THE MORE IMPORTANT BEEF BREEDS 



267 



tail. Red hair often occurs about the eyes, especially with 

 some families. This is one of the large beef breeds, com- 

 p;i ruble in size with the Shorthorn. Mature bulls often 

 weigh 2,200 pounds, and females 1,500 pounds or more. 

 Some very large bulls of this breed have been recorded. 

 Typical Herefords are distinctly beefy in character and 

 short of head, with waxy yellow horns, which come from 

 the head at right angles, and curve forward and down- 

 ward. Horns also frequently curve upward at the tips, 

 especially with the females. The shoulder blade, as a rule, is 

 well laid in, thus forming a beautiful, smooth, nicely 

 fleshed shoulder, a distinctive characteristic of this breed. 

 The hindquarters naturally tend to be somewhat peaked 

 at the rump, and thin of thigh. During the past fifteen 

 or twenty years, however, these deficiencies have been 

 greatly improved, so that Herefords with wide rumps and 

 thick thighs are becoming common. This breed fattens 

 easily and rapidly, and tends to be more or less patchy, 

 especially along the ribs and about the rump. Dimples 

 not infrequently occur in the back. The coat of hair is usu- 

 ally very thick, with a distinct curly character in winter. 



Fig. 147. Hereford bull, "Diplomat" (Imp.). 



