Animals: Stock Show

Walter Biggar is a thin-faced Scot. He owns a large farm near Dalbeattie, Scotland. He usually dresses in brown. He always carries a cane. He is reputed to be one of the world’s best judges of fine cattle. Every year for the past eight he has taken a trip to the U. S. to decide which steer should be named Grand Champion at the International Live Stock Exposition in Chicago.

Last week, at the 33rd annual Exposition, Judge Biggar was in his customary place at the centre of the arena at the Union Stock Yards. Things looked pretty much as usual. There were the familiar signs—THIS SHOW HAS BEEN DISINFECTED; the familiar sights & sounds—miles of red bunting, polo players in bright blue hats, stolid farmers’ boys in overalls, svelte geldings, grunting swine, bleating sheep, sleepy steers annoyed at constant currying. Judge Biggar saw familiar faces among the exhibitors—23 year-old Elliott Brown of Rose Hill, Iowa, to whose steer he had awarded the grand prize three years ago; Gentleman Farmer Oakleigh Thorne of Dutchess County. N. Y., to whom he had awarded the prize last year and who had with him Grandson Oakleigh Thorne II, now a young gentle man farmer.

Before the week was out Judge Biggar who speaks with only a slight burr, had something new to talk about. For the last two seasons large Hereford breeders of the West, preferring to show at the Los Angeles exhibit, had brought few of their white-faced stock to Chicago. For the last five years Judge Biggar had not seen fit to award a grand prize to a Hereford. And neither he nor his predecessors had ever seen fit to award the prize to any steer from Texas, greatest cattle raising State.

The arena was crowded as Judge Biggar watched beef on the hoof waddle by. Among the 750 was many a Hereford, returned to prominence. Finally the Biggar cane, at last removed from the Biggar arm pointed to a sleek fat Hereford from Texas, named Texas Special. Owner William Largent of Merkel, Tex., let out a whoop.

Three days later Grand Champion Texas Special was put on the auction block, in dispirited bidding was sold to Pfaelzer Packing Co. for $1,676.25—$1.25 a lb., lowest price since 1923 when Broadus White Socks brought but 60¢ a lb.* Before being cut up, Texas Special was taken to Pittsburgh, exhibited some more.

Will Largent’s steer was not the only Hereford to receive the canny favor of Judge Biggar last week. For reserve (second place) champion he chose Aster Domino, owned by Wyoming Hereford Ranch of Cheyenne; for best herd he chose a group of Herefords shown by the Oklahoma A. & M. College (Stillwater, Okla.).

No judge of human animals, Judge Biggar had no hand in the selection of Healthiest Boy and Healthiest Girl. A committee of physicians & nurses gave first honors to Dorothy Eiler, 16, of Aitkin County, Minn., who likes to dance, keeps her nails trimmed, has fillings in her teeth (score: 98.6); Ross Allen, 20. of Salem, W. Va., who weighs 184 lb., expects to be a doctor, milks cows every day, plays baseball (score: 99.4).

Illuminating to laymen was a living demonstration of the evolution in beef breeding wrought by modern life. In the first pen stood a long, thin, rangy Texas longhorn, capable of trekking afoot from the Rio Grande to Kansas markets as did his ancestors 70 years ago. Next was the huge fat steer with which railroad stock cars supplanted the Texas ranger. Third came the smaller but still bulky animal popular until the end of the War. Last was the trim brown & white steer of today, light in weight but fat & juicy. He makes roasts to fit kitchenet ovens.

* Lowest all-time International Exposition price: 18¢ for King Ellsworth (Kansas State College), 1909. Highest: $8.25, paid by Storeman James Cash Penney for Lucky Strike, 1929.