36 AGRICULTURE 



is a Hereford in form. You might dye him into a Hereford, 

 but all the dappling in the world would not make him into 

 a short-horn. So much for modern affinities. There are 

 hints also from antiquity. The calf "f route niveus videri, 

 catera fulvus" must have been a Hereford. According to 

 the description in a fragment of Bion, the bull which ferried 

 Europa across the sea from Crete was so complete a 

 Hereford, that he might have come from the herd of Mr. 

 Price or Sir F. Lawley. We are gratified by these evi- 

 dences of permanence. A few years ago we had some appre- 

 hension that, under the influence of fashion and favour, the 

 democratic insurrection of the breeds would have swept 

 away the races. We knew the origin of the breeds ; they 

 had been loosely put together under our own eyes. Nothing 

 in their career satisfied us that we knew accurately what 

 was to come. Our aspiration was for something standard. 

 We did not think that what Horace Walpole called the 

 union of " nobody's son with everybody's daughter " was a 

 satisfactory basis on which to found the supply of cattle for 

 a great beef and mutton eating nation. Now the tide has 

 turned. The new breeds have manifestly declined in popular 

 favour. They will no doubt still occupy the position which 

 may be due to their ascertained utility. The current of 

 authoritative decision has also turned. It did for many 

 years run in favour of the new breeds : now the balance is 

 the other way. At every important exhibition the highest 

 prizes have of late been carried off by the races. As good 

 Conservatives we rejoice at this, for they are the Bovine 

 aristocracy, and we wish to see them maintain their position 

 in society. If we should seem to our readers to have spoken 

 with too little favour of those enterprising and persevering 

 men who originated our new breeds, and have carried them 

 to their present point of excellence, we beg at least to dis- 

 claim all sympathy with those scoffers who represent the 

 breeders and the bred as being much on a par in in- 

 tellect 



" Strong as his ox, and ignorant as strong." 



