THE HEREFORD 



259 



of chest clearly account for the vigor and constitution so univer- 

 sally acknowledged for this breed. The rump often lacks in 

 levelness and fullness, while the thighs are frequently thin and 

 pared off, being deficient in thickness and depth. These defi- 

 ciencies, however, have been materially bred out in many herds, 

 so that the criticisms do not have the weight they formerly did, 

 although even to-day the fore part of the Hereford usually 

 delights the critics, while the hind part often meets with un- 

 favorable comment. The successful Hereford winners in the 

 important shows of to-day exhibit fullness behind as well as in 

 front and bear evidence 

 of the improvement se- 

 cured by modern con- 

 structive breeding. 



The skin and hair of 

 the Hereford are distin- 

 guishing features of the 

 breed. The skin should 

 be thick, mellow, and 

 elastic, and the hair fine. 

 Commenting on this sub- 

 ject, one of the greatest 

 British breeders l says : 

 "One thing each Here- 

 ford breeder should par- 

 ticularly study in choosing the sire and dam, and therefore the 

 offspring, is to try to keep that thick mellow hide and the soft 

 curly coat that are principal characteristics of the well-bred Here- 

 ford. It is a sort of special feature of the breed, showing its 

 aptitude to fatten." The coat of hair in cold weather is usually 

 thicker and more curly than with any other breed, excepting Gal- 

 loway and West Highland, furnishing abundant protection from 

 cold and storm. 



As milk producers the cows average below medium and are 

 specially open to criticism. No class of breeders carry so many 

 nurse cows on the show circuit as do the Hereford men. 



FIG. 106. Dale 66481, by Columbus 51875, one 

 of the greatest Hereford bulls in the history 

 of the breed, both as sire and show bull. Bred 

 by Clem Graves, Bunker Hill, Indiana. From 

 photograph by the author 



1 William Tudge, Breeders' Gazette, July 3, 1912. 



