4 A HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE. 



lightful days spent among the "white faces" in the 

 company of these pioneers in a great industry, and 

 of the happy hours about their firesides that fol- 

 lowed each tour of pasture and paddock, impels 

 me to undertake this volume in an effort at express- 

 ing some appreciation of the great service they 

 have rendered to their country. 



Much ink was needlessly spilled and had blood 

 unnecessarily engendered some years ago in en- 

 deavoring to explain why the "white faces" were so 

 long in "coming into their own" in the United 

 States. The lot of the pathfinder in any field is not 

 always cast in pleasant places. Those who first 

 sought to force the Hereford to the front in the 

 west were riding somewhat "ahead of the hounds." 

 They were in advance of their time. Natural con- 

 ditions were not favorable to immediate success, 

 and, knowing as they did that there was merit in 

 the breed they championed and chagrined at the 

 slow progress made, they were inclined to attribute 

 to unworthy jealousies and conspiracies their fail- 

 ure to compel general recognition. The impatience 

 displayed, therefore, by some of those who were on 

 the original skirmish line is pardonable. We are 

 now far enough removed from the controversies of 

 the old days to get a proper perspective; and 

 viewed in the light of the known facts it is clear 

 that while some difficulty was at first experienced 

 in securing a fair hearing, the real reason why the 

 Herefords did not sooner acquire wide popularity 

 is grounded in more natural causes. 



