HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



at the altitude of 100 to 300 feet above sea-level 

 is in summer (50 ; in winter 39 ; the mean dur- 

 ing the year, 49." 



REPORT OF CONSUL LATHROP, OF BRISTOL, ENG- 

 LAND. 



"I have the honor to enclose a report on 

 Hereford cattle in answer to Department cir- 

 cular of the 18th of July, 1883. This con- 

 sulate has in its immediate vicinity three breeds 

 of cattle, viz., Devons, a fine tribe of Short- 

 horns, and Herefords. 



"I have selected the latter breed as the sub- 



CHERRY 24TH, 2410. 

 Bred by J. B. & G. H. Green. Herefordshire. 



ject of my report, to the exclusion of the other 

 two, for the following reasons : ( 1 ) On account 

 of the wide celebrity already enjoyed by these 

 two breeds, making a report unnecessary; and 

 (2) on account of the fact that the Hereford 

 seems to be, of all breeds in the United King- 

 dom, the one most suited to the needs of the 

 stock of the United States. While much of 

 what I have written is undoubtedly familiar to 

 our breeders, yet I trust that this report may 

 contribute somewhat towards diffusing widely a 

 knowledge of the great merits of this sterling 

 breed. 



"Hereford cattle in tlte herd are a peculiarly 

 impressive sight. Their grand development, 

 their firm agility and light activit}', their intel- 

 ligent faces and placid expression, and possibly 

 more than anything else, their wonderful 

 similarity to each other, all combine to make a 

 spectacle pleasing to even the most indifferent 

 observer. He cannot fail to note how closely 

 they conform to a common type, and that type 

 a striking one. Its main feature is suggested 

 when I say that they are oftener spoken of as 

 'white-faces,' or 'red-with-white-faces/ than as 

 Herefords. But Hereford cattle have not 

 always thus assimilated so closely to a common 



type. Up to well within the present century 

 there were four distinct varieties of the breed, 

 differing widely from one another in appear- 

 ance, but they have succumbed so completely to 

 the 'red-with-white-face' that a Hereford not 

 thus marked is as rare as a white crow. 



"The origin of the breed is doubtful. The 

 best authorities consider it aboriginal; others 

 claim its importation from Norjnandy or Flan- 

 ders; others, again, think the climate and con- 

 ditions of Hereford County have made what 

 they have, out of an animal that originally in- 

 habited the shire of Devon. Be its origin what 

 it may, its environment in Hereford County 

 and surrounding counties has resulted in one of 

 the finest beef producing breeds of cattle in the 

 world, nor is the breed to be despised for the 

 dairy under conditions more favorable than are 

 to be obtained in its home county. 



"The authentic history of the breed begins 

 about the year 1800. In the year before this, 

 occurred the first cattle show of the celebrated 

 Smith field Club, and a Hereford ox was the 

 winner of the first prize; a more general ac- 

 knowledgment of merit, then, than now, be- 

 cause at that time, and indeed up to the year 

 1851, all breeds were shown in competition with 

 each other. This ox was 6 feet 7 inches high, 

 10 feet 4 inches girth, and dressed 1,976 

 pounds meat ; his success was maintained by the 

 breed so well that up to 1851 the Herefords are 

 credited in Smithfield Club records with one 

 hundred and eighty-five prizes for their oxen 

 and steers against one hundred and ninety for 

 all other breeds together, including Shorthorns, 

 Devons, and Scotch. The records for prizes 

 won by Hereford cows and heifers is, however, 

 by no means so good, being twenty-two for them 

 against one hundred and eleven for all other 

 breeds. Mr. Duckham in his interesting and 

 valuable little work on the breed, comments 

 thus upon this disparity between the success of 

 the males and females. He says : 



" 'This is certainly great falling off compared 

 with the oxen and steers and goes far to prove 

 the correctness of my remark respecting the 

 study of nature's laws in the cultivation of the 

 soil, and of the adaptation of stock to it. The 

 soil of the county of Hereford being neither 

 applicable for dairy or feeding purposes, those 

 who have cultivated it for ages, made it their 

 duty to breed steers and oxen which should by 

 their superior quality and aptitude to fatten, 

 command the attention of the distant grazier/ 



"Herefordshire has 550,000 acres. About 

 100,000 acres are utilized neither for pasture 

 nor agriculture ; the balance is divided equally, 

 almost, between these two pursuits. The sub- 



