56 A HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



reason of his sound judgment in the work of improv- 

 ing the local breed of cattle. 



In 1808 he held a sale of 20 cows and heifers, 12 

 oxen and 20 yearling and two-year-old steers, 

 the cows averaging 40, the oxen 23, the year-} 

 lings 15 and the twos 20. These cattle were 

 referred to at the time as "allowed by competent 

 judges to be equal if not superior to most in the 

 kingdom. ' ' 



After Mr. Tomkins' death in October, 1815, the 

 herd was inherited by his daughters, his two sons 

 Having died young. After disposing of a number 

 of cattle privately a sale was held in October, 1819, 

 that reveals clearly the estimation in which the 

 blood was held. A summary of the result is ap- 

 pended. 



The 52 -head sold made 4,673/14s., or an average 

 of 89/17s./6d. each, but a number were steers. The 

 breeding animals, numbering 28, averaged no less 

 than 149, the total for them being 4,172/6s. The 

 detailed figures are as follows : 



Total. Average. 



s. d. s. d. 



15 cows 2,249 2 149 18 9 



3 two-year-old heifers 283 10 94 10 



2 yearling heifers 156 90 78 4 fi 



4 bulls 1,071 267 15 



2 bull calves 362 5 181 2 6 



2 heifer calves 56 28 



28 head 4,178 6 Av. 149 



This average compares favorably with those 

 made about the same period at the Shorthorn 

 sales of Charles and Robert Colling, the Ketton av- 

 erage (1810) including the 1,000-guinea bull Comet, 



