HISTO&Y OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



superb animals that gave me a very different 

 opinion than I have heretofore entertained of 

 these breeds. All other Herefords that I had 

 previously examined, in comparison with these, 

 though noble in appearance, had large heads, 

 thick necks, narrow hips and thin loins, com- 

 pared with the best Shorthorns, but these nearly 

 approach them now in all such particulars, espe- 

 cially in the great width of the hip bones, 

 showing a capacity, when well fed, to place their 

 meat in those parts where it is most valuable, 

 and I cannot but coincide in the remark of one 

 of our most distinguished breeders of Durhams, 

 'that on the right soil they would give the 

 Shorthorns enough to do to maintain their 



native dairy cows, they could be called even fair 

 milkers. It is apparent, therefore, that in the 

 general purposes of improving our native stock 

 the Herefords cannot be rivals to the Durhams 

 at least till they are further advanced to good 

 milkers, which will then make them but in fact 

 another race of improved Shorthorns. Yet, if 

 the Herefords yield to the Durhams at the 

 dairy, in the yoke they must be far superior to 

 any other of the ox kind, for they have nearly 

 the quick step, the fine bone, the sinew and 

 muscle of the Devon, with a much greater 

 weight and size. I could not but admire the 

 great length and rotundity of the barrel, the 

 smooth, powerful structure of their frames, and 



HEREFORD OX, 2 YEARS OLD: CHAMPION AT SMITHFIELD, 1882. 

 (Bred by Mr. F. Platt.) 



present high position.' But how are they en- 

 abled to accomplish this? Why, only by ap- 

 proaching Shorthorn perfection in these par- 

 ticulars. Yet, at present they are only the 

 graziers' and butchers' stock; for, though Mr. 

 Sotham talks of their good milking qualities, 

 I must confess that though I eyed them sharp- 

 ly, and handled them closely, I was not favored 

 with any such discoveries in their veins, nor 

 did the appearance of their udders make up at 

 all for this deficiency, and I should require 

 some proof of the facts before I could be con- 

 vinced that even in comparison with our good 



clean, elastic limbs. In fact, as workers, they 

 seem to me to be that happy medium on the 

 race of oxen that I am so desirous of seeing 

 cultivated more generally in horses ; neither the 

 light mettlesome racer on the one hand, nor 

 the slow, fleshy cart-horse on the other, but the 

 superior and more happily mixed general utili- 

 tarian. To those who are breeding working 

 oxen, or stock expressly for the butcher, I would 

 strongly recommend these Herefords. I should 

 think them particularly well adapted to the 

 rich interior of the Western states, where cattle 

 must be driven a great distance to market. In 



