MESSRS MACLEAN'S PRIZE CATTLE.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 937, 25 June 1878, Page 2

MESSRS MACLEAN'S PRIZE CATTLE.

" Breeder," m a brief but bitter letter •which appsarerl m the ' Lyttelton Times,' and was copied into the ' Herald ' of the 13th iust., thus alludes to the Messrs Maclean's prize gaining bulls at the New South. Wales exhibition. : — " I feel confident that there is nob a breeder m New Zealand who will not be proud of the victory gained by bulls bred m their adopted country over those of Australia. But I think that Maclean and Co attempl to prove too much. See the telegram m your paper of to-day, where they are represented as saying that ' the victory is due to their thorough knowledge of the science of breeding.' I should say that they have a thorough knowledge of the science of humbugging. For what are the facts regarding the breeding of the two prize takers ? The dams of both were imported from England, being bred by one man, W. H. Hewit. The sire of one was imported t the other sire was from imported cow and bull. Not much room to exercise the extraordinary breeding skill of Maclean and Co., was there r " To this the Messrs Maclean and Co. reply as follows : — " In reply to the letter of ' Breeder,' we beg to say the only merit we claim m breeding the bulls referred to out of the English oows, is that we put the right cows to the right bulls.. "Wo should not have alluded to this contemptible anonymous letter, only to state our surprise that the ' Herald ' should copy these ilkuttured damaging innuendoes, and circulate them all over the country, to our injury as breeders. It has pained us the more, because the ' Herald ' lias neglected to copy the generous and complimentary articles that have appeared in^ the ' Australian Press/ perhaps from 'their

being so numerous and too long. The Queensland, Victorian, and New South Wales papers have been unsparing m their praise of the New Zealand bulls ; even Dunedin has thought our success an honor;.-,. t0 the colony.* The remarkable fact tiiat if our champion bidl had been absent our other bull would have Becured the blue ribbon, is m our opinion a most extraordinary success."