106 
HEREFORD CATTLE. 
spirit of honor and of truth; and a Christian, whose 
heart and thoughts were fixed on “whatsoever 
things are true, whatsoever things are just, what¬ 
soever things are pure, whatsoever things are love¬ 
ly, whatsoever things are of good report.” 
We insert Mr. Sotham’s letter without other 
comment than this. Mr. Youatt, in his History of 
British Cattle, did the Short-horns more injustice 
than the Herefords ; for he never went beyond Mr. 
Berry’s pamphlet for his information, and this we 
pronounce a most meager and unsatisfactory ac¬ 
count of this celebrated breed of animals. We 
have not a doubt but that the Short-horns are as 
ancient a race of cattle as exists in Great Britain. 
See History and Traditions of Short-horns, p. 161, 
Yol. I., of American Agriculturist. As to Herefords 
beating, or even equalling the Durhams, in a single, 
or collective instance, we leave to the discussion 
of others. Mr. Sotham has made his statement, 
let the Short-horn men now make theirs ; in the 
meanwhile, we would like to ask Mr. Sotham to 
beat the quantity of milk given by Mr. Smith’s 
cow Victoria, see our No. of last month p. 90. 
When he can do this, he may give the Durhams a 
hard challenge. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
HEREFORD CATTLE. 
Hereford Hall , near Albany, April 17 th, 1843. 
Dear S1r : I am exceedingly obliged to you for 
your kind notice of my stock of Herefords and Cots- 
wolds, and am happy to find that a Short-horn 
man is free from prejudice. All I ask of the pub¬ 
lic is, to give them a fair chance, and I will risk 
my reputation as a breeder, that the quality and 
milking of the Herefords will prove all that I have 
said of them. 
When I went to England to select my stock, 
(which was six times) it was with a thorough de¬ 
termination to procure a part of the “ best” As 
they were driven from Northleach to London, they 
were noticed by many of the first farmers and breed¬ 
ers on the route, and pronounced as good as could be 
procured in England. As they passed through the 
village of Ensham, Oxfordshire, the abode of Sam¬ 
uel Druce, Esq., one of the yearly judges at Smith- 
field, they were detained by him and his friends, 
for the purpose of examination and strict scrutiny, 
and you are aware what an excitement is created 
by a selection of some of the “ best” cattle to be 
shipped to a distant country. However, they were 
pronounced by them to be “ as good a lot of stock 
as was ever seen together .” 
These opinions given candidly , were gratifying 
and cheering to a man who had to “fight” against 
an extensive number of Short-horn men, who had 
established that breed, and written them into fa¬ 
vor. All that could be said in the United States 
theoretically, critically , or ridiculously, did not shake 
my belief in the truth of what was uttered of them 
by practical men in England, and those who well 
understood what they did say. Nor did the accu¬ 
sation here, of “ stealing” a cross from the Short¬ 
horns, make them anything else but pure Herefords; 
they are all, with the exception of Eliza, as pure 
blood as ever were bred. 
These assertions, though stubborn facts, may 
call forth the question of some of your correspon¬ 
dents, but this ends all “puffing,” for I do not 
want to say any more of my stock than what ab¬ 
solutely and truly belongs to them; if the animal’s 
will not speak for themselves, it is absurd to exag¬ 
gerate. 
I saw eleven two-year-old steers in the year 
1829, bred and fed by Mr. William Hewer, equal, 
if not superior, to anything I ever saw of the same 
age. They were sold at Smithfield the early part 
of April, at an average of £24 10s., or $117. 
I never saw a lot of Short-horns equal to them, 
either in weight, flesh, or quality, and I have rode 
many a hundred miles to view the “ best” that 
England could produce. Having been a lover of 
good cattle and sheep from childhood, I have min¬ 
gled with the “ best ” breeders, and I have purchas¬ 
ed this stock without reference to price, travel, or 
trouble. If you noticed the number of two-year- 
olds when at Smithfield market, I will venture to 
say you met with two Herefords to one Short-horn ; 
if you did not, and dispute the “fact,” write to 
either of the salesmen in whom you can place con¬ 
fidence, and he will explain satisfactorily. 
As regards stall-feeding, I believe it is generally 
admitted that the Herefords will pay more for the 
food they consume than any other breed. Even 
Youatt, who has written injuriously of Herefords, 
concedes to this opinion, and gives a statement of 
a trusty trial decidedly in their favor. Although 
his general description of them has proved a libel, 
I do not believe it was done intentionally; he did 
not write from practical information, and was led 
astray by spurious breeders. He had no idea of the 
value of this breed when he wrote, or he would 
not have committed himself in the way lie did ; 
for it is well known that the Herefords were supe¬ 
rior long before Hubhack made his appearance. 
Gentlemen may attempt to write down the 
Herefords as milkers, but when nine three-year- 
olds, two four-year-olds, and one seven-year-old, 
will make upward of 60 pounds of butter per week, 
on cut hay, a little oat-meal, and a half-bushel of 
turneps, which mine have done, I think they.will 
find it much more easy to flourish pens, than “ puz¬ 
zle ” their heads in finding a like number of Short¬ 
horns to compete with them, and they were kept 
on rye straw and a few turneps, until a fortnight 
previous to calving. My object is to show which 
is the “ best” breed for all purposes. It is my de¬ 
cided wish that the good qualities of each should 
be practically brought before the public, and friend¬ 
ly controversies are the only means of arriving at 
the truth. 
My butter has all been sold in Albany (fresh) at 
16 to 18 cents per pound, without the least taste 
of turnep, and my calves have been kept on skim- 
milk and linseed jelly, one pailful of the latter to 
four of the former, and I think they will come out 
next summer in as good condition as those Short¬ 
horns that have had the new milk of two cows, and 
