HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



359 



ments and of the chief races of cattle. The refer- 

 ences to the Herefords are as follows: 



HISTORY OF THE HEREFORDS. 



"There can be no two opinions on the question 

 of what Hereford cattle are; they are undoubt- 

 edly a distinct and pure breed of great 

 antiquity. Their early history is like that of 

 many others, rather shrouded in mystery, but it 

 is gei) orally allowed that there has been a breed 

 of cattle, red and mostly with white face and 

 markings, for at least two hundred years in the 

 County of Hereford, and the neighboring 

 counties. When crossed with other breeds the 

 potency of the Hereford blood (pure for 

 centuries) is distinctly proved, as it is an ex- 

 ception for any calves to come any other color 

 than the red with white faces. This has come 

 from Hereford bulls on Black Welsh cattle, 

 Ayrshire and Shorthorns ; again, if a Shorthorn 

 bull is put to a Hereford cow, the produce fol- 

 lows the dam in color, and cases have been seen, 

 where the produce of the Hereford bull with the 

 black cattle come black, but still they have had 

 the correct Hereford marking as regards the 

 white face and legs. 



VALUABLE QUALITIES OF THE HEREFORDS. 



"Their milking properties have been so long 

 neglected in the interest of beef, that they 

 are usually not deep milkers, but give very 

 rich milk. In all cases a cow should be 

 milked regularly and stripped quite clean. 

 No doubt this has much to do in forming good 

 milking tribes of cattle, by encouraging the 

 milk-giving organs as far as possible. Where 

 calves are allowed to suck in the open field this 

 cannot be attained, and is one great cause of 

 the Herefords not giving so much milk as they 

 would under other circumstances. As beef 

 makers they are quite at the top of the market, 

 as market quotations record best Scot and Here- 

 fords as being usually quoted together. The 

 calves are usually allowed to run with their 

 dams during the summer, and this gives them 

 a good start, but it is too often lost sight of that 

 they should be kept growing on, when weaned, 

 instead of stunted during the winter and follow- 

 ing months. 



"The Hereford fairs have long been noted 

 for bringing together the best collection of bul- 

 locks in England, and are attended by dealers 

 and graziers from far and wide, as they are 

 highly valued in our great grazing districts. 

 Breeders of Herefords claim for their favorites 

 that they are among the most hardy of all 

 breeds of cattle, can be fed on less feed, and 

 thrive on coarse, rough food, and thus are 



particularly adapted for countries where it is 

 impossible to take special care of the cattle 

 thrdugh bad seasons and winter months. 



"Herefords, except in a few instances, have 

 been bred entirely for beef. One great object 

 for breeders is to have their animals as wide on 

 their chine as possible, so^as to carry good, full 

 crops when fat, and no cow will milk deeply un- 

 less it is made like a wedge the lighter the 

 neck and forepart, the better. If attention were 

 paid to the Hereford as it has been to the Short- 

 horn, they could be trained to milk well and 

 deeply, and the richness of the milk is not gain- 

 said; but whether they would excel the Short- 

 horns or become equal to the best of them it is 



KIRKLAND B. ARMOUR, 



Kansas City, Mo. President American Hereford Cattle 

 Breeders' Association, 1897-1898. 



difficult to say, nor do I think it worth while 

 for breeders to try. At all events so thinks an- 

 other Hereford man. They stand first and fore- 

 most as a beef-producing race, and perhaps it 

 is as well they should for the present take their 

 stand on that ; but if any breeders fancy taking 

 up the milk line, they will probably in a great 

 measure succeed. 



HEREFORDS FOR CROSSING. 



"A celebrated breeder of Herefords in Eng- 

 land recently addressed the following queries to 

 a gentleman who had tried the cross of a Here- 

 ford bull on Shorthorn dairy cows for several 

 years : 



