HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



175 



Ludlow race course, and also at many of the 

 principal towns in England. To give some idea 

 of his immense size we quote an old poster call- 

 ing attention to the animal when it was ex- 

 hibited in Ludlow race course. It is as follows : 

 'Stupendous Ox. Now Exhibited on this race 

 course. The celebrated Wettleton Ox, bred and 

 fed by Mr. Sheppard of Wettleton, the proprie- 

 tor. He is of the pure Hereford breed, stands 

 eighteen hands high, girts twelve feet, three 

 feet six inches over the first rib ; three feet three 

 inches across the hips, and weighs upwards of 

 two tons (4,480 pounds).' At that period the 

 exhibition of the ox created great attention, and 

 no animal approaching it in scale has ever be- 

 fore been exhibited in that part of the king- 

 dom."' 



Mr. Sotham never lost interest in the Here- 

 fords even after he had given up breeding. 



Writing to the "National Live Stock Jour- 

 nal,"' May 12th. 1S71, Mr. Sotham says, under 

 the caption of 



"HEREFORDS VS. SHORTHORNS." 



To the Editor of the "Journal"" : 



Much has been said in comparison of Herc- 

 fcrds with Shorthorns, and much more can be 

 said ; and as the Herefords are but little known 



in the AVest I think it only fair to bring their 

 true merits before the people, and as I do not 

 own a single animal of the breed I cannot now 

 be accused of interested motives. Much has 

 been said m favor of Shorthorns, and extraor- 

 dinary prices have been published to the world, 

 given by men of money, for none other could 

 purchase them. There are but few men capable 

 of breeding Shorthorns, and all who know any- 

 thing about them are aware that they are ;i 

 made-up breed, hence their want of unity in 

 breeding. Tell me, ye Duchess men, ye follow- 

 ers of Bates, did you ever see uniformity of 

 breeding in the herd of Thomas Bates ? A more 

 uneven herd I never beheld, either at home in 

 their glory, with their admirers around them, or 

 divided in America by those gentlemen who 

 strongly advocate the Duchess tribe of Bates" 

 breeding of thin skins and soft handling. What 

 is more remarkable, these advocates both in 

 England and this country were generally nien^ 

 who knew nothing about breeding ; were literary 

 men who had acquired a fortune by some lucra- 

 tive business, became possessed of it by heir- 

 ship, or leaped into it by some "lucky"' specu- 

 lation. These men gave high prices because 

 they had the money, not because they had the 

 judgment to select for themselves ; because the 



THE RIGHT HON. EARL OF COVENTRY, CROOME COURT. WORCESTERSHIRE. 



