THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



41 



tontour (0 superficial observers, and by concealiun- a 

 defective form from the eye, wiuning a favourable first 

 impression that often goes a long way with inexperienced 

 judges. The class for sheep under 2001bs. live weight 

 is remarkably raeritoriou'i, and therefore " generally 

 commended. ' The Duke of Richmond's prize sheep 

 are wonderfully handsome, and of superb q^iaiity ; Mr. 

 jMarjoribank's highly commended are extremely good ; 

 Lord Walsingham's beautiful, and very good mutton ; 

 Mr. Rigden's small, but very pretty, and of nice quality ; 

 but we did not like the handling of Mr. Kent's second- 

 prize sheep anything like so well as that of some others. 

 The Earl of Radnor's prize older sheep are of great sub- 

 stance, and of the right form and quality ; Lord Wal- 

 singham's second prize most excellent in shape, and 

 longer and bigger than Mr. Kent'.s highly-commended 

 beautiful wethers. Tha Duke of Richmond is also suc- 

 cessful here in getting the third prize. In the class for 

 short-wools, "not being Southdowns," the first-prize 

 Hampshire Down wethers of Mr. Sharp have good 

 backs; of very large size, said to weigh 24 stone each. 

 Mr. Pain gets the second prize ; but the pen is not a 

 level lot, one sheep being a beauty, and the other two 

 having defective loins and rumps ; and we are of opinion 

 that Mr. Canning's sheep — of great size and expansion, 

 as well as handsome looks — ought to have had this prize 

 instead of the third. Mr. Humphries' west-country 

 Downs are highly-commrnded, doubtless for their beau- 

 tiful form, great substmoe, and splendid backs. Mr. 

 IL Smith's Shropshire Downs, which took the prize at 

 Birmingham, do not iiuidle so well here as they did 

 there, but are of rery good form, with capital rumps 

 and good wool. T..c extra-stock short-'.voo! class com- 

 prises a great many sheep. The wethers are extraordi- 

 narily good ; and we need only mention as of first-class 

 character and quality the Duke of Richmond's, which 

 won the silver medal ; Mr. Kent's, highly commended ; 

 the Earl of Ridnor's, highly commended ; Mr. Marjori- 

 banks, highly commended ; and Mr. W. King's, com- 

 mended. Mr. Foljarabe's silver-medal Southdown ewe 

 is a beauty ; Lord Walsingham's and Mr. Rigden's very 

 good. 



The gold medal for long-wools is taken by Lord Ber- 

 ners for by far the handsomest and best shearlings in 

 these classes. The rest of the sheep in class thirty-one 

 do not present any very remarkable points. In class 

 thirty, Mr. Foljambe's prize wathers are remarkably 

 good, very good frames, handsome backs, though rumps 

 too short. Mr. liradshaw's second-prize pen are open 

 to a similar criticism. Mr. Hopper's are extremely 

 good sheep, which were commemlcd at Birmingham. 

 In the class for Fat wethers not Leicescers, Mr. Hewer's 

 prize Cotswolds are particularly good ; and the second- 

 prize Cotswolds of the Royal Agricultural College of 

 Cirencester are of great size, but rather long in frame. 

 Lord Bsrners gets the silver medal in the extra-stock 

 class for long-woolled wethers ; and the Marquis of 

 Exeter also shows well here, in the extra-stock class 

 for ewes, Mr. Br.idshaw's Leicester ewe — a real beauty, 

 and exceedingly goad in back, plaits, rump, and fore- 

 quarters — wins the silver medal. 



PIGS. 



Tliis year we have four classes of pigs instead of three, 

 in addition to one for extra stock, the alteration jirovid- 

 ing separate competition for animals of a younger agej 

 and, except iu the last class, all the stated ages are much 

 earli'jr than was formerly the case. Last year there 

 were 25 pens of three, and 13 single animals, or 38 

 entries altogether : this year there are 40 pens of three, 

 and I'J single animals, making a total of 59 ; which is a 

 very large increase in one year. 



