26o CATTLE 



In temperament Herefords are less docile than Shorthorns 

 under similar conditions and do not so readily accustom them- 

 selves to the confinement of limited quarters where grazing is 

 not abundant. 



The color of the Hereford is one of its most distinguishing 

 features. As has already been shown, a century ago there was 

 considerable range of color, and the first Enghsh herdbook 

 classified the cattle into four groups — mottle-faced, light gray, 

 dark gray, and red with white face. In the development of the 

 breed the trend has been to secure uniformity of color. This, as 

 seen to-day, shows in varying degree pure white hair over the face 

 and head, breast, top of neck and withers, and legs below knee 

 and hock, along the belly and udder and switch, the remainder 

 of the body being red. The amount of white seen on different 

 animals in a large herd will vary, some -being marked in a much 

 more pronounced degree than others. The color varies from a 

 light yellow-red to a dark cherry, a medium, soft tone of red 

 being preferred. 



The size of the Hereford places this breed in the large class of 

 cattle. From very early times great scale has been sought, and it is 

 said that the bull Wellington in 1 8 1 5 weighed 29 1 2 pounds and the 

 cow Silk in 1820 weighed 2000 pounds. Cotmore (376), first-prize 

 bull in 1839 at the English Royal, it is claimed,^ based on official 

 record, weighed 35 hundredweight, or 3920 pounds, the maximum 

 weight for a British bull. The bull The General (125 1) is also 

 reported to have weighed 3640 pounds when six years old. A 

 circular issued by the American Hereford Cattle Breeders' Asso- 

 ciation states that the breed is not excelled in size, either at early 

 age or maturity, by any breed and that it is not uncommon for 

 bulls to weigh from 2800 to 3000 pounds and for mature cows 

 to weigh a ton. The following are given as the average weights 

 for a period of five years of Herefords of different ages shown at 

 the American Royal Live-Stock Show at Kansas City : aged bulls, 

 2238 pounds; two-year-old bulls, 191 1; senior yearling bulls, 

 1439 ; junior yearling bulls, 1318 ; senior bull calves, 979 ; junior 

 bull calves, 748; aged cows, 1689; two-year-old heifers, 1517; 

 senior yearling heifers, 1269; junior yearling heifers, 11 28; 



1 Alvin H. Sanders, The Story of the Herefords. Chicago, 1914. 

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