558 



HISTORY OF HEEEFORD CATTLE 



CHAPTER XXXY. 



Hereford Cattle in England in 1884, as Reported by Our Consuls 



The United States government requests in- 

 formation from time to time from its consuls, 

 stationed all over the world. The information 

 gathered by these men is of value, as giving 

 the situation at the time of which they report. 

 We have taken some of these reports, given by 

 consuls in England, in response to a call for 

 information on this subject, because of their 

 value and incidentally to show that facts in 

 regard to the worth of Hereford cattle are easily 

 .accessible to the investigator. 



CATTLE BREEDS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 



"The great importance of the information 

 called for to a vast number of people and of 

 interests in the United States led me to seek 

 out an authority of undoubted experience and 

 ability in England, to furnish the desired data 

 m behalf of American agriculturists and others. 

 I adopted this plan for the reason that, in order 

 to malce it specially useful, the report should be 

 full and reliable in every respect. 



"As a matter of course I could not be able to 

 equal an adept in this particular line of investi- 

 gation, for the reason that the subject is one 

 covering such a wide field, and one beset with so 

 many difficulties, that only one having an ex- 

 tensive acquaintance with English breeders and 

 breeds of cattle could do the subject justice. 



"I was most fortunate in securing the services 

 of Mr. James Long of Hetchin, England, a 

 well-known authoritv on agricultural subjects, 

 jjoth in England and on the continent, who has 

 prepared the accompanying clear, strong, and 

 exhaustive report. 



"It will be found that great care and at- 

 tention have been given to this report, and that 

 its impiartiality and fairness are beyond ques- 

 tion. Where so many interested dealers in and 

 breeders of cattle have to be consulted, it is im- 

 portant that the facts about such breeds be 

 stated bv one who is perfectly free from bias 

 in any respect. This has been done in this re- 

 port, and I submit the same with full confidence 

 that Mr. Long's acquaintance with our agricul- 



tural interests through this valuable mass of in- 

 formation, will lead to a desire on the part of 

 our agriculturists to follow up the results of his 

 future investigations, as the}' may hereafter be 

 given to the public. 



"Albert D. Shaw, Consul. 

 "L''nited States Consulate, Manchester, 

 "Feb. 19, 1884." 

 The annexed particulars, by Mr. Long, re- 

 ferring to the only pure races of cattle known in 

 the United Kingdom which are essentially Brit- 

 ish, will be found in almost every case very 

 complete and answer every question put in the 

 circular. The exceptions are the Shetland, the 

 Galloway, and the Sussex, about which it is 

 most difficult to obtain technical information. 

 Some twenty Sussex breeders have been ad- 

 dressed, but their answers are not entirely satis- 

 factory, though the information given will be 

 found reliable in ever}' way. The Shetland is 

 an almost entirely unknown race, and the Gal- 

 loway, to which I desired to give a fuller place. 

 I hope to supplement; the editor of the Herd 

 Book, who is collecting information, promising 

 to send it to me shortly. In all, the fifteen 

 British breeds are treated and the information 

 given is based upon that furnished by nearly 

 a hundred of the leading breeders in the 

 country, and which has been arranged by the 

 writer, who has added much which an extended 

 experience has enabled him to relv upon. It 

 will be noticed that almost everv breeder speaks 

 of his own race as the best ; this is natural en- 

 thusiasm, and I have in some cases been com- 

 pelled to- slightly tone the rather exaggerated 

 praise bestowed upon one breed in opposition to 

 another. Particulars are added with reference 

 to^ breeding, feeding, soiling, shipment, and 

 scientific dairy instruments, and centrifugal 

 cream separators, which will be found very 

 complete, the two last named subjects being 

 especially familiar to the writer, who had "in- 

 vestigated them in each European dairy 

 country." Drawings of wood-cuts were an- 

 nexed as well of these machines and instru- 



