— 184 — e ., __ __jE£§fLAND FAIR MAKEEE
County Democrat for, June 1, 1881, quotes Country Gentlemanls figures for the `
eleven years embracing 1870-80 as showing 26,151 purebred Shorthorns sold for a
total. of`$£'7,608,594,· or an average overthe years of $294 per head. -»  
Analyzing still further, these Nation—wide sales at the·peak of Shorthorn
popularity 'shows that the cattle sales peak was reached in 1875 when 4,547 head
went under the hammer. The peak of individual prices had been reached two years
earlier when an average of $552 was obtained. The maximum amount was grossed in
1875 when 4,547 head sold that year brought $422 por individual, for a total of A
$1,852,585. Comparing these figures with the Vanheter sale above mentioned, or
with that held on Dr. Cunningham's farm, the high relative standing of Kentucky
Shorthorns in the decade of its fu1l—blown popularity, whether in the show ring
or under the hammer, is revealed. ` · _
The general interest developed by such herd sales greatly stimulated public
attendance at the fairs, and similar trends in prices for quality stock could be
observed inlmules, sheep, hogs, and cattle other than the Shorthorn. It may be
repeated ‘that the temptation of high prices offered to part with essential foun-
dation stock, upon which future success both in the show ring and in the breeding
paddock depended, become too strong to be resisted. This, coupled with the long
years of prevailing low prices in the livestock industry, a period extending well
l into the first decade of the twentieth century, brought to its close the long
,,dominance of the Kentucky Shorthorn. l
4 · A Kentucky in the Census of 1890 _` _, _ _
I The census of 1890 revealed 1,066,091 head of cattle in the State. 0f these,
y 58,926 were work oxen., Milch cows numbered 564,516; other cattle, 642,689. Some
Videa of the results of long—continued attention·to breeding on the part of owners
of Shorthorns and other breeds (the census makes no distinction as to breeds) is ’=
given by the fact that,-of this total, 16,172 held breed registry papers, while
157,505 additional head rwere better than half—blood.I This item.included many
full-blooded animals that had not been registered,¥and`therefore were incapable
_ of inclusion in the .registered division. The remainder of the cattle herd of
Kentucky-- 892,416 bead-- were grades of less than half-blood. Nevertheless, it
is to be remembered that, in this major classification— of` cattle largely Short-
horn, ran the foundation‘ strains _of that breed-- the blood of cattle that had
dominated the rings of the first fairs ever held in Kentucky, the Powell, Patton,
Carey, and early Shorthorn stock-- all blood ·far above that which may properly
be termed "scrub." `1 1
,_ `c_Among the counties leading in purebreds at that time (1890) the following,
`dominated by Shorthorn blood, may be mentioned: Nadison, with_l,l59; Bourbon,
with 1,285; Fayette, with 925; Jefferson, with 747; and Shelby, with 771.
Other counties reporting more ‘than 200 and under 700 head of purebreds in
1890 show the wide extent to which the Shorthorn of _that time Twas distributed
over the State. The counties include Christian,·569; Clark,550; Logan, 512; Wash-
ington, 494; Montgomery, 450; Mercer, 447; Boyle, 459; Warren, 425; `Mason, 420;
` Jessamine,4l2; Harris0n,5l8; Soott,294; Union,274; Henry, 250; and Woodford, 225. "
Counties repeating no purebredsc were Lee, Nartin, Metcalfe, and Russell.
Harlan, Knox, and Owsley had one each. The; counties of Jackson, Johnson, Law-
rence, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Nenifee, Perry, Pike, Powell, and. Wolfe each ‘
had from two to ten. The remaining counties of the State were reported as hav-
ing from ll to 210 purebreds ,each.· ~ ‘ •
ian.