60 A HISTORT OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



challenged all England to ' ' show a bull and 20 regu- 

 lar breeding in-calf cows bred by himself " for any 

 sum not exceeding 100 against a like number of 

 any sort and owned by any breeder in the United 

 Kingdom. This led to a public discussion of the 

 relative merits of the Herefords and the Short- 

 horns between Mr. Price and Thos. Bates of Kirk- 

 levington, but the defiance itself was not met. 



In October, 1816, Mr. Price sold 116 head of cattle 

 for a total of 6,728/10s., an average of 58, a Tom- 

 kins-bred cow by Silver Bull bringing 215, a two- 

 year-old heifer of the seller's own breeding making 

 252, the old stock bull Wellington going at 283, 

 the bull Eyall commanding 262 from Lord Talbot, 

 and the bull Waxy 341/5s. from the same buyer. An 

 idea of the extent of Mr. Price's breeding opera- 

 tions and the wide distribution of the Tomkins blood 

 made through him may be gleaned from the state- 

 ment that at his three sales of 1813, 1816 and 1841 

 Herefords to the value of 16,690 were disposed of; 

 and as he made a sale in 1820 of which there is now 

 no record, if the aggregate of that were added it is 

 thought that the total sales at auction alone would 

 reach 20,000. 



Mr. Price is said not only to have disregarded 

 color markings but dairy quality as well. His cattle 

 were criticised by some for the "shortness and 

 rather mean appearance " of the horns of the cows. 

 He was after something more important. The old 

 Tomkins sort was called "very wide over their hips 

 and narrow on their shoulders. " This Mr. Price is 



