HISTORY OF HEEEFORD CATTLE 



17 



which will indicate the owner's estimate of 

 their worth : "12 cows and calves at £40 

 ($200) each, £480 ($2,400) ; 12 ox^^n at £43 

 ($215) each, £516 ($2,580); 10 two-year-olds 

 at £20 ($100) each, £200 ($1,000); 10 year- 

 lings at £15 ($75) each, £150 ($750)." An 

 average for old and voung, steers and breeding 

 stock of over £30 ($150) each. 



Only a comparatively small number of the 

 bulls bred by Benjamin Tomkins were entered 

 iij the Herd Book, and in few cases are par- 

 ticulars given of their breeding. Wellington 

 (4) 160 (P) is registered simply as coming 

 under the division of the mottle faces, and as 

 having been bred by Mr. B. Tomkins. He 

 passed into the possession of Mr. Price, and 

 was purchased at his sale in 1816 by Mr. Jelli- 

 coe of Beighterton for £283 10s, ($1,400), be- 

 ing afterwards sold to Mr. Germaine. He was 

 considered by Mr. Tomkins the best bull he 

 ever bred, his Silver Bull (41) 432, excepted, 

 and also the best stock getter. In Vol. 1 of the 

 English Herd Book, there is a colored litho- 

 graph (reproduced herein) of this bull from a 

 painting by Mr. Welles, representing a compact, 

 straight animal, of fine size, with fine hone, 

 mottle face, white dewlap, and white along the 

 lower parts of the body. Another of Tomkins' 

 bulls registered in A^ol. 1, is Ben (96) 6703, 

 of which the editor, Mr. Eyton, says that "Miss 

 Tomkins informed him that Ben was by Sam 



(144) 6704, out of one of Mr. Tomkins' cows 

 called Fancy." Sam (144) 6704, is without 

 recorded pedigree, all that is said concerning 

 him being that he was bred by B. Tomkins. 

 Wild Bull (145) 3040, bred by Tomkins, was, 

 on Miss Tomkins' authority, said to be by Sil- 

 ver Bull (41) 432, out of Tidy 340. Phoenix 

 (55) 3035, a mottle face,, out of Storrell 3039, 

 bred by Mr. Tomkins and got by Wild Bull 



(145) '3040, was purchased at Miss Tomkins' 

 sale in 1819 for 560 guineas (over $2,800) by 

 Lord Talbot. Mr. Eyton has this remark as to 

 his dam: "Storrell," Miss Tomkins informs 

 me, was out of a mottle faced cow of the same 

 name (Storrell 3041), by a Pigeon bull." The 

 bull called Son of Prices 25 (84) 440, bred by 

 Tomkins, was out of (Price's No. 25) 439, 

 "who was out of a sister to the dam of Price's 

 23, or 'The Slit Teat cow,' by the Silver Bull 

 (41) 43S." Proctor's bull. (316) 376, was 

 bred by B. Tomkins "out of his favorite cow, 

 'Old Pink.'" Voltaire (39A) 429, was a white 

 faced bull bred by Tomkins, dam Price's No. 

 3. AVizard (59) 6699, was a mottle face of 

 Tomkins' breeding by Ben (96) 6703, and 

 was sold- to Mr. Germaine for 300 guineas 

 ($1,500). Wedgeman (166) was bred by Tom- 



kins, but no pedigree is given in the Herd Book. 

 In the appendix to Vol. XI of the English 

 Herd Book. Mr. E. F. AVellcs gave some inter- 

 esting recollections of the stock of Mr. John 

 Price, from which a very complete idea can be 

 obtained of the character and appearance of 

 the Tomkins cattle. It is., indeed, one of the 

 most valuable statements that has been made 

 on the subject. Mr. Welles says : "When Mr. 

 John Price commenced cattle breeding, the 

 character of bull most in esteem in the chief 

 Midland districts 'was one having a throat with 

 as little loose flesh as possible depending from 



TYPICAL HEREFORD FAT OXEN OF THE ^OLD- 

 FASHIONED SORT. 



it. This character was also introduced by some 

 cattle breeders amongst Herefords. The cele- 

 brated Purslow bull, the property of the Hay- 

 woods of Clifton-on-Teme, had this character. 

 Mr. Walker of Burton had also adopted it, and 

 from him Mr. Price had a bull or two. Mr. B. 

 Tomkins and other Hereford breeders had not 

 been affected by this fashion, and Mr. Price, 

 when he became acquainted with Mr. Tomkins' 

 stock, relinquished it, preferring, and upon 

 sounder principles, that character which better 

 indicated the male animal, a considerable de- 

 gree of throatiness not being objected to. This 

 character belonged to Wellington (4) 160, the 

 first bull, and I think, the only one bought by 

 Mr. Price of Mr. B. Tomkins. This bull was very 

 dark in color, with face and bosom both mottled 

 and speckled. His dam, too, bought afterwards 

 by Mr. Price (hut did not breed with him), 

 was also of the same color.'' 



"The cows, bought by Mr. Price of Jlr. Tom- 

 kins were the following : First, a large cow 

 with a speckled face, giving a blue appearance 

 to it, with what may be termed an arched fore- 

 head or Roman nose, tips of horns blackish, 

 body of lightish brown, dappled, under part of 



