60 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



perfection and imperfec- 

 tions of each kind, com- 

 pare them with each other, 

 and jthen offer his opinion 

 with regard to which are 

 best. He says: "As to 

 Herefordshire brown cat- 

 tle they are, I am pretty 

 clear, neither more nor 

 less than a mixture be- 

 tween the Welch and a 

 bastard race of long horns 

 that are everywhere to be 

 met in Cheshire, Shrop- 

 shire," etc. 



Page 39. "It is true they 

 draw a few oxen in Here- 

 fordshire." 



Page 179. "The more milk, 

 the less beef; whenever we 

 attempt to get both we are 

 sure to get neither." 



Page 180. "If it had not 

 been for Mr. Bakewell per- 

 haps we might still have 

 been groping in the dark; 

 at least that great breeder 

 was the first I know who 

 pointed out the valu- 

 able parts and made those 

 true distinctions, u n o b- 

 served, I believe, before 

 his day." 



without risk, I believe, be 

 deemed the first breed of 

 cattle in this island." Of 

 the Fair at Herefordshire, 

 20th of October, he says: 

 "The most valuable collec- 

 tion of cattle I have met 

 with out of Smithfield, and 

 by much the finest show I 

 have ever seen." 



In Herefordshire working 

 oxen are the particular ob- 

 ject of breeding. "Besides 

 their superiority as beasts 

 of draught and their being 

 eligible as dairy stock, they 

 fat kindly, at an early age, 

 the strongest proof of their 

 excellency as fatting cat- 

 tle. I have seen three- 

 year-old heifers of this 

 breed, to use a familiar 

 phrase, as fat as mud; 

 much fatter than any heif- 

 ers of that age I have seen 

 of any other breed, spayed 

 heifers of Norfolk excepted. 

 * * * * "Viewing the 

 Herefordshire breed of cat- 

 tle in this light, which I 

 believe to be the true one, 

 how unfortunate for the 

 rural affairs of these king- 

 doms has been the choice 

 of the spirited breeders for 

 midland counties." 



Again, speaking highly in 

 commendation of the im- 

 provement in the breeds of 

 long-horned cattle and 

 mentioning some of the 

 differences between them 

 and the Herefordshire, he 

 says he "hopes soon to have 

 an opportunity of digest- 

 ing his ideas respecting 

 that breed, and, lest infat- 

 uated by the fairness of 

 their form, I may, in their 

 praise, be led beyond the 

 truth, I have here com- 

 pared their general nature 

 with that of a breed (Here- 

 ford) which I consider as 

 the first the island affords. 

 By having a standard to 

 refer to, I may be the 

 better enabled to regulate 

 my judgment." 



"Charlton, Feb. 23, 1790. 

 "Sir: When I had wrote the enclosed (under 

 date of Jan. 3d), I found you was not then re- 

 turned to this kingdom, therefore laid it aside 



till after the receipt of your printed circular 

 letter, which you favored me with. As answers 

 to queries in that, from this situation, would 

 be of no use, 1 will not trouble you on what 

 you will be much better informed from other 

 hands. I am, sir, 



"Your most humble servant, 



"J. H. CAMPBELL." 



Of interest in connection with the Campbell 

 ox, which was slaughtered in April, 1789, we 

 give the dimensions of a Hereford cow, owned 

 by the Duke of Bedford, some eight years later. 



DIMENSIONS OF HEREFORDSHIRE COW 



In the possession of ihe Duke of Bedford. 

 October, 1797. 



in. 

 5 

 3 

 1 



7% 



6% 

 7% 

 9% 



2 



7 



6V 2 



2% 



7V* 



6 



0% 



9V 2 



OV 2 



7% 



1 



4 



9 



1 



Length of the. 



Round of 



Breadth of the. 



Hind quarter from the 

 rump to the extrem- 

 ity of the hip bone... 2 



From poll to tail 6 



Face 1 



Horn 1 



Chop 1 



Cheek and forehead 3 



Neck 3 



Chest 6 



Knee 1 



Bone of the foreleg 



Coronet of the fore foot 1 



Hock 1 



Hind leg bone 



Coronet of the hind foot 1 

 Horn 



Face across the eye 



bones 



Hip 2 



LOTTERY (410) 185, CALVED 1824, BRED BY J. HEWER. 



