FIRST HEREFORDS ON THE RANGE 733 



company has in previous years, however, run as high 

 as 50,000 cattle at one time. 



Mr. W. D. Reynolds of this company states that 

 they regard the Hereford as the best cattle for range 

 use, particularly on short feed in a drouthy country. 

 Their early purchases of Herefords from the north 

 turned out badly on account of lack of knowledge 

 concerning Texas fever and its causes at that time. 

 They have bought persistently, however, from va- 

 rious breeders, besides producing large numbers of 

 bulls from their own herds. They have at different 

 times used Shorthorn bulls, and in the recent past 

 have introduced a few Aberdeen-Angus and Gallo- 

 ways. Like most of their contemporaries they aim to 

 run about four bulls to 100 cows. Bulls of their own 

 breeding are turned in as yearlings, but when pur- 

 chased from the outside are usually two-year-olds. 



The Hereford in California. Beyond the Sierra 

 Nevada Mountains climatic conditions as relating 

 to cattle-ranching differ materially from those pre- 

 vailing in the Eocky Mountain region proper. There 

 is, except perhaps in the extreme southern portion 

 of the state of California, a much greater annual 

 rainfall than occurs on this side of the coast ranges, 

 giving a larger supply of succulent feed. The cli- 

 mate is also milder and more equable. Due perhaps 

 to the fact that the natural conditions do not make 

 such severe demands upon range* herds, the Here- 

 ford has not come into so commanding a position 

 on the Pacific Coast as throughout the more arid 

 regions of the western states. The earliest im- 



