12 



INTRODUCTION 



as yet so successful in America as in England. 

 This is one great work wherein England excels 

 America, a condition which can hardly" be ex- 

 pected to last. It is only in recent years that 

 actual photographs of cattle from life has been 

 the successful method of illustration in Eng- 

 land. Therefore, the illustrations in this work 

 of both English and American subjects, prior 

 to 1895, are reproductions of lithographs, 

 paintings, engravings, etc., all produced by 

 hand. I thought at first that it would be best 

 to have old drawings modernized by an up-to- 

 date live stock artist, as has been done in some 

 other prominent works on cattle, but after giv- 

 ing the matter much thought it seemed to me 



W. H. BUSTIN. HEREFORD. ENG. 



best to reproduce these old pictures exactly as 

 they were made. They vary, as does all hand 

 work, with the ideals of the artists drawing 

 them. Messrs. Gauci, Page, Dewey, Burk, Hill 

 Palmer, Throop, etc., each had their ideal, so 

 that were each of these men to portray the same 

 animals those familiar with their work would 

 have no difficulty in discovering from the pic- 

 ture who the artist was by the peculiar personal 

 ideal invariably, and perhaps unconsciously, 

 incorporated into the picture. Some of the 

 ancient artists painted the forms of the ani- 

 mals they portrayed upon impossible stems, 

 representing legs. If the readers of Miller's 



History will bear m mind these variations of 

 the artists' ideals when examining the old draw- 

 ings of cattle reproduced herein they will form 

 a much more intelligent conception of the ex- 

 cellence of those old foundation animals by sub- 

 stituting in their mind's eye correct impressions 

 of animal anatomy for the superfine limbs and 

 heads portrayed by the artists. I have 

 m the appendix added full page reproduc- 

 tions of photographs from life of choice 

 specimen Herefords of different ages, be- 

 ing correct reproductions of actual pho- 

 tographs from life; every one "knows that pho- 

 tographs have never yet been made to flatter 

 animals, for, as a rule, they portray faults 

 more plainly than virtues. These photo- 

 graphs, however, give the most correct ideas of 

 anatomy attainable by any process known at 

 this day. These illustrations have been selected 

 carefully from photographs taken in England, 

 and are specifically included in the appendix 

 of this work to give correct ideas of Hereford 

 form and character. 



In closing I wish to say that there are per- 

 sonal references in this book, mainly of persons 

 long since deceased, that I regret exceedingly 

 to see again in print. Yet, to leave out these 

 references, would be leaving out facts of his- 

 tory that would -give the reader no conception 

 of the trials and vexations to which the early 

 supporters of the Hereford breed of cattle were 

 subjected. No one coming freshly upon the 

 scene to participate in the breeding of pure- 

 bred cattle in these days of breed tolerance 

 could understand the lengths to which jealousy, 

 prejudice and selfish interests drove men in 

 their opposition to Hereford cattle; in what 

 was, in veriest truth, the "Battle of the 

 Breeds." I have personally experienced some- 

 thing in this line myself. Several old show 

 ring controversies are. in this work, again 

 brought to light. Fraudulent entries and false 

 ages are shown to have been prominent factors 

 in past conflicts. Let no reader suppose that 

 such things do not exist to-day. They are not 

 so patent between the breeds, because the show 

 ring contests between breeds has largely been 

 done away with, but the fraudulent exhibitor 

 is, if possible, more prevalent to-day than ever. 

 He can be found in our own ranks," so much so 

 that an exhibitor must take one of three 

 courses, either one of which is equally unpleas- 

 ant. I refer to the fact that ages are misrep- 

 resented (flagrantly, in some cases). Surgical 

 operations are performed to change the appear- 

 ance and eradicate defects of animals in a man- 

 ner that should put the most unscrupulous 

 horse farrier to shame, and there are, at times, 



