem to have combined against the trotting horse of Bureau County, success. The only celebrated trotting horse ever raised in the county is the mare Cleora, bred by Mr. James Wordsworth, raised by Mr. I. N. Norris, and bought, when matured and trained, by Mr. William Rockafeller, of New York City. Her sire was Menelaus, and her dam Thornleaf. Thornleaf's sire is Mambrino Patchen, and her darn was Dandy, one of the most famously-bred mares in America, descending in several direct lines from imported Messenger. Dandy was gray, so is Thornleaf, and Cleora is black in color, her sire, Menelaus, being a rich mahogany bay. Cieora's best recorded time before Mr. Rockafeller bought her was 2:18f , but it was thought she could have easily trotted in 2:14 if it had been thought desirable to have allowed her to make such a record. She has twice been driven double with Independence, a grandson of her grandmother, Dandy, a mile in 2:16J, and they have trotted more heats under 2:18 than any other team. She is thought by some to be a better and faster mare than Maud S. , but has not had the advantage of the same wise and careful training. If the man who broke and trained and drove her up to the time of her purchase by Mr. Rockafeller, Arnold Grey, could have remained her trainer and driver, she might have become as famous as her cousin, Maud S.

Three of Cieora's half sisters are owned by I. H. Norris, and are very valuable animals. Baronet is also owned by I. H. Norris, who brought him from Kentucky. He also owns the celebrated stallion, Castillian, sired by Gov. Sprague. This horse came from Crystal Lake, Henry County.

Draft Horses. - This breed of horses has been a success in Bureau County for two reasons - the pasturage is the best in the world, and great care has been taken in importing the best horses from France, Scotland, England and Canada. They are no more trouble to raise than cattle; there is a market for colts and fillies as soon as they are weaned, and geldings at three years are ready for the home market, and four and five are ready for the city.

The Norman-Percheron has been the most extensively raised, and was the first of the three draft breeds to be introduced into this county. The Princeton Drafthorse Breeding Company sent Mr. N. C. Buswell twice to France to select for them some of the best horses to be had in France. He brought in two separate importations, and their value to the county can scarcely be over-estimated. A man in Neponset began importing about the same time, and he now has one of the most extensive Percheron-Norman breeding establishments in the State. He also has raised some Clydesdale horses. Dr. William H. Winter also has a large and very fine Percheron-Norman breeding establishment. Mr. I. H. Norris and his brother Mr. William Norris are also extensively engaged in breeding and raising these horses. Mr. I. H. Norris has at the head of his establishment the imported stallion Vallient, selected and brought over by Mr. N. C. Buswell in his second importation.

It was in 1873 that a company of men of the townships of Princeton, Berlin and Ohio organized and commenced to import the thoroughbred Norman horses, and in this year and the next year they imported some very tine horses. The agent, Col. Nick C. Buswell, visited Europe and made all their selections. The first idea was to import for themselves, but afterward they imported to supply a home demand for these horses that rapidly grew in proportions. Among their first customers were the Norrises, Dunham, Dillon, Becket and Perry. In 1881 I. H. Norris and S. P. Clark imported three English draft horses, and in 1882 they brought twelve, and in 1883 they imported thirty stallions and mares of the best breeds they could procure of the draft horse. Of Col. Buswell's first importation, the Berlin company got one; the Princeton company one, and J. E. Carpenter one; O. J. Evans one; Dr. Winters got two mares, and William Joder, Tiskilwa, one, and the Ohio company one. A man named Stepson, in the spring of 1874, brought over two stallions and a mare.

The stallions crossed with the common horse has increased their value 100 per cent, and the same ratio of improvement continues to the three-fourths and other improved bloods. Some of the best posted men we have, men who make their estimates from careful observations, are free to say that in ten years from date Bureau County will show a better strain of thoroughbreds than is now possessed by France. The benefits to the horse will come of our superior grass and water and careful selection of breeders and judicious crossings.

Of the many very excellent draft horses imported, it is said by those who we suppose know, that Valliant, owned by I. H. Norris, selected by Col. Buswell, has sired more firstclass colts than any other horse yet brought here. Another famous horse of Col. Buswell's selection, and now owned by the Princeton company, is Malbranch. He was brought to this county in 1873. The same company own La Force. Dr. Winter's two stallions have already yielded him over $20,- 000 the past ten years. The value of fine stock is somewhat manifest when it is consid-

