WEIGHT OF HEREFORD CATTLE loi 



lo ft. 4 in., and he was sold for loo guineas, his 

 dead weight being 247 stones of 8 lbs. ! Enormous 

 as the dimensions of this o.x were, they were far 

 exceeded by his neighbour, Mr. Grace, of Putlowes, 

 about five miles from Creslow, and about three 

 miles from Aylesbury, which was 7 ft. high, 12 ft. 

 4 in. in girth, and weighed 280 st. when dead ! Mr. 

 Potter, a well-known salesman of the time, sold at 

 the Metropolitan Christmas market in 18 12 for Mr. 

 Westcar fifty Herefords at an average of 50 guineas 

 each, thus realising 2,500 guineas. Mr. Rowland 

 showed me, when on a visit to him, a book of Mr. 

 Westcar's, recounting that from 1799 to 181 1 he 

 sold at various times twenty oxen for 2,123/., or an 

 average of 106/. 6s. each! And a few years since, 

 about the year 1878, when I was visiting Mr. 

 Ledbroke, of Putlowes, successor to Mr. Grace, a 

 fortnight before Christmas, I saw fifty Herefords, 

 then tied up, for which he had obtained 2,500/., 

 or 50/ each ! The class of animals I am now 

 describing is no more. They were five years 

 old, worked beast, and even older, they had 

 been harnessed to the yoke, and had therefore 

 attained a great size. Working in the plough is now 

 comparatively rare ; early maturity is the present 

 aim of all the best farmers in England, and Here- 

 ford oxen are now well fit for the butcher at from 

 two to three years old. 



In relation to this subject a slight account of 

 Creslow may not be deemed uninteresting. This is 

 a parish in itself, but is designated 'extra parochial,' 



