HEREFORD CATTLE. Hereford cattle, named from the county of Hereford, England, where they have long been the favorite cattle, have, within the last twenty years, gained an immense popularity in the United States, and now successfully contest the palm of victory with the best Short-horns at the leading fairs in the North. Massive, docile, fattening easily, and at an early age, with plenty of meat on the prime parts, possessed of hardy constitutions, they are, as with the Short-horns, possessed of all the good qualities that constitute a first-rate beef animal. They are especially regarded with favor in the great grazing grounds of the far West, for cross ing upon the native stock there, and large num bers of the young bulls are yearly sent West from Illinois, Ohio, and Canada, for breeding purposes. One hundred years ago the Hereford, although an admirable animal for that day, were not bred to white faces; they were brownish or yellow ish-red, some even being brindled. The illustra tion, page 181, will show the Hereford of eighty years ago, the cut being made from a picture of a Hereford of that day, in the possession of the editor. Gradually the white was made to extend along the top of the neck, also on the throat, dew lap, brisket and fore legs, belly and flanks. Then the feet were included, until we see the finished animal of to-day. The Herefords are undoubt edly allied to the Devons, and are among the most ancient of the distinct breeds of English. cattle. The cows are not deep milkers, in fact they give but little milk, and are very much smaller than the bulls or oxen. In this latter characteristic they also resemble the Devons.. The oxen are large, strong, honest, gentle, saga cious and long-lived. They work kindly in the yoke, and from their uniformity in color, are as. easily matched as the Devons. The flesh is supe rior in quality, finely marbled with fat, heavy in the prime parts. The bulls are potent; when_ crossed upon the native red cows of the country,. throwing the blood, both as to color, and general characteristics of the breed. Herefords are said to have been first brought to the United States by Henry Clay, in 1816 or 1817. They were, how ever, allowed to intermix with other cattle of the country, and were soon degenerated. An impor tation to Massachusetts, a few years later, left a favorable impress upon the stock of that State. In 1840, an importation of Herefords was made to New York and Vermont. In 1852, a very con siderable importation was made into Ohio, where, with later importations, they have been most successfully bred, largely leaving their impress. In 1860 and 1861, importations were made into. Canada, since that time successive importations and careful breeding have given the United. States, and especially Maryland, Ohio, and Illinois, as fine herds of Herefords as are to be found in England. In England, the Herefords hold high rank, as they deservedly should, and in the great fairs there, as here, compete success fully with the best Short-horns. In the West, they are steadily gaining grmind,-and there are many who claim for them superiority over the Short-horns, as early maturing beef-makers. It is certain that they prove better on the butcher's block, and when we take into consideration the value of the full-blood and half-blood steers, as working oxen, and their wonderful constitutions, there is no reason to doubt that the time is not far distant when Herefords will be as common as Short-horns among the breeders and feeders of the flush pastures of the West. They are, how
ever, too scarce and high priced in the States for a full conception of their good qualities among the masses of our farmers. Turning English authority, we find in the Agricultural. Gazette of June, 1878, the following, in relation. to the Herefords: This breed enjoyed the remark able distinction of producing both the champion' animals at Oxford, Grateful being declared to be the best bull, and Beatrice (a two-year-old heifer). being declared to be the best cow or heifer in the yard. Both, as may be supposed, were very good, the heifer pre-eminently so. She is a daughter of the famous bull Winter de Cote, and another instance of hereditary merit. The yearling heifers and calves indicate that this breed is, as beef-makers at an early age, quite up to the high est Short-horn standard. The Teeswater may milk better, and be more ready of adapting itself to local circumstances; but where the pasture is good, it is hard to beat the whitefaces for graz ing. The editor of the Chamber of Agriculture Journal, writing at the same date, says of the Herefords: The Short-horn old bull class was both larger and better than usual. Last year it numbered but nine entries; this year the muster was thirteen, and they were headed by the crack bull of the period, Sir Arthur Ingram, Attractive Lad second. The yearling heifer class was a remarkably good one, as was also the heifer calf class. The old bull Hereford class produced an extraordinary animal in Grateful, who secured the reserve at the Hereford Show in 1876, but did not make his appearance at Bath or Liverpool last year. He has made wonderful development since appearing as a two-year-old, as is proved by the fact that Thoughtful, who was then placed above him, and has since taken firsts at Birming ham, Liverpool, and Bath, has now been put second to him; and that not only was he selected by the judges as the best Hereford bull on the ground. but in the contest for the championship succeeded in carrying it off, against such a Short horn competitor as Sir Arthur Ingram. This is no slight honor to the Hereford breed, and of course any animal counted worthy of such a dis tinction, must be a first-class one. Grateful at four years old has capital loins and chines, with great thickness and depth of frame, and is very level all over; but his. grand feature is the mass of flesh with which his frame is covered.
astounding girth is eight feet ten and one half inches. In the cow class Lady Blanche, which took second prize at Bath, now came to the front position. She is marvelous at her fore flank, and displays a great mass of flesh on a well-shaped, grand frame, which, however, fell off slightly at therump. The second prize cow, Little Beauty, was highly commended at Bath, and wonderfully retains her showyard merit at eleven years old. The two-ye,r-old heifers, Leonora and Beatrice, were sure to win. Beatrice has recently reared a calf, which is slightly against her for showing; but Leonora is in full bloom with her beautiful head, symmetrical form, and all that loveliness which is so taking to the eye. After being selected as the best Hereford female on the ground, she carried off the champion prize against a remarkably shapely Short-horn heifer, and one of the best Devons, so that both cups were awarded to Herefords. On pages 478 and 479 will be found illustrations of an improved Hereford bull and cow.