HISTORY OF HEEEFORD CATTLE 



393 



advocate, Mr. William H. Sotham, in which he 

 expressed great satisfaction at our course in 

 exposing the frauds at the Fat Stock Shows. 

 Probably next we esteemed the endorsement of 

 a veteran breeder, nearly 80 years of age, in 

 Australia, who has been a breeder of Herefords 

 in that country during an ordinary lifetime, 

 expressing the warmest sympathy and commen- 

 dation for the course that we have taken in ad- 

 vocating the merits of the breed that he has 

 given a life work to. In speaking of his expe- 

 riences in that country, we find that it is not 

 dissimilar to ours in this country ; while in 

 some parts of Australia the Herefords early 

 became popular, and are becoming the domi- 

 nant breed, still they have met the Shorthorn 

 opposition, that has retarded their movements, 

 and it must be admitted that the Hereford men 

 have seemed to lack that nerve and push that 

 was necessary to overcome the opposition ; but 

 Hereford breeders in Australia as well as Eng- 

 land felt the influence of the Hereford move- 

 ment in America, and began to move with more 

 strength and system for the permanent estab- 

 lishment of their breed of cattle in that coun- 

 try. We valued highly also a letter from that 

 veteran breeder, Mr. Duckham, at Baysham 

 Court, in Ross, Herefordshire, England. An- 

 other from Mr. Hill, Felhampton Court, Salop, 

 England, both speaking warmly in commenda- 

 tion of our efforts. Mr. HiU had quite a trade, 

 and has had for some years, with South Amer- 

 ica. 



About this time we received a letter from Mr. 

 Fulford, of the firm of Fulford & Williams, 

 Springhill Station, Queensland ; in referring to 

 a purchase of Herefords from Mr. J. Barling, 

 of Casino, New South Wales, he says : -"The 

 cattle arrived at Springfield a short time since, 

 after a journey of nearly 1,500 miles, with only 

 the loss of three head, and were in excellent 

 condition on arriving, notwithstanding that for 

 the first 500 miles grass and water were very 

 scarce, ancl that quite half the cows were suck- 

 ling calves. As an instance of the superiority 

 of the Hereford over the Shorthorn as a trav- 

 eler, I will mention that just as our cattle were 

 passing near Rockhampton a draft of pure 

 Shorthorn heifers started from there for the 

 Flinders River, and traveled almost the same 

 stages for about 600 miles, when they parted 

 company. The Shorthorn heifers were miser- 

 ably poor, while the Herefords that had traveled 

 from Richmond River, New South Wales, to 

 Rockhampton, then 600 miles in company with 

 the Shorthorns, and then about 300 miles to the 

 end of the journey, arrived in excellent condi- 

 tion, half of them having calves at foot, while 



the Shorthorns were dry heifers. As there have 

 lately been some interesting letters in the 

 'Queenslander' in reference to Herefords vs. 

 Shorthorns, I have taken the liberty of send- 

 ing you these particulars, thinking they may 

 be of interest to some of your readers. 



"I may add that we have a herd of about 

 17,000 Hereford cattle in Lindhurst, not having 

 used anything but Hereford bulls for ten years 

 past, owned by Messrs. Barnes & Smith Bros., 

 of which I have been manager for nearly twelve 

 years, and I think that I may say that for qual- 

 ity and docility the herd will compare favorably 

 with any herd in North Queensland, worked 

 under similar conditions." 



Thus was the Hereford movement receiving 

 evidences of prosperity m all parts of the world. 

 A reference to the map of Australia and South 

 America will show somewhat the relation that 

 this movement has to the meat production of 

 the world. Australia as well as South America 

 and our western range from Panama to Mani- 

 toba, are great grazing districts, and these 

 ranges must supply the beef of the world. The 

 testimony is but one way by all those who have 

 used the Herefords on these ranges. 



HINDMAKSH ISLAND AND MK. CHAS. PEICE'S 

 HEEEFOED HEED. 



The "South Australian Register" (1884) 

 gave an account of the farm of Mr. Charles 



BEAU REAL 11055. 



Bred by Gudgell & Simpson, iDdependence, Mo. Favorite 



stock bull of Shocliey & Gibb. 



Price, of Hindmarsh Island, and its surround- 

 ings. We give this full statement that our 

 readers may see the conditions under which one 

 of the largest Australian herds of thorough- 

 breds has been bred and reared. Mr. Price was 

 then a man something over eighty years old, 

 and we think was on the island for something 

 over forty years. He was one of the most active 



