bull hall of fame Anxiety 4th

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knabe

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Here some excerpts from "the hereford in america" by ornduff, first edition, signed by the author about Anxiety 4th and Gudgel & Simpson.  Awesome book.

It is probable that no range outfit of its time, and particularly during its early years, had a more significant influence upon the purebred Hereford industry than did that of Towers & Gudgell.  It pioneered in the use of Hereford bulls on the range, and the breeds" early successes there resulted in extending the Whiteface influence into neighboring herds.  Many of the bulls imported by g & S around 1880 went straight to the range, as did numerous others bred in Missouri.  Even more importantly, it was the criticism they ahd heard from rangemen to the effect that the Herefords were too cat-hammed that led them to seek in England "a bul with an end," a search that culminated in the purchase and imprtation of .......

With charles Gudgell the acknoledged financial head of the firm and the final arbiter on all high-level decisions, and Simpson a man arecognized as possessing a real genius for forecasting the usefulness of good breeding stock, the firm swung into action, making three extensive importations between 1880 and 1882.  A point not well known in Hereford circles is that during this sam period G & S also made extensive importations of Aberdeen-Angus, establishing a top-rank herd, indicatin that they entered the beef-cattle business with open minds and no preconceived notions or prejudices.  "No single importation of any one breed ever made into the United States," wrote Alvin H. Sanders concerning a group of blacks imported in 1882,"can be said to have exercised deeper influence than this, unless we except the lot of Herefords which included anxiety 4th."  Heading this angus shipment was the bull, Knight of st. Patrick, which became virtually the "Anxiety 4th" of that breed.

It is related that when he and James Gudgell were looking over the Woodhouse herd of Thomas Lewis at Shobden, Herefordshire, Simpson asked for a price on one of the thinnest cows in the lot.  Lewis quoted a price and simpson promptly bought her.  Gudgell, looking on, remonstrated mildy, referring to the cow as "that skeleton".  Simpson responded : "I know that she is a pretty tough lookin proposition right now, but she will be all right when she gets a little NMissouri corn and bluegrass."  And so she was .  For that cow was Dowager 6th, second to none as a constructive influence among G & S owned cows.

It is the story of two men who, unlearned in the science of genetics and unskilled in the art of animal production, became the foremost improvers of beef cattle of their generation, and left their followers a priceless legacy in the form of desirable characteristics . . . firmly fixed.

Through the importation of Anxiety 4th 9904 and the conservation anc concentration of his blood throught closebreeding, G & S improved American Herefords in three important particulars.  They enlarged the hindquarters, thereby increasing the proportion of the higher-priced cuts of meat on the carcass: they improved the mellowness of flesh and increased their easy-feeding charactersitics: and they rendered them earlier-maturing, thus making it possible for them to meet the increaseing demand for lighter carcasses of mature beef, and also making possible a quicker turnover for the grower and feeder.

Rangeman after rangeman had complained to them of this deficiency of the breed (the hindquarter).  The thing to do, then, was to find a bull that would correct this fault.  they were convinced that such a bull could be found.

The failure of North Pole satisfactorily to perform the part assigned to him in the breeding program doubtless resulted in  more concetrations of Anxiety 4th blood at the outset than was planned.  Doubtless the breeding of the daughters of Anxiety 4th to their half-brother, Don Carlos 33734, which elicited so much criticism from other breeders, would not have been practiced so freely had suitable sons of North Pole been available.  (North Pole went on to be a maternal bull and they were heavily crossed to Don Carlos)

A momentary diversion anent the family's name.  Joseph Carwardine, wrote" I well rember that Anxiety had a defect in one front foot when he was born: consequently, as he grew up he was shod on one digit with a brass plate which evened him a little.  The reason he was christined "Anxiety" was owing to anxiety over him  He was a delicate young devil."


here is what  william Powell,said "He had a splendid Hereford head-wide between the horsn, and set on a short neck, with hardly any white on top.  He was wide between the forelegs, with a good brisket, and no loose leather.  His weakness, if any, was in his heart girth.  He was good over the crops with a perfect back and loin.  He had a well-sprung rib and a perfectly set-on tail.  He also had a good straight quarters and short legs, and was remarkabley smooth bull.  I think the most he weighed was about 2,200 pounds. 

(Others had overlooked Anxiety in their quests to England, so much so he only cost $400)

Anxiety 4th was not fitted for showing in america, as his sire who died perhaps of overfitting (feeding).

Possible to compensate in a manner for this G & S castrated the first calf from Anxiety 4th's service in their herd and exhibited him at eh Chicago and Kansas City fat stock shows.  His name was suspense.

