16 



HISTOEY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



shire Agricultural Show and gave a challenge 

 of 100 to any one who would show an equal 

 number against him. His nephew, George 

 Tomkins, after traveling over Herefordshire 

 and other parts of England, among cattle 

 breeders, when he came home, reported to his 

 uncle that of all the cattle he had seen, there 

 were none equal to his. Mr. Jno. Price, of 

 Ryall, about the year 1804, became acquainted 

 with the cattle of Mr. Benjamin Tomkins, 

 from whom he bought a few cows, using them 

 to bulls descended from Mr. Walker's stock. 

 He first attempted to improve the Tomkins 

 cattle by crossing them with the larger stock 

 of Mr. Walker, with a view of increasing their 

 size, but the result was so unfavorable that he 

 put away all these crosses and returned to the 

 pure Tomkins variety. Mr. Price continued 

 to breed Herefords until 1841, his herd being 

 solely of the Tomkins blood. So that, upwards 

 of seventy years at least, this strain, first in 

 possession of Benjamin Tomkins, and then in 

 that of John Price, was bred continuously 

 without an out-cross. 



It would appear that Mr. Tomkins was en- 

 titled to the position of leader in the improve- 

 ment of the breed, and for giving a fixed char- 

 acter both as to quality, color, and markings, 



and at the same time, the Hewers, William and 

 John, were close seconds. It was perhaps to 

 be expected that their friends would take sides, 

 and a feeling of rivalry should grow up among 

 them for the time being; but ultimately as 

 these different lines expanded and new men 

 took the places of the early rivals, the best 

 of each were brought together. 



Mr. John Price of Ryall and other eminent 

 breeders acquired bulls and cows of the Tom- 

 kins breed and they soon spread widely over 

 the country. In October, 1808, Tomkins had 

 a large sale at the Court Farm, Wellington, 

 which the auctioneer, Mr. William James, an- 

 nounced in these words : "For sale, the follow- 

 ing valuable and much admired stock, the 

 property of Benjamin Tomkins, who is going 

 to decline breeding cattle; consisting of 20 

 capital cows and heifers, which have five calves 

 now sucking, two four-year-old bulls, one ditto 

 martin, nine three-year-old bullocks, six two- 

 year-old ditto, two yearling heifers, one of 

 which is heavy in calf, three two-year-old bulls, 

 two ditto yearlings/' No note of the prices or 

 purchasers' names at this sale has been ob- 

 tained, but we are able to give a private valua- 

 tion of the stock at Wellington Court Farm, 

 drawn up by George Tomkins in June, 1808, 



SCENE IN HEREFORDSHIRE. A FERTILE SOIL AND WELL-CONDITIONED CATTLE. 



