REARING AND FEEDING OF ANIMALS. 345 



and around the eyes, and fine tapering white or light-coloured horns, mark 

 distinctly the purity of the blood. The points of blood and quality, and quan- 

 tity of beef, apply equally to the bull, the cow, and the heifer, as to the ox. 

 Combining all these properties of points and form, we shall find that the short- 

 horn breed illustrates, in a very satisfactory manner, the application of the 

 general rule which has been explained. On account of its valuable proper- 

 ties, this breed demands further illustration. 



The external appearance of the short-horn breed is irresistibly attractive. 

 The exquisitely symmetrical form of the body in every position, bedecked 

 with a skin of the richest hues of red and the richest white, approaching to 

 cream, on both colours, so arranged or commixed as to form a beautiful fleck 

 on delicate roan, and possessed of the mellowest touch supported on small 

 clean limbs, showing, like those of the race-horse and the grey-hound, the 

 union of strength with fineness; and ornamented with a small lengthy taper- 

 ing head, neatly set on a broad firm deep neck, and furnished with a small 

 muzzle, wide nostrils, prominent "mildly beaming" eyes, thin large veiny 

 ears, set near the crown of the head, and protected in front with semi-circular- 

 ly bent white or brownish coloured short, (hence the name,) smooth, pointed 

 horns; all these several parts combine to forma symmetrical harmony, which 

 has never been surpassed in beauty and sweetness by any other species of the 

 domesticated ox. 



Enthusiastic as this language may be considered when applied to the exter- 

 nal beauty of cattle, it is not more so than the beauty of cattle is entitled u ; 

 for when it is considered that symmetry of form generally accompanies mel- 

 lowness of touch in the skin, and that both constitute the true index to a dispo- 

 sition to fatten, the most M .<//.// i>rop<-rtu of all, beauty of external appearance 

 is too valuable a criterion to be overlooked. Fortunately, indeed, beauty can- 

 not be overlooked in cattle: for even were it useless, it is ?o irresistibly en- 

 gaging, that the judgment of a stoic would be biassed in iis favour. To my 

 taste, nothing can be so attractive a spectacle of the kind as a show of fine 

 bred short-horns in high condition." 



The Herefords are of the larger class of oxen of a red 

 colour, white faces, and more or less of white on other parts 

 fine hair thin hides horns neither long nor short, and in- 

 clining upwards at the points. Mr. MARSHALL says, that in 

 general they are well made in the hind quarteis wide across 

 the hips, rumps and sirloin, but narrow in the chine tolerably 

 straight along the back ribs too flat thin in the thigh, and 

 bone not too large. An ox, six years old, if fat, will weigh 

 from eight to fourteen hundred pounds. This and the Glou- 

 cester variety, are highly eligible as dairy stock, and the fe- 

 males of the Herefords have been found to fatten better at 

 three years old, than any other kind of cattle, except spayed 

 heifers. 



Whatever may be the early history of the Hereford breed, 

 it has long since acquired characters peculiar to itself, and 

 ranks as a distinct breed. But it owes its celebrity to recent 

 changes. Its great improver, or rather, it may be said the 

 founder of the modern breed, was the late Mr. TOMKINS, near 

 Hereford. From a very humble stock of cows, by changes or 

 crosses, which he never chose to reveal, he succeeded in form- 

 ing the beautiful breed from which the modern Hereford takes 

 all its characters. Although of a less agile form than the 





