WHAT IS A HEREFORD.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1434, 10 September 1881, Page 4

WHAT IS A HEREFORD.

TART I. ( The chief points to bo looked for in a good Heivfot fl 11*0, <lirstf, that the colour should be .1 distinct red, not too dark or too light , white face, mane, breast, and belly \<*hitc end to tail ; and white lejiS as - far as the knee and hock, sometimes running up the (lank. The bull bliould have a good 'masculine head, not too j longl broad between the eyes, \\ Inch ,latttr sWoixidfbe have and prominent), *hut with a mild look abo,ut them, denoting docility, and equality of temped; the hoin Should be ot moderate strength, springing straight fioin the head. The cow's head should be much the same, but finer, and her horn* should li'ive a inane and turn upwards slightly, they shoutd be ; in both cases of a foxy white, although they are occasionally found tipped' with black ; the nose should be a pure white or flosh colour. The bull should have a good rise of crest, deep sloping shoulder-", well-de-veloped brisket, stiaight back und belly line, wide loin, gool springing ribs, moderately broad hips, tail well set on and falling m a plumb line to the hocks ;' the hind quarters -hould be long from the hip back ; the thighs, which are a very important point, should be large and full, ' showing plenty of 1 width ' across when you stand behind, and sWuldbe well me.vted to the hocks ; the whole carcase should 1 be set square on good ehorfc legs standing well apart, and be covered with firm flesh of good quality, and a mellow hide of soft but not too fine hair, giving the .impression when you touch it that it 'will stretch to, any extent; but the test of ''touch" is extremely difficult to explain in, words, it can only be learnt by practice. There can be no two opinions on tiie question of what Jleioford cattle are — they aie most undoubtedly a distinct and pine biced of pi cat antiquity. Their caily history is like that of inuiy otheis, lather shrouded in mysteiy ; but it is generally allowed that thcie has been a breed of cattle led and mostly with white face and markings for a Icnst 200 yens in the county of Henfoid and the neighbouiing counties. The late Mi T. A. Knight, of Downton Castle, who lived in the last century, and uho w.is a gieat authonty on all matters of antiquity, besides being one of the most celebrated of carlj breeder* of Herefotd cattle, assei tea that Lord Hcudamore, who died m 1 67 1 intioduced cows of the red with white lace biced fioin Flandeis. Theie was also a breed of cattle known in lleiefoidshno that were "white with red eai s," and so iir back as the tenth cental y it is lecoided that theie was a law of lived compensation to bo paid for lnjuiy done by one prince to anothei at • 100 white cows with led ears and a bull of the same colour ; but if the cattle weie of a daik or black colour the number was to be 150. Speed leooids, " Maud de Biebos, m order to appease King John, who was highly mcc>ns>'d against her husband, made a present to the queen of ■400 cow -i from Biecknoekshire, all " white with red ems " These facts wore collected some yeaii .ago by Mr Thomas Duckham, the late Editor of the Ifeieford Hi itl Uool , and they aie accepted as being ron^ot both in this countiy and m America, w hero the biced i^ so fast nicruasuiir in populanty at tlie piesent time * Kioin these rocoids I think it nviy be fairly considtucd to lie pioved that the Heiefoids of to-daj h.u aspiring dnectly from the old breeds of the distuct, the old gicy Heiefoid coming from the ■white cattle with red 'Mis, and an occasional white llcietoid has cropped up as an additional pioof of tins In 3857 thcie was a white Jlciefoid <-hown at the Birmingham lat stock show. I know at the present tune sevoial Ilerefords of the finest blo»d, that an; neater white than red, although it is a w ell known tae t they have never had a stain ol any other bleed in their pedigree. Are not the present Hmefoids a mixture of these oattlo lh.it were know n as far back as the tenth contui y (being "white •with led eais") with the Flanders cattle, impoited by Lord Scudamoio previous to the year 1671, which veie led with white faces? Thoie used io bo throe distinct kinds of Ifi'ieioid- • the mottlefaced, the sriey, and the icd with white fans. The hist-mcntioncd w.ie usually the largest, but with upi'.it quality and good touch , the giey were wondoiful brvedois, and of a incdruin size; while the red with white face usii dly weie the hinillei cattle, finer m the bone, and filtorrether more taking to the r>e ; --o fashion by dfgiees excluded tlie otli'is, and now the red with white face icigns tiiumphant. However, broedois do no! object to ati occasional bio of tick or mot tip appearing on the lace ; or what w,h ioimuly called a "clieriy eyed un," having a little zed undct the oyc , and if a little white does come along the back, or a spla-L along the bell) and thighs, tlvy well know "wbenco it comes," and put the heiior caiefully aside loi home bi coding, as the foreigner is not yet educalcd up to the ins and outs of the old biood. Tn the United States and far west of America the laree bieedcis theie cannot be jet induced to buy an animal wilh anything but the oithodox led with w Into faco and white nnuiP, thinking thiit .my doviution must be a "grado ;'' but in Canada they do not mind a little white, as the tanners there know more of England and the Hereford bleed m gonei il Many of the best cnttle have hhjrhtly dark tips to their horns and a few specks of black on their nose. Those thiiigs should be guarded against, but I am not of opinion that it is a fatal objection. I have seen the black spooks uop up on the noses of sonic of the cattle descend td from the best and oldest In rds, ;ind think a good animal should hnidly bo re j( c led on thiH account. There is lather « prejudice at piesent against cittle of the litrht led colour ; but any expoiicnoed man will bear me out when I '■ay th.it the light red, as a rule, are of a better quality and feed quicker than the dark red ones. The late Lord Berwick's cattle woie usually of this hgbt red colour, and they wore always, as their descendants now are, celebrated for their quality and aptitude to lay on flesh. The earl i coords of the breed show that they were carefully bied in 176G by Mr. Tomkins and othois. At the first meeting of the ttmi^hfield Club, in 1799, the Ist pii/o was won with a 'ierefofd ox by Mr. "WWcar, and this gentleman took the Ist prize with an ox of this breed for twenty years in puceesfciou at the London cattle show, which was epen to all breeds The Hw folds of this period were of gijrartic size, and usually kept for woikinjr on the bind and fed off afterwardc. No 2-year-old or baby beef in those du\y\—AgruuHi<ral Gazette.

Bridget heaid the boss of the hou'-c-re-mark at the dinner-table that ," Kismet" nieunt '"fate," and tl'iis is tlie^reaspu why bhe 60 astonished her mistress by remarking the next day to the chambmraaid. " Oh, Maria I can't fcaicely walk wid the chilblain 1 * all over me two Kismets." " That is what I call a coup de prafls," said a maD who knocked down a bale of Thebk are in New South Wales 40,800 members of friendly societies, hold accu-' mulated funds to the amount of £140,000. ' The mother of the talented authoress' • George Eliot ' ifc still alive in SHobart, '. Tasmania, and has reached the ripe age f, Jt inety. ■ ' <" "'* ' ■