HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



377 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



HEREFORDS AS DAIRY CATTLE 



Those who have had experience with Here- 

 ford cattle know that some families are fine 

 milkers, and that the milk of all the Hereford 

 cows is rich in butter. Our experience with 

 grade Herefords as milkers has been highly 

 satisfactory; these grades proving to be good 

 milkers and the quality of the milk rich. One 

 h( I'd of thoroughbred Herefords that we bought 

 of D. K. Shaw, of New York, were all of them 

 good dairy cows. 



We have also given elsewhere much testimony 

 on dairy Herefords, especially in the preceding 

 chapter. Mr. Sotham, in his controversy with 

 the Shorthorn scribes, mentioned that a Here- 

 ford cow was champion dairy cow at the first 

 show of the Royal Agricultural Society at Ox- 

 ford, 1839; in a letter to the Albany "Culti- 

 vator" for January, 184-t, headed "Herefords 

 their Dairy Properties, etc.," Mr. Sotham says : 



Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker: According to 

 promise I send you the result of my dairy; 

 but it will not be any criterion to judge from, 

 although the actual weight is taken from the 

 book of Mrs. Sheldrick, who has kept a correct 

 account of every pound made. 



I had no dairy to keep my milk in the month 

 of February, when six of my cows were milk- 

 ing, and not one pound was made from them 

 during that month. Three of them calved in 

 January. 



There were nine three-year-olds, two four- 

 year-olds and one seven, milked during the 

 month of March. I sold Cherry, a three-year- 

 old heifer, on the 3d of April. From that time 

 until the first of October I milked eleven, at 

 which time I sold my milk to the milkman. The 

 following is a true statement: 



From March 1st to Oct. 1st, butter 1,456^ Ibs. 



35 cream cheeses, 3 Ibs. each, equal 105 Ibs. butter 



113 quarts cream, sold, equal to 113 Ibs. butter 



I,674y 2 



My opinion is that the same cows next year 

 will make nearly double the quantity ; for my 

 first cow, Lucy, 4 years old, calved Nov. 28, 



and made 8 Ibs. 2 oz. last week; the only cow 

 I have now in milk. I quote from the "Mark 

 Lane Express" the following remarks from a 

 speech made by the celebrated breeder, W. 

 Fisher Hobbs, Esq., at the annual meeting of 

 the East Sussex Agricultural Society, Oct. 11, 

 1843: 



"He could not, however, conclude without 

 making a few observations as a successful candi- 

 date. It had frequently been his good fortune 

 to appear before them in that character, but he 

 never felt so much pleasure from the circum- 

 stances as on the present occasion ; for it must 

 be admitted on all hands that except in a few 

 instances the competition was very good indeed, 

 and in some cases very severe struggles. 



"He was the more happy as a great victory 

 had been gained for a breed of cattle for which 

 he was a strong advocate. He did not think, 

 as judges were generally prejudiced in favor of 

 Shorthorns, that Herefords could have been so 

 successful as they had that day been. 



"When he first became a farmer he was de- 

 termined to have a good breed of cattle. He 

 first tried Shorthorns, because he thought they 

 were the best; and at a sale in Suffolk he 

 purchased several, better than which could not 

 be obtained. He also purchased some Here- 

 fords, and kept them together for twelve 

 months and the result was most decidedly in 

 favor of the Herefords. He was, therefore, 

 compelled, contrary to his own wishes, to- give 

 up the Shorthorns and take to Herefords; and 

 he had from that time continued to do so, 

 being satisfied that with his soil and climate 

 they paid the best. (Hear, hear.) He trusted 

 the farmers whom he was addressing would do 

 as he had done, and judge for themselves what 

 description of stock was best suited to their 

 farms; and when they were satisfied that they 

 had a breed which would prove most profitable 

 to them, he would advise them to keep to them ; 

 and if they came here to exhibit them and were 

 occasionally unsuccessful, he would advise them 

 to go home with a determination of meeting 



