CHAP. I. SHORTHORN AND HEREFORD BREEDS. 27 



The first volume of Coatess Shorthorn Herd-hook appeared in 1822, 

 though the fame of Teeswater cattle as a grand breed was known to 

 travellers as far back as the year 1700, about a hundred years before 

 Robert and Charles Colling, the miscalled founders of the breed, com- 

 menced their sales of high-priced stock. This is the most widespread 

 of all the breeds, the best adapted for purely artificial systems of 

 farming, the least fastidious in regard to climate, soil, or lodging. 



The Shorthorn breed has, indeed, well earned the epithet ubiquitous 

 often applied to it, for in whatever part of the world British breeds 

 of cattle ha% 7 e been established, Shorthorns are likely to have been the 

 pioneers. Over most of North America the retention of the term 

 Durhams still points to the original home of the Shorthorns, though 

 Scotch equally with English breeders may claim to have taken an 

 essential part in the development of this favourite breed, and Scottish- 

 bred Shorthorns have demonstrated their quality by carrying north of the 

 Tweed the champion colours from English show-yards. 



The Shorthorn Societj^ of Great Britain and Ireland was established 

 at a meeting of Shorthorn breeders held in London on July 1, 1874, 

 at which it was decided to form a society (1) for the purchase from 

 Mr. Strafford of Coates's Herd-book, and for the future preparation and 

 publication of a Shorthorn Herd-book ; and (2) for promoting the 

 general interests of Shorthorn breeders. The main object of the 

 Society is defined to be "to maintain unimpaired the purity of the 

 breed of cattle known as Shorthorns, and to promote impartially the 

 breeding of all the various tribes, families, and strains of such cattle." 

 No bull is eligible for insertion in the Herd-book unless it has jive 

 crosses, and no cow unless it has/owr crosses of Shorthorn blood, which 

 are, or are eligible to be, inserted in the Herd-book. 1 



THE HEREFORD BREED is larger and weightier than the Devon, to 

 be subsequently described, being generally wider and fuller over the 

 shoulders or chine, and the after part of the rump (see figs. 3 and 4). 



In his Report in the "Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society" 

 on the cattle exhibited at the Windsor Show, 1839, Mr. William Housman 

 says : 



" Long before the close of the last century, the prevailing colour of 

 the Hereford was red with white face and usually white points such 

 as the feet and lower parts of legs, the under part of the body, and a 

 line of white along the top of the neck. Old writers describe the red 

 as commonly faint or yellowish, and this paler colour is still often 

 seen ; but the Americans have set the example of breeding for dark 

 red, and this has been followed to a certain extent by English breeders. 

 Grey, however, was no uncommon colour from sixty to a hundred years 

 ago, and two grey parents occasionally produced white offspring a 

 result to this day, when grey Herefords, now scarce, are united. 



"When the Royal Agricultural Society of England began its work 

 fifty years ago, red and grey were both orthodox colours, although the 



1 The Lincoln Red is not a new or really distinct breed but is virtually of Shorihorn extrac- 

 tion. It has, however, its own Herd-book with separate classes at the shows. Its uniform red 

 colour has been obtained by selection, and Mr. John Evens has a large herd of them, celebrated 

 for dairy properties. 



