58 
Hereford Cattle. 
calf at three years old, they frequently live and continue 
breeding up to fourteen or fifteen years of age, and instances 
have been known of cows much older than this. 
It is often stated that Hereford cattle are bad milkers. 
This is entirely due to the system of management. The beef- 
producing qualities of the breed have been developed somewhat 
at the expense of the milking propensity. Also the practice of 
letting the calf run with the cow has had a bad effect on the 
milk production, as the calf does not require all the milk the 
dam naturally gives, and nature in time limits her supply to 
the requirements of the calf. Hereford milk is very rich, 
containing a large percentage of butter fat, and where 
Hereford cows are brought up to the pail they prove good 
milkers. Many Hereford breeders have kept one or two 
cows specially for milk for their household purposes, and 
have developed their milking properties with very satis- 
factory results. There is a herd of pedigree Herefords in 
Wiltshire that has been kept entirely for milk for over a 
century, and the milk average for each cow is very great. The 
calves are taken from the dams and the milk is sent to a 
a large creamery in the district. This herd has won prizes at 
the Bath and West Show against milking cattle. 
The cows are splendid mothers, and their milk is so rich 
that their calves always look well nourished. 
The usual system of management of Hereford cattle is to 
keep them under conditions as natural as possible, and hence 
their healthy constitution. The young stock, yearlings, heifers, 
&c., frequently run out all the winter, only having a, little hay 
hauled out to them when the ground is covered with snow or 
when the grass is frosted. Under this treatment they develop 
coats as deep as one’s hand, and maintain themselves in good 
condition. 
It is arranged for the calves to be dropped as soon after the 
1st of January as possible on account of the age for show-yard 
purposes being always calculated from this date, and the calves 
are not weaned until about eight months old. The dams are 
thus ready to take advantage of the spring grass, and pur- 
chasers from abroad are also suited, as they prefer to have 
animals calved as early in the year as possible. 
To give an instance of the practical system of management 
of a Hereford herd, the writer cannot do better than quote 
Mr. Arthur P. Turner, of Hereford, one of the oldest and 
most successful breeders of Herefords. 
Mr. Turner says that he endeavours to get the calves 
dropped in the spring months, January, February and March. 
They run in the pastures with their dams until the autumn. 
The heifer and the steer calves are then weaned and fed upon 