Menelaus was a son of Rysdyke's Hambletonian, Silver Duke and Woodlawn grandsons, and Maj. Grant a great-grandson. The mares and fillies were numerous, and most of them of the best trotting and thoroughbred families. All were brought into this county to be " wintered," because of the fine quality of hay and pastures and the cheapness of grain. The Wordsworths lived near, and did business in Chicago, and had just gone extensively into the "blooded horse" business when the Chicago fire of October, 1871, so crippled them in business that they were obliged to sell many of their best horses, and get cheaper pasturage than close proximity to a great city could afford. Their enterprise was a total failure financially for three reasons: They had bought their stock when prices were at the highest point, and they sustained great losses in the Chicago fire, and both were inexperienced in the stock business. Both men soon became bankrupt, their fine selection of horses scattered, and the experiment was pronounced a failure. The men have passed into obscurity, but many of the horses that they brought from Orange County, N. Y., and from Kentucky, have become famous, and the breeders have scarcely profited by their experience, because they were made over-cautious. There were no horse-breeders nor horsemen in the county with experience, so that noblest of animals, the trotting horse, fared badly for many years, and, but for his fine constitution and perfect breeding, he would have become obscure if not extinct. Many very fine driving horses have been raised; many very fine animals have been ruined utterly by so-called training, and others killed outright. A horseman needs to be as well bred and as delicately organized as his horse. Instead, we find a most ignorant, coarse and often brutal man possessing sole power over a horse that generations of nne breeding have made perfect. Ignorance, stupidity and inexperience seem to have combined against the trotting horse of Bureau County, success. The only celebrated trotting horse ever raised in the county is the mare Cleora, bred by Mr. James Wordsworth, raised by Mr. I. N. Norris, and bought, when matured and trained, by Mr. William Rockafeller, of New York City. Her sire was Menelaus, and her dam Thornleaf. Thorn leaf's sire is Mambrino Patchen, and her dam was Dandy, one of the most famously-bred mares in America, descending in several direct lines from imported Messenger. Dandy was gray, so is Thornleaf, and Cleora is black in color, her sire, Menelaus, being a rich mahogany bay. Cleora's best recorded time before Mr. Bockafeller bought her was 2 -.18 J, but it was thought she couJd have easily trotted in 2:14 if it had been thought desirable to have allowed her to make such a record. She has twice been driven double with Independence, a grandson of her grandmother, Dandy, a mile in 2:16|, and they have trotted more heats under 2:18 than any other team. She is thought by some to be a better and faster mare than Maud S. , but has not had the advantage of the same wise and careful training. If the man who broke and trained and drove her up to the time of her purchase by Mr. Bockafeller, Arnold Grey, could have remained her trainer and driver, she might have become as famous as her cousin, Maud S.

Three of Cleora's half sisters are owned by I. H. Norris, and are very valuable animals. Baronet is also owned by I. H. Norris, who brought him from Kentucky. He also owns the celebrated stallion, Castillian, sired by Gov. Sprague. This horse came from Crystal Lake, Henry County.

Draft Horses. - This breed of horses has been a success in Bureau County for two reasons - the pasturage is the best in the world, and great care has been taken in importing the best horses from France, Scotland, England and Canada. They are no more trouble to raise than cattle; there is a market for colts and fillies as soon as they are weaned, and geldings at three years are ready for the home market, and four and five are ready for the city.

The Norman-Percheron has been the most extensively raised, and was the first of the three draft breeds to be introduced into this county. The Princeton Draf thorse Breeding Company sent Mr. N. C. Buswell twice to France to select for them some of the best horses to be had in France. He brought in two separate importations, and their value to the county can scarcely be over-estimated. A man in Neponset began importing about the same time, and he now has one of the most extensive Percheron-Norman breeding establishments in the State. lie also has raised some Clydesdale horses. Dr. William H. Winter also has a large and very fine Percheron-Norman breeding establishment. Mr. I. H. Norris and his brother Mr. William Norris are also extensively engaged in breeding and raising these horses. Mr. I. H. Norris has at the head of his establishment the imported stallion Vallient, selected and brought over by Mr. N. C. Buswell in his second importation.

It was in 1873 that a company of men of the townships of Princeton, Berlin and Ohio organized and commenced to import the thoroughbred Norman horses, and in this year and the next year they imported some very tine horses. The agent, Col. Nick C. Buswell, visited Europe and made all their selections. The first idea was to import for themselves, but afterward they imported to supply a home demand for these horses that rapidly grew in proportions. Among their first customers were the Norrises, Danham, Dillon, Becket and Perry. In 1881 I. H. Norris and S. P. Clark imported three English draft horses, and in 1882 they brought twelve, and in 1883 they imported thirty stallions and mares of the best breeds they could procure of the draft horse. Of Col. Buswell's first importation, the Berlin company got one; the Princeton company one, and J. E. Carpenter one; O. J. Evans one; Dr. Winters got two mares, and William Joder, Tiskilwa, one, and the Ohio company one. A man named Stepson, in the spring of 1874, brought over two stallions and a mare.

The stallions crossed with the common horse has increased their value 100 per cent, and the same ratio of improvement continues to the three- fourths and other improved bloods. Some of the best posted men we have, men who make their estimates from careful observations, are free to say that in ten years from date Bureau County will show a better strain of thoroughbreds than is now possessed by France. The benefits to the horse will come of our superior grass and water and careful selection of breeders and judicious crossings.

Of the many very excellent draft horses imported, it is said by those who we suppose know, that Valliant, owned by I. H. Norria, selected by Col. Buswell, has sired more firstclass colts than any other horse yet brought here. Another famous horse of Col. Buswell's selection, and now owned by the Princeton company, is Malbranch. He was brought to this county in 1873. The same company own La Force. Dr. Winter's two stallions have already yielded him over $20,- 000 the past ten years. The value of fine stock is somewhat manifest when it is consid-

Mr. Warren, although comparatively a new beginuer in the horse line, has raised already over twenty-five roadsters. One mare, Nellie Grant, has a record, made in Peoria in 1883, of 33J. This is the only one of his herd he has trained.

The Berlin Township Importing Company was the first in the county to move in the matter of importing thoroughbred horses. They commenced with the Norman, and since then many have imported the Clydesdale. The two breeds have their special admirers.