Pig-breeding and pig-feeding have simultaneously 

 progressed at such a rapid rate, that we are every year 



more and more astonished at the earliness of maturity 

 they manifest. It is really wonderful how so much meat 

 can be accumulated upon the tender, unhardened frames 

 of mere porcine "babes and sucklings." Mr. Morland's 

 first prize white Chiltons are not 4 months old ; and 

 Mr. Baskcomb's second prize little beauties, of the white 

 Kent breed, ai"e only 15 weeks old. Mr. Driice's small 

 black Oxfordshire pigs (highly commended) are only 

 justS months old. In the class for " Pigs not exceeding 

 8 monthsold," Mr. Barber's prize Middlesex pigs deserve 

 the highest praise. Sir J. B. Mills's second-prize white 

 pigs are very fine in quality. We admired Sir John 

 C'ithcarl's black ones (highly commended), anrl also 

 Mr. Crisp's 64 months old (black), which were suckiug 

 at Salisbury in July. 



The nest class, for " Pigs notexceedingl2months old," 

 is not particularly meritorious. .Sir W. Booth's white 

 Woodburys are good, and also the pen shown by Mr. 

 Underwood and those of Mr. Marjoribanks ; and there 

 are three pretty good Neapolitan black pigs, exhibited 

 by Lady Pigot. 



The class for " Pigs not exceeding 18 monthsold" is 

 " generally commended," being certainly \ ery mag- 

 nificent. 



Ml'. Morland's first-prize Improved Chiltons are 

 very perfect in form, of splendid quality, very deep, 

 and thick both in neck, chine, and hind-quarters. Mr. 

 Betts's second prize Improved SutTolks are also particu- 

 larly good. Mr. Tombs's highly-commended black 

 Berkshire and Esse.x pigs are beauties ; and Mr. Sadler's 

 Berkshiros, and the Rev. J. Holmes's Norfolk and 

 Essex pigs are remarkably good in form and quality. 

 His Royal Highness shows some excellent pigs in this 

 class ; and there is a pen of enormously fat ones, of a 

 black breed, from the I'arkhurst Prison Farm, in the 

 Isle of Wight. 



The Extra Stock single pigs form a famous class. 

 The silver medal is awarded to Mr. W. Davey, jun., for 

 No, 354 — small black Leicester breed, very fat, and of 

 most beautiful quality; in symmetry uncommonly well- 

 formed. No. 349, shown by Mr. Barber, is highly 

 commended, having a wonderfully fat neck. No. 351, 

 shown by Mr. Hemming, is highly commended, and is 

 certainly of extraordinary substance. Mr. Crisp's white 

 Suffolk sow is also highly commended— a magnificent 

 animal, of very great size, deep, wide, and beautifully 

 proportioned ; in quality also very fine. 



Taken as a whole, we do not rank the show of pigs 

 above the exhibitions of some former years, in respect 

 to guperbness of (juality and high fattening; though 

 there are certainly several very grand specimens to be 

 found among the unprccedent'-d number of pens entered 

 on this occasion. 



AWARD OF PRIZES. 



yAT CATTLE. 



JUDGES. 



S. Anstey, Cornwall. 



J. Buckley, Normanton Hill, Lough'ioroiigli. 



J. B. Thompson, Araaby, Hull. 



DEVONS. 



Stekrs, uot excecdiug 3 years old. 



First prize, £25 — John Overraaii, Burnham Sutton, Burii- 



hapj Market, Norfolk. Silver Medal to breeder, Mrs. Clark, 



Hiiruhani Market. Pm chased by Mr. JeiTery, Foubcrt'a-place, 



Re;^ent-3treet. 



Secoud, £10 — Ilia Roya! Ilighiiesa the Prince Consort. 

 Purchased by Mr. Je.lTery. 



Third, £5— The Karl of Leicester, Ilolklia-ii, Norfolk. 

 Purchased by Mr. Jclfery. 



Steki'vS or OxiiN, above 3 ycarj old. 

 First prize, X25, mil Silver Mel*l as breeder — The Ear! of 

 Lsicester. Purchased by Mr. Jeffery. 



