HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



119 



ties both of the Devon and the Hereford. The 

 work on BRITISH CATTLE, BY MR. YOUATT, is 

 acknowledged the standard work of the day on 

 the subject on which it treats. Mr. Bement re- 

 lies on it as his authority in favor of the Here- 

 fords. On the same page from which he quotes, I 

 find the following (one would think) conclusive 

 statements : "The Herefords are far worse milk- 

 ers than the Devons. This is so generally ac- 

 knowledged that while there are many dairies 

 of Devon cows in various parts of the country, 

 none of which, however, are very profitable to 

 their owners, a dairy of Herefords is rarely 

 found.' Again, 'the Hereford cow is apparently 

 a very inferior animal. Not only is she no 

 milker but even her form has been sacrificed by 

 the breeder/ Our friend of the Three Hills 

 Farm, is, I presume, too good a lawyer to at- 

 tempt to invalidate his own witness. If such are 

 facts, how are we to suppose that the Shorthorn, 

 concededly the first breed in England or Amer- 

 ica as milkers, will suffer no deterioration in 

 this property by a cross with a breed so decid- 

 edly inferior? Whatever results individual ex- 

 periments have led to, such a position would be 

 at variance with every established maxim of 

 breeding. 



"I desire to be distinctly understood in my 

 remarks as taking no ground against either the 

 Devon or the Hereford, except in the single 

 point involved in this controversy. The stylish 

 and highbred Devon has always been a decided 

 favorite with me. Of the Herefords, I know 

 little personally, but am prepared from the 

 Kiiylish publications of the day as well as the 

 testimony of American breeders, to believe that 

 in positions suited to them they may be regard- 

 ed as a valuable acquisition to our American 

 breeds of cattle. On the large and little culti- 

 vated prairie farms of the western states, where 

 early maturity and milking qualities are of lit- 

 tle consequence and where they must be driven 

 great distances to market, the Herefords can 

 have few equals. The Hon. Henry Clay, of 

 Kentucky, was the first importer of this breed 

 into the United States, and the folio wing, ex- 

 tracts from a letter which I received from him, 

 bearing date Sept. 21, will, I doubt not, be read 

 with much interest: 



" 'I first imported, upwards of twenty years 

 ago, two pairs of the Hereford reds, and bred 

 from crosses between them until I was induced 

 to discontinue in consequence of an apprehen- 

 sion tbat I should breed in too far, which in 

 some instances I found to be the case. I could 

 not obtain conveniently crosses from other 

 females of the same race.' 



"Mr. Clay afterwards remarks : 'My opinion 



is that the Herefords make better work cattle, 

 are hardier, and will, upon being fattened, take 

 themselves to market better than their rivals. 

 They are also fair milkers. On the other hand, 

 the Durhams, I think, have the advantage in 

 earlier maturity, in beauty, and in the quality 

 of milk which they will yield. They will also 

 attain greater weight and size even. 



" 'The choice between the two races should 

 be regulated somewhat by circumstances. If 

 one has rich, long and luxuriant grasses, afford- 

 ing a good bite, and has not too far to drive to 

 market, he had better breed the Durhams; 

 otherwise, the Herefords.' 



HEREFORD COW, "MATCHLESS," ALIAS "SPOT." 



(V. 5, P. 113) 1074. 



(Bred by J. Turner, Noke Court, Herefordshire; imported 



by Wm. H. Sotham. First prize R. A. S. E. show 



at Oxford, 1839; dam of the first prize yearling 



bull at the same show.) 



"After some remarks in relation to the origin 

 of the two races, he continues : 'The Herefords 

 resemble the Devons the race of New England 

 cattle, and a fine race it is. But the Herefords 

 have the advantage over them of greater size, 

 greater length, more power consequently for 

 draft, and are, I think, quite as quick in the 

 step and as good at the pail.' 



" 'I have thus,' he says, 'expressed my opinion ; 

 but I must add that here in Kentucky, the 

 Durhams are generally preferred to all other 

 races. Our grasses are rich and abundant, and 

 our blue grass especially (a name improperly 

 given, for it is a green sward) is an object of 

 great admiration. The Durhams are much more 

 generally distributed than the Herefords, there 

 being none of the latter, within my knowledge, 

 but what have sprung from my importation.' 



"Mr. Clay's opinion cannot be regarded other- 

 wise than as strong testimony in favor of the 

 Herefords, though I presume his general state- 

 ments are to be understood to apply as much 

 to his mixed as to his pure-bred animals. That 

 mixture was with the Shorthorn, and it is not 

 impossible that this drop of alien blood has had 



