Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-02-04
The Hereford Race of cattle.

less known in this country, or less diffuse
than any imported family. The editor
the Michigan Farmer, gives in the follow
ing article brief, but very fair and sati.
factory description of their origin, charat
teristics, and introduction to our own cour
try: e oiir5i.
In the west of England, close to tn
borders of Wales, and on the rising tract
of land which reach to the base of tn
Welsh Mountains, there is race of cattle
belonging to the Middle Horns, which ha
frequently come in competition with an
born off the highest prizes from the Short
horns, during the last half century, an,
| which is known as the Hereford. Tb
name is derived from the country whicl
forms the centre of the district where thes
cattle have been known from the earlies
times. The Herefords are esteemed a
much an original race as the Devons, ant
are considered to belong to the group o
breeds, in which are comprehended the OLE
races of cattle known as the Pembroke, th
Glamorgan, the Sussex and the Devon, al
of which belong to the west and south o
England.
The Hereford cattle, like all the othe
breeds of Great Britain, have for nearly
eighty years past been made the subject o
many experiments by skillful breeders anc
they undoubtedly have been brought up te
their present condition and high character
only by much care and attention to the Sc
lection of the best animals adapted to de
velop the good properties oftbe race, hence
they are frequently designated as the Neu
Herefords, just as their great rivals are de-
nominated the Improved Shorthorn.
As early as 1869, Mr.. Benjamin Tomkin
laid the foundation of the modern improy-
ed race of Herefords, and nearly all the
present high bred herds there are traced
back to the two COWS Pigeon and Mottle,
which he selected as the basis of his at
tempts to laise improved cattle. This gen.
tleman's name occupies the same relative
position with regard to the Hereford's that
Charles Ceilings does in the history of the
Improved Shorthorns. His two COWS, es-
pecially the one named Pigeon, being near
ly as prominent in the pedigrees of the
choicest animals, progenators of the i'm
proved race, as Hubback is amongst the
Shorthorns. After Mr.. Tomkin, came the
Honorable George German, Mr.. Jno. Price
the Eral of Talbot, Mr.. Williams, Mr.. An
drew Knight, all English breeders of Here
fords. r
In, the Herefords there are two families,
which each have their advocates. These
are distinguished more by their color, than
because there is any great difference in their
qualities. The one is known as of the Tul-
ly stock, and have mottled face, and a
high yellowish red color. The other is of
a darker red, with the white face, back and
belly, which is generally known to us as
characteristic of the Modern Hereford !;
these are known as the Tomkin and Price
tribe, and of these the Rev. Mr.. Smythies
and Sir Francis Lawley are much noted as
breeders at the present time.
Among those who were the first to i'm
port Herefords into the United States Hen
ry Clay of Kentucky, and VIM. G. Rives
stand the most prominent. Admiral Sir
Isaac Coffin of the British Navy, in 1925,
made present of bull and cow to the
State Agricultural Society of Massachu-
sets, to improve the common stock of New
England where he resided. No thorough
breds were raised, but the descendants of
the bull are remarkable to this day for
their fattening propensities, their great ex-
cellence as work cattle and the decided i'm
provement which the cross made in every
thing it touched, over the native stock sur
it.
These importations, however, were limit
ed to but few animals, which were more
used for indefinite crossing, rather than
with a. design to preserve the breed in its
pure state. Of course the race soon ran
out. In 1S49, Caleb N. Bement of Al
bany, imported bull and heifer from which
some few animals of this race were Bred
But the first large importation of any con-
for the purpose of keeping up a
herd, was made by Messrs. Erastus Corn
ing and w. H. Sotbam in 1910, when
twelve head were brought across the Allan
tic in the spring of that year, purchased
from the Messrs. Hewer of Gloucestershire,
England. Some of the animals were of
extraordinary merit, and Mr.. G. N. Benz
ent, in noticeing them after their arrival,
81 must confess l was greatly
in the size and general form
of the cows, for they were apparently as
large as the Durhams, and possessing the
large loin, large capacious bodies, deep,
broad and projecting brisket, but with
coarse head and neck, which to those IA
miliar with the short-horns would appear
org. 80, fs..
In the fall of the same year, those gen
tlemen made another Importation of nine
head of pure bred Herefords, among which
was COW, named Matchless, which had
won the first prize when put in competition
with all England at the Oxford Fair of the
Royal Agricultural Society. From that
time to the present. Mr.. Sotham has been
The steadfast advocate and most pertina-
,ious breeder of Herefords in the United
States, in the face of all kinds of opposi-
lion; and certainly it must be admitted
that he has had the most savage disputes
with the advocates and breeders of Short
horns, as to the peculiar merits of the two
breeds, nearly always having the merits of
in his favor, as well as the weight
Of beef. So confident has this gentleman
been, that he has frequently issued chaIlen-
,es of the noblest kind for the purpose of
Ealing out and testing the money profits
20 be made from selected animals Of the
TWO breeds, but these challenges have not
ed to any results as yet. Last summer