56 A HISTORY OP HEREFORD CATTLE 



reason of his sound judgment in the work of improv- 

 ing the local breed of cattle. u 



In 1808 he held a sale of 20 cows and heifers, 12 

 oxen and 20 yearling and two-year-old steers, 

 the cows averaging £40, the oxen £23, the yeari 

 lings £15 and the twos £20. These cattle were 

 referred to at the time as "allowed by competent 

 judges to be equal if not superior to most in the 

 kingdom." 



After Mr. Tomkins' death in October, 1815, the 

 herd was inherited by his daughters, his two sons 

 having died young. After disposing of a number 

 of cattle privately a sale was held in October, 1819, 

 that reveals clearly the estimation in which the 

 blood was held. A summary of the result is ap- 

 pended. 



The 52 head sold made £4,673/14s., or an average 

 of £89/17s./6d. each, but a number were steers. The 

 breeding animals, numbering 28, averaged no less 

 than £149, the total for them being £4,172/6s. The 

 detailed figures are as follows: 



Total. Average. 



£ s. d. £ B. d. 



15 cows 2,249 2 149 18 9 



3 two-year-old helfera 283 10 94 10 



2 yearling heifers 156 9 78 4 S 



4 bulls 1,071 267 (15 



2 bull calves 362 5 181 '2 C 



2 heifer jialves 56 28 



28 head 4,178 6 OAv. 149 



This average compares favorably with those 

 made about the same - period at the Shorthorn 

 sales of Charles and Robert Colling, the Ketton av- 

 erage (1810) including the 1,000-guinea bull Com«t, 



