HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



405 



actually fat and all fit to put in a herd at once. 

 Some 1,200 head of bulls have lately passed 

 Rockhampton, and this lot of 200 Herefords 

 is the only one sold out. No one seeing these 

 three mobs of bulls could help being struck by 

 the difference in their condition on a long jour- 

 ney, and it would appear also that these letters 

 on Shorthorns and Herefords are doing their 

 work, for while not a Shorthorn was sold, the 

 whole of the Herefords were cleared out. 



"The last two mobs of bulls came from with- 

 in eight miles of one another. 1 would also ask 

 Mr. Peberdy if it is true that Mr. John Living 

 is going in for Herefords ? No man in this dis- 

 trict has spent more money on or brought up 

 better Shorthorns than Mr. Living, but this 

 last two years' drouth seems to have shown him 

 that Mr. Wright's Nalabia Herefords alongside 

 of his (Living's) Shorthorns have proved the 

 hardier and better cattle. 



"Wishing now the gentlemanly (and the 

 printer's devil need not put a ? after it, for it 

 is not required) Mr. Peberdy a pleasant three 

 month's western trip. Yours, etc., 



"BEARDMORE OF TOOLOOMBA. 

 "June 2, 1885." 



THE DUUUXDUR HERD. 



Some very interesting history of the Here- 

 fords in Australia is supplied in the following 

 letter : 



"Editor 'Breeders' Journal' : 



"Sir: I enclose a postofh'ee order for 5s. in 

 payment of postage of the three volumes of the 

 'Journal' that you sent me. They arrived a few 

 weeks ago. I called upon Gordon & Goch, and 

 inquired about the pictures of Success. They 

 informed me that the pictures had arrived, and 

 they would distribute them among people who 

 would appreciate them. I received one some 

 time ago with the 'Journal.' I have had it 

 framed. Some little time ago a Hereford Herd 

 Book society for the publication of Australian 

 pedigrees was started in Sydney. I requested 

 the Secretary to send you a copy of the rules, 

 etc. Unfortunately Hereford breeders are few 

 and live far apart in Australia, so we cannot 

 meet as often as we should, and form plans for 

 pushing the breed to the front. At present the 

 continued drouth prevents the sale of cattle on 

 any post. When this drouth ceases there is no 

 doubt there will be a demand for bulls to re- 

 place those that have died, and it is probable 

 that Hereford bulls will be used by many who 

 formerly had Shorthorns. The former cattle 

 are proving themselves best adapted for this 

 part of the world, where the seasons are so try- 



ing. We also find they mature early. It is 

 rarely that we keep a Hereford bullock to four 

 years old, we sell a great number at three years 

 old. In fact, it is only a question qf size; the 

 condition is always there. In years past we 

 owned a very well-bred herd of Shorthorns, the 

 direct descendants of imported stock. They 

 were excellent cattle, of good quality, first-rate 

 color, with big bodies, on short le^s; but in a 

 few years the constitution gave way, they be- 

 came delicate and narrow, in spite of money 

 being spent and care taken to change the bulls 

 frequently, and taking care to get good ones. 

 In 1872 it was decided that Hereford bulls 

 should be introduced and the breed adhered to. 

 The result has been quite satisfactory. We 

 breed and wean a greater percentage, the cattle 

 are quieter, and we can keep more stock on 

 our freehold. It has been interesting to notice 

 the gradual change of the herd as each succes- 

 sive draft of pure sires has been introduced. 

 About the second cross a good number of the 

 females were unshapely, bad colored, and of 

 nondescript appearance. The pure bulls again 

 corrected all that, and now we have reached a 

 stage in which 80 per cent, of the calves are 

 properly marked with characteristic colors and 

 appearance of pure Hereford cattle. They are 

 hardy, vigorous and fat from the start, and in 

 our opinion there is no breed like them for 

 making prime bullocks at 3^ years old, weigh- 

 ing 750 pounds dressed, and this is to be done 

 entirely on grass. 

 All our bullocks are 

 fattened on grass. 

 We buy and fatten 

 a great many store 

 bullocks, and we 

 notice that the few 

 Herefords we get 

 in this way fatten 

 about two months 

 sooner than the 

 Shorthorns. We 

 fatten store bul- 

 locks on an average 

 of about nine 

 months. The tim- 

 ber haulers in our 

 neighborhood pre- 

 fer Hereford to 



Shorthorn bullocks for their work, and give 

 us five dollars per head more for them than for 

 other breeds. At our shows at Brisbane we 

 were fairly successful with our Hereford cattle. 

 Unfortunately there is not much competition in 

 the Hereford classes. There is, however, a prize 

 given for the best bull in the show, of any breed. 



T. s. MINTON, 



Shropshire, Eng. 



