THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



31 



the Southdown was seon to great advantage. 

 People as yet have Bcarcely become familial' with its 

 new title, but "the Oxfordsliire Down" isamost useful - 

 looking sheep, for almost anything you require of him. 

 He has here, however, some especially formidable op- 

 position to contend with. The sort of all others entered 

 in anything like numerical force is the Shropshire 

 Down, a variety coming fast into fashion, and that 

 some think will soon be at the top of the tree. Still 

 even the Shropshire Down does not stand quite on his 

 own merits. The purest bred sheep of this kind in the 

 yai"d were perhaps those of Lord Aylesford ; and the 

 best, once more, those of Mr. Smith of Sutton Maddock, 

 The latter have a taste of the Southdown in them, im- 

 ported from such men as Jonas Webb, Sainsbury, and 

 Lugar. Both the first prize pens of Shropshire, those 

 of Mr. Foster, as well 3Ir. Smith's, were of this im- 

 proved character. Originally they claim to be a dis- 

 tinct breed of sheep ; but now, like their cotem- 

 poraries, the Hampshire and Oxfordshire, they have to 

 go to the thoroughbred Down as a refining medium. 



The Midland Counties show of pigs is always a great 

 one. The town and neighbourhood has a strong taste 

 for the unclean animal ; while such men as Messrs. 

 Watson, Mangles, and Wiley generally give their sup- 

 port. As we have already intimated, the first-prize fat 

 pig was Mr. Mangles' " Bendigo," the prize boar at 

 SaUsbury, and a most successful cross between the 

 Yorkshire and Cumberlmd breeds. His portrait ap- 

 pears in the Farmer's Magazine for this month : not, 

 of course, as a fat pig at Birmingham, but as a breeding 

 one at Salisbury. The prize list vsill show that most of 

 our best varieties were well represented. The run, 

 however, was upon the Berkshires, of which Mr. Smith, 

 of Henley -in- Arden, brought a pen of five unusually 

 good young pigs. Two or three rather cautiously- 

 worded certificates were handed in by the referees as to 

 the ages of some of the pigs exhibited ; although it seems 

 scarcely possible that gentlemen of character should com- 

 mit themselves in this wise. 



An excellent show of roots admirably arranged, and 

 as usual, a most attractive one of poultry, complete the 

 chronicle. As we cannot find room for the awards in 

 this latter department, we will allow, as far as is possible, 

 the judges to tell their own story. In addition, then, to 

 infinite commendations, they declared the golden pen- 

 cilled Hamburgs, to be " a very good class" — the golden 

 spangled Hamburgh to be "an extraordinarily good 

 class " — the silver pencilled Hamburghs " a very good 

 class" — and the same of the silver spangled. The 

 Polish they passed without comment, but the Spanish 

 were "excellent" — "meritorious and useful" and 

 " unusually good." The coloured Dorkings " mar- 

 vellous!" and the whites "improving." They delibe- 

 rately pronounced the buff Cochins to be ^'beautiful" 

 and the browns "excellent ;" some of the game were also 

 "excellent," and to the bantams they gave one "gene- 

 ral high commendation." Of the game bantams they 

 " cauld not speak too highly." The geese and Rouen 

 ducks furnished " good classes," and the turkeys an 

 "excellent one." We can only add to this, that there 

 were pigeons of such fanciful tonsure and fashion as to 

 utterly defy description. We can only hope such ex- 

 quisites are never intended for pies. But still a layer 

 of Mr. Towneley's famous coiv, i\ith two or three couples 

 of prize Jacobins or Archangels over it, would be " a 

 dainty dish to set before a queen." 



We have often ere now had to speak to the good 

 management displayed in Bingley Hall. If it were possi- 

 ble to improve on this, it has been done. Even on the 

 best of the shilling days there was nothing like a crowd 

 or a crush. Rarely was there a difficulty to see anything 

 you wanted to — having when just as Mr. Davis had 



pitched his easel opposite a prize animal; or for the 

 moment, as some right reverend enthusiast held forth on 

 the many beauties of a bird he was anxious to buy— or 

 to sell, 



PRIZE LIST. 



FAT CATTLE. 



Judges :— Mr. Samuel Blossidge, Warwick. 



Mr. John Tanner Davy, Ashtown House, South 



Moltou, Devon. 

 Mr. Charles Stokes, Kingston, Kegworth, Derby. 



HEREFORD S. 



Class I.— Oxen or Steers. 



First prize £10, with extra prize of £20 as best Herefora, 



and GOLD MEDAL as best of all the oxen, Mr. John Shaw, 



Hunsbury Hill, Northamptou. Silver medal to breeder, Mr. 



Richard Shirley, Bawcott, Munslow, Shropshire. 



Second, £5, Mr. William Heath, Ludham Hall, Norwich, 

 Norfolk. 



The Class generally commended. 



Class II. — Steers. 



First prize, £10, and silver medal as breeder, Mr. John 

 Naylor, Leighton Hall, Welshpool. 



Second, £5, Mr. William Child, Wigmore Grange, Leint- 

 wardine, Herefordshire. 



Commended, His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, 

 Windsor Castle ; the Earl of Aylesford, Packington, for two 

 steers ; and Mr. Joseph Phillips, Ardiugton, Wantage, Berk- 

 shire. 



Class III. — Cows. 



First prize, £10, and silver medal as breeder, Mr. Philip 

 Turner, The Leen, Pembridge, Herefordshire (had three calves). 



Second, £5, Mr. Edward Thomas, Colebatch, Bishop's Cas- 

 tle, Shropshire (had two calfes). 



The Class generally commended. 



Class IV.— Heifers. 

 First prize £10, and silver medal to breeder, Mr. Henry 

 Higgins, Woolastou Grange, near Lydney, Gloucestershire. 



Second, £5, Mr. Samuel Walker Urwick, Leiuthall Scarks, 

 Ludlow. 



SHORTHORNS. 

 Class V.— Oxen or Steers. 

 First prize £10, and silver medal as breeder, Mr. William 

 Eyton, Gousal, Shrewsbury. 



Second, £5, Mr. John Robinson, Leckby Palace, Topcliffe, 

 Thirsk. 



Commended, Mr. William Winterton.Wolvey Villa, Nunea- 

 ton ; and Mr, Henry Roberta, Pasford, Blockley, Woiceater- 

 shire. 



Class VI.— Steers. 

 First prize £10, and silver medal as breeder, Mr. Richard 

 Stratton, Broad Hintoii, Swindon. 



Second, £5, Earl Speacer, Althorp, Northamptonshire. 



Class VII.— Cows. 



First prize £10, with extra prize £20 as best shorthorn, 

 gold medal as best of all the cows, and silver medal as 

 breeder, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Towneley, Towneley Park, 

 Burnley, Lancashire (had one calf J. 



Second, £5, Mr. Robert Swinnerton, Weddiugton, Nuneaton 

 (had one calf). 



IJighfy commended, Viscount Hill, Hawkstone, Shropshire 

 (had three calves), and Sir Thomas Whichcote, Bart., Aswarby 

 Park, Falkingham, Liucolnahire (had cue live calf and one 

 dead). 



The Class generally commended. 



Class VIII. — Heifers. 



First prize £10, aud silver medal as breeder. Lord Fever- " 

 sham, Duncombe Park, Ilelmsley, Yorkshire. 



Second, £5, Mr. Robert Gel), Grinuton Hill, York. 



Highly commended, Mr. Ricliard Thomas, Kyton, Dorring- 

 ton. 



Commended, Viscount Hill, and Mr. Joseph Phillips, 

 Ardiugton, Wantage. 



