I can learn I do
not believe they had any greater vitality. I think, on the whole,
though, that in evolving a race of cattle you have a little further to
go than Texas had.

Mr. Alvin Sanders, Editor of the Breeders' Gazette, in his book, "The
Story of the Herefords," traces very carefully the first introduction
of blooded bulls to the Texas and Western ranges, and forty years,
certainly forty-five, is as far back as that influence began. My own
people began on primitive Texas cattle in 1882, but from that time used
only full-blooded sires, about ninety per cent Hereford and about ten
per cent Shorthorn, and only about three years after I went with them
sixteen years ago, I took selected calves from their herd to Chicago and
won grand sweepstakes for feeder cattle with them against all
competition from all sections of the United States. When I went to the
S. M. S. herd I found a wonderful lot of breeding cows, the bulk of them
at least fifteen-sixteenths and only requiring a vigorous culling
process to bring them to a remarkably high standard.

I was identified with Mr. Kirk Armour during the great progress in
grading up Texas herds in the '90's, and it was noticeable in the stock
yards that in a short space of about six years there was an absolute
change in the general run of cattle from the ranges to the yards from
primitive cattle to cattle showing very appreciable improvement, and in
twelve years the longhorn had become a scarcity; he was practically
extinct in 1900.

Argentina during the same period evolved from a primitive race of cattle
one which will compare very favorably to that of America in its
up-grading. The other South American Republics have been slower, but
between Argentina and America two demonstrations have been given within
my own lifetime of a race of cattle absolutely redeemed from the
primitive to practically full-bloods, and that the first twelve years of
that work has resulted in animals showing fifty per cent increase in
weight under the same conditions, a much higher degree of meat in the
rib and loin and round, with an immense improvement in their instinct
for putting on weight on the same feed over the primitive cattle.

I am simply taking these generally demonstrated laws of breeding to
apply to your conditions. I am sure that by using good sires you will
find an immense improvement in three years; that in six years it will be
a revelation, and that in twelve years you will have a race