The dam of Don Carlos (the skinny cow), when mated with Anxiety that the reputation of  G&S was largely based.  Folllowing Don Carlos and his younger full-brother, Don Quixote , in the G & S herd came such  sons of Don Carlos as Druid, Beau Brummel, Lamplighter and Spartacus. 

(G & S sought an outcross due to criticism of closebreeding but mostly came up with blanks)  It is strange that htis fetish against closebreeding persisted despite the fact that it was common knowledge that it had been practiced by the founders and early imporvers of all breeds of domestic livestock.

G & S seemed to recognize  clearly that blood concentration woul intensify the bad characteristics as well as the good ones, and hence sought consistently to discard those animals of their production which they reagarded as potentially harmful. 

"In our own breeding operations we have not deemed it necessary or wise to combine such close affinities as was the ruling practice with these early masters of the art, contenting ourselves, as an extreme measure, with the mating of two animals by the same sire, but with dams of entirely different strains of blood.  In this way we got our outcrosses through the dams instead of through the sires as is the practice of most breeders. 

"we realize that in our course of breeding we have to encounter the prejudice engendered by the fact, generally known and much discussed among stock breeders, that a certain once popular and valuable strain of cattle was ruined in constitution and otherwise by inbreeding.  This sample of injudicious breeding that is so often cited as proof condemnatory of the practice of linebreeding is, on the contrary, a recommendation of linebreeding in itself.  the breeders of this strain of cattle who bred them with an eye single to their ideal of pedigree perfections realized their object in the same measure as did other linebreeders who bred only for physical perfections-the one secured a pedigree unsullied and the other a physique unsurpassed.

(frequently discussed is droopy horned cattle and its inheritance, once noted by me in livestock judging, upon which i was soundly ridiculed i never spoke of it again till now)
 

HerefordGuy

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I think Gudgel & Simpson would approve of our herd bulls pedigree, line bred with sires (Online is grand sire on both sire and dam side) and outcrossing with the dams.
It amazed me how often I see Don Carlos, Don Quiote, Lamplighter, etc when I search back in Hereford pedigrees.
It is also amazing to me how influential Anxiety the 4th became and how many chose not to buy him! 
 

oakview

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Dividend and Improver would have been used earlier had their offspring been eligible for registration.  I saw the two bulls on display in Denver and ordered semen only to cancel the order when I later found out the calves could not be registered as purebreds and there was no opportunity to ever 'grade up'.  It was at least a year or two, maybe more, before George Alden got on the ASA board and they accepted the bulls as purebreds and they became more widely used.
 

knabe

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just got the book ornduff was referring to for christmas.  very nice.
 

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RyanChandler

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""In our own breeding operations we have not deemed it necessary or wise to combine such close affinities as was the ruling practice with these early masters of the art, contenting ourselves, as an extreme measure, with the mating of two animals by the same sire, but with dams of entirely different strains of blood.  In this way we got our outcrosses through the dams instead of through the sires as is the practice of most breeders."


Nothing like a little reassurance to show you're on the right track! (thumbsup)
 

Duncraggan

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-XBAR- said:
""In our own breeding operations we have not deemed it necessary or wise to combine such close affinities as was the ruling practice with these early masters of the art, contenting ourselves, as an extreme measure, with the mating of two animals by the same sire, but with dams of entirely different strains of blood.  In this way we got our outcrosses through the dams instead of through the sires as is the practice of most breeders."


Nothing like a little reassurance to show you're on the right track! (thumbsup)
Tend to agree there Xbar, nothing like maternal half-brothers to get some evenness! <beer>
 

knabe

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-XBAR- said:
""In our own breeding operations we have not deemed it necessary or wise to combine such close affinities as was the ruling practice with these early masters of the art, contenting ourselves, as an extreme measure, with the mating of two animals by the same sire, but with dams of entirely different strains of blood.  In this way we got our outcrosses through the dams instead of through the sires as is the practice of most breeders."


Nothing like a little reassurance to show you're on the right track! (thumbsup)

this quote is exactly why i have i have stated over and over to find the best daughter you can of leroy that is not related to your bull's mother and have some fun.  JIT used to have another deep made high volume bull on his site that he has mentioned he has crossed the two bulls.  can't remember his name.  he wasn't near as pretty as leroy, but he was by far deeper with tremendous volume.  these types of matings keep the outcross in one's strains and allow easily superior females to be infused into one's program.
 

knabe

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bad memory, though jit may use him?

Saskvalley Bonanza 219M

for clarity, i would combine the lines of bonanza and leroy through females.
 
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