CATTLE. 147 



deed, from almost eveiy other breed of English cat- 

 tle ; and it must be admitted that no cattle could 

 better deserve such distinction than the Short Horns. 

 Within a few years a great improvement has been 

 introduced among the Herefords ; and, judging from 

 the records of the Smithfield cattle-shows, and the 

 reports of the various English Agricultural Societies, 

 that breed, in some respects at least, is fast gaining 

 in the public estimation ; and, so far as the making 

 of beef is concerned, it appears to be considered at 

 least equal to the Short Horns. Mr. Youatt says,* 

 " They fatten to a greater weight than the Devons, 

 and run from fifty to seventy score. A cow belong- 

 ing to the Duke of Bedford weighed more than sev- 

 enty score, and an ox belonging to IMr. Webster ex- 

 ceeded one hundred and ten score. They are not 

 much used now for husbandry, although their form 

 adapts them for the heavier work, and they have all 

 the honesty and docility of the Devon ox, with great- 

 er strength, if not his activity. The Herefordshire 

 ox fattens speedily at a very early age ; and it is 

 therefore more advantageous to the farmer, and per- 

 haps to the country, that he should go to market al 

 three years old, than be kept longer to be employed 

 as a beast for draught." 



" They are far worse milkers than the Devons. 

 This is so generally acknowledged, that, while there 

 are many dairies of Devon cows in various parts of 

 the country (none of which, however, are very prof- 

 itable to their owners), a dairy of Hereford cows is 

 rarely to be found. To compensate for this, they 

 arc even more kindly feeders than the Devons, and 

 will live and grow fat where a Devon would hardly 

 live. Their beef may be objected to by some as 

 being occasionally a little too large in the bone, and 

 the fore quarters rather coarse and heavy ; but the 

 meat of the best pieces is often very fine-grained 



* British Cattle, p. 31. 



