FIRST AMERICAN IMPORTATIONS 271 



one of the most extraordinary animals for shape 

 and size ever exhibited at the Brighton, Mass., cattle 

 shows. I saw many of the bull's progeny in the 

 vicinity where he was first kept, and owned some of 

 them. They made prodigiously powerful and active 

 draft cattle; there was a majesty in their gait and 

 an elasticity and quickness of movement which I 

 never saw equaled and which, together with their 

 beautiful mahogany color and strong constitutions, 

 made them decided favorites with the Yankee team- 

 sters. I shall here remark that I knew many and 

 owned several of the progeny of the imported Short- 

 horn bull Admiral, also presented to the Massachu- 

 setts Society by Admiral Coffin, and I have no hesi- 

 tation in saying that for the ordinary uses to which 

 cattle are applied in the northern section of the 

 country I consider the stock of the Hereford bull 

 decidedly preferable. ' ' 



Mr. Howard's statement concerning the adapt- 

 ability of the Hereford to New England conditions 

 is not only interesting, but his views were undoubt- 

 edly shared by many of his contemporaries as the 

 type subsequently gained a footing in the state of 

 Maine and other parts of New England, from which 

 it has never since been dislodged. He says : 



' i I have never seen Shorthorns which appeared to 

 possess sufficient hardiness of constitution to adapt 

 themselves to so rigorous a climate and the hard 

 labor of the yoke to which oxen in Maine are sub- 

 jected. On commencing stockbreeding operations 

 in the north I purchased from Hon. John Wells, 

 of Boston, a bull of a cross between the Hereford 

 and Shorthorn with a slight dash of the Bakewell. 

 This bull was the easiest animal to fatten that I 

 ever saw. His weight at six years, after having 



