HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



51 



of his stock, among others the ox bred by Mr. 

 Hill, Orleton, which obtained the gold medal 

 at Smithfield in 1839, for the best beast in the 

 yard." 



Few of Mr. Knight's cattle have been -regis- 

 tered. Of these Snowball (246) 328 has already 

 been referred to. Lawton (223) was also bred 

 by Mr. Knight, and used by Mr. Downes' Aston 

 Ball in 1811. Stratford (264) 369 is entered as 

 having been from Mr. Knight's celebrated white 



JOHN L. HEWER, VERN HOUSE, HARDEN, HERE- 

 FORDSHIRE. 



cow, and the Gatley bull (501) 3038 was of his 

 breeding. Among those who obtained stock 

 from him were Mr. Rea, Monaughty, Mr. Tur- 

 ner, Aymestery, and Mr. Salwey, Ashley Moor. 

 Through all these herds the Knight blood is 

 still represented. Mr. Sa-lwey purchased from 

 Mr. Knight four heifers, from which a valu- 

 able progeny descended (fl 45). 



Mr. Boughton Knight (ff 44), of Downton 

 Castle, some years ago attempted to found a 



herd of the old Knight grey color, but finding 

 the red with white faces were more easily dis- 

 posed of, he abandoned the strain. Mr. J. A. 

 Rolls, The Hendre, Monmouth, is one of the 

 few gentlemen who now keeps the stock of the 

 old color. In other herds possessing the Knight 

 blood, the markings have not been retained, al- 

 though the fine quality and true shapes, for 

 which the sort was celebrated, were as conspic- 

 uous as ever, the heads being true to the old 

 type. 



Mr. Duncomb, Historian of the County, in 

 drawing up his report on the agriculture of 

 Hereford for the Board of Agriculture in 1805, 

 relied almost exclusively on Mr. Knight's in- 

 formation for his description- on the manage- 

 ment of cattle. In his observation on the sub- 

 ject, Mr. Knight said some of the Hereford- 

 shire breeders had sacrificed the qualities of the 

 cow for those of the ox. He does not value the 

 cow according to the price which the grazier 

 would give for it, but in proportion as it pos- 

 sesses that form and character which experience 

 has taught him to be conducive to the excel- 

 lence of the future ox. The cow of Hereford- 

 shire (1805) -is very feminine in its character, 

 light fleshed when in common condition, but 

 is capable of extending itself universally in a 

 short space of time when fattening. It may 

 here be remarked that there is an extraordinary 

 difference between the weight of a Hereford- 

 shire cow and the ox bred from her. Perhaps 

 other sorts, eminent for producing fine oxen, 

 .are similarly distinguished, but it is a fact that 

 the Herefordshire cow will not unfrequentiy be 

 the mother of an. ox of nearly three times her 

 own weight. 



Mr. Knight was convinced that the true func- 

 tion of the Hereford breed was to produce first- 

 class beef. He/did not believe in attempting to 

 develop the milking properties of the race, con- 

 sidering tliat ijjt was sufficient if a cow gave milk 

 enough to k'^ep its calf fat, and unless it could 

 do so, it was disqualified from breeding a good 

 ox. What he says descriptive of the cow bred 

 in Herefordshire appears to mean simply that 

 preference should be given to neat, compact ani- 

 mals. The system in Leicestershire of bestow- 

 ing most of the attention on theymprovement 

 of the cow, and making her an 6&lellent animal 

 for the purpose of the grazier, was, in his view, 

 unsound. 



