THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE.' 



419 



In time I arrived at Lille, the principal manufac- 

 turing towa in all France : its Manchester, with a po- 

 pulation, including a radius u( two miles, of 300,000. 

 It is surrounded with windmills. There is a spot from 

 which you may count 200. I have counted fifty in sight 

 at once frequently. Some are for oil. Few English- 

 men stop here, as all haste on to Paris ; but it is worth 

 a couple of days to the tourist. About -100 English are 

 here resident, mo?tiy ojieratives. Very few speak 

 English, none much ; but in ii few years that will be 

 altered as now it is taught at all the public schools, to 

 which all go. A better education may be had here for 

 one shilling a week than in many parts of England for 

 £\. Every boy has to undergo examination, and all are 

 taught mathematics. 



All seem tliriving here under the strictest system of 

 protection. No one has any fondness for free trade. 

 Government manages everything. You cannot set up 

 a business without leave from the mayor. They are 

 very jealous of us, as we either uudersell or outdo them 

 in everything:. Anything English is valued. IIow 

 many times I have been asked if English razors are 

 very dear, as they are so superior to French ! Many 

 wealthy men are here. Money is worshipped as much 

 as in England ; more so, for those who have it keep it. 

 You do not find the noble examples of self earned fortunes 

 spent like princes, and in doing good as we do at home. 



Last Tuesday was held here the yearly cattle show of 

 eight surrounding departments, viz., Novd, Calais, 

 Somme, Aisne, Oise, Seine-et-Oise, Marne, Seine ; and 

 it is considered a very ianportant meeting. The abattoir 

 in which the cattle were shown was ornamented with a 

 profusion of tii-coloured flag?, and a pavilion was erected 

 for the notabilities who distributed the 38 prizes, which 

 amounted to ^'342. Agriculture is particularly pa- 

 tronized by the Government ; all is done to assist it ; 

 and at the introduction of a new plant, or manufacture 

 connected with it, it is not unusual lor the public money 

 to be lent to the farmers to try it, as was done many 

 years ago at the introduction of the hetteravc for sugar 

 (by-the-bye, there is a new plant, called sorgho, 

 likely in some parts to supersede the raves : I will send 

 you a succinct account of it shortly). 



The number of bullocks exhibited were 80, cows 41, 

 calves 10, sheep 15 lots, pigs 27. The first class 

 were sixteen Flemish beasts, from two to three years old. 

 They are very useful animals ; dark red ; much like a 

 coarse Devon or Sussex. They had evidently been well 

 managed, from their size — generally 14 hands, and one 

 ir> nearly — and not so very long in the leg. Not very 

 fat — fat animals are not relished here, as, from their 

 mode of cooking, the fat does not come to table : all is 

 boiled or baked to rags ; nothing like cur English 

 cooking. As to a good floury potato, no one knows 

 what it is. 



The first class had three prizes of £28, £-2i, and £'20, 

 and two were " honourably mentioned." 



Tne next lot in same class were 12 more, same breed, 

 from 3 to 4 years old ; they also had three prizes of 

 L28, £2-4, and £20. 



The second class consisted of three lots. The first 

 were Flemish bullocks, without reference to age; these 

 had three prizes of £10, £12, and £8. The second lot 

 were six Courtois bullocks (a place near the Swiss 

 frontier), a very cloddy animal ; but they seem to have 

 many breeds there. Prize 1, of £16, was somethin'^ 

 like a very coarse Ayrshire ; the second prize, of £12, 

 more like a Hereford ; and the honourably mentioned 

 was a little thick dun bullock, like a bad Highlander. 



The third lot were 27 of all breeds : many were crossed 

 with Durham. Prize l,of £16, was like a leggy York, 

 with roach back ; prize 2, was £12 ; and prize 3, £8 — 

 in my opinion, the beat half-bred English of the lot. 



