MODERN FARM LIVE STOCK 339 



emerge from obscurity until about the middle of the eighteenth 

 century^ when Messrs. Tomkins, Weyman, Yeomans, Hewer, 

 and Tully devoted their energies to establishing a county 

 breed. There were four varieties of Herefords, which have 

 now practically merged into the red with white face, mane, 

 and throat : the mottle face, with red marks intermixed with 

 the parts usually white ; the dark greys ; light greys ; and the 

 red with the white face. The rivalry between the breeders 

 of the white and the mottle faces almost caused the failure 

 of the Herd-Book commenced in 1845 by Mr. Eyton. The 

 mottle-faced party seems to have been then the most influ- 

 ential, but the dark and light grey varieties also had strong 

 adherents. In 1857 Mr. Duckham took over the management 

 of the Herd-Book, and to his exertions the breed owes a deep 

 debt of gratitude. One of the greatest supporters of the 

 Herefordshire breed was Mr. Westcar of Creslow, who, starting 

 in 1779, attended Hereford October Fair for forty years, and 

 when the Smithfield Show commenced in 1799 won innumer- 

 able first prizes there with Herefordshire cattle. Between 

 1799 and 1 81 1 twenty of his Herefordshire prize oxen averaged 

 £\o6 6s. each, and at the sale of Mr. Ben Tomkins's herd after 

 his death in 181 9 twenty-eight breeding animals averaged 

 ^^152, one cow fetching ^^^262 15J. Herefords are famous 

 for their feeding qualities at grass, and good stores are scarce, 

 the best being fattened on their native pastures. They are 

 not only almost the only breed in their own county, but few 

 English counties south of Shropshire are without them ; they 

 have done well in Ireland, and in Canada, the United States, 

 South America, and Australia have attained great success. 

 They are not so well qualified for crossing as Shorthorns, but 

 have blended well with that breed, and produced good crosses 

 with Ayrshires and Jerseys, but not with Devons. It has been 

 said that they are not a favourite sort with London butchers, 

 as they require time to ripen, which does not suit a hurrying 

 age. Hence they probably flourished best under the old 



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