The 41 cows were better than the bullocks : I may 

 say they were excellent. The first prize, of £12, was 

 thorough-bred English (of course bred in France, the 

 property of the Marquis of ^'erdun, of D'Ancy iManche, 

 in Normandy) ; not large, but very neat ; her live 

 weight was 230 stone ; that would be about luO stone 

 dead. He sold her for £5.5 to a butclier, who expected 

 to get a prize with her at a Show at Bergues tlus week. 

 Sicoiid prize, of £10, was an Engli>h roun ; very good 

 al3,>. Third, of £9, was a Dutch cow ; fourth, of £S, 

 was half-Eni>lish and Flemish — very neat, but small; 

 fifth, of £7; sixth, of £6; seventh, of £5 IDs.; 

 eighth, of £.") ; ninth, of £4 10s. ; tenth, of £4 ; and 

 some honourably mentioned. I would not wish for 41 

 more useful cows. 



The fourth lot were 27 cattle, in droves of four and 

 five each. Many of these were a distant breed (F 

 believe, Courtois), \ery thick and heavy, 13i hands 

 high (I like to speak within bounds). There was only 

 one prize of £20 in this lot, and that was given to five 

 yellow dun bullocks between five and six years old, 

 which had evidently been worked ; and handsome they 

 looked, no doubt, i.i their harness. There was not a 

 single polled cow or beast, and they were all trimmed ; 

 the latter was a pity. 



Ten fat calves come next in the list, generally Dutch 

 bred, from 11 weeks to 3 J months old ; nothing particu- 

 larly good. There were two prizes of £6 and £4. 



The sheep were divided into two classes : 1st, young 

 sheep, without reference to breed. The first prize of 

 £16 was for a lot of half-bred Flemish and half-bred 

 Down yearlings ; second of £12, for a lot of 14 months 

 old same breed ; third of £8, for some 1 month old do. 

 All had their tails bobbed short, and were shorn : the 

 last lot cut lOlbs. wool each (lOd. per lb.), and would 

 weigh 11 stone each. The 2nd class was divided into 

 two lots ; one without restrictions, and the other me- 

 rino or half-merinos. The first prize of £12 was for 

 some three- year-old half-bred Flemish and Leicester 

 very big heavy sheep; the second, of £8, for some 

 same breed two-years old ; and the third of £4 for half- 

 Flemish half- Down. They told me the wool of the 

 Down cross was worth more than the Leicester cross. 



The merinos and half-breds were enormously fat; I 

 never saw fatter. There was only <me prize of £12, 

 and that was given to half-merino half- Leicester. This 

 wool does not fetch the highest price. I shall know the 

 live and dead weight, all in one of these lots. 



Pigs were good. Short-legged, hardy, white hogs, 

 two prizes of £4 and £3 were given in class 1 (all 

 French breed), and three of £4, £3, and £2 in class 

 2 for cross-breeds. This concludes the list of cattle. 



At 3 o'clock the Prefect of the Department, the Inspec- 

 tor-General of Agriculture from Paris, the Mayor of Lille, 

 their secretaries, and others, all in diplomatic blue uni- 

 forms, cocked hats, and swords, took their seats under 

 the Pavilion, while the brass band of 1st Dragoons 

 amused the crowd. The Prefect began by congratulating 

 the people on the progress I hey had made m agri- 

 culture in the north, combining it with manufactures, 

 by feeding the cattle on their refuse, making Lille 

 an especial place of attraciion to all who had an 

 interest in land. He thanked all who had as- 

 sisted, and the many who had come from 

 distant parts to do honour to the meeting. Ihe Go- 

 vernment was anxious to give every e.icouragcm-.nt pos- 

 sible to agriculture. " The Emperor applies himself 

 energetic-iliy and at all limes to the agriculture of 

 France : to raise it to the utmost of his power was hiB 

 most earnest desire. He depends on you to assist him 

 in this good work, and in that hope I am happy to 

 join you in exclaiming' ' Vive L'Empereur. The 



Inspector-General then rose, and in the name of 



