THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



101 



and of the remarkable breeds. We now resume our 

 task, and attempt to describe the most striking features 

 presented by each department, taking them in the same 

 order as they are arranged in the bulky catalogue forming 

 an 8vo. volume of no less than G-18 pages, which the 

 French authorities most disinterestedly supply for the 

 reasonable charge of one franc. 



THE HORSES. 



The horse exhibition was placed along the Cours la 

 Reine, where sheds divided into comfortable stalls, most 

 substantially built, had been erected. The mangers were 

 lined with zinc, and the racks were also made of gal- 

 vanized iron. There were three rows of sheds : one for 

 the stallions, one for the mares, and the third, which 

 was divided into loose boxes, for mares with colts at foot- 

 The whole length of the sheds was about 500 yards. 

 They were boarded up at the back, and closed in front 

 by substantial hangings, which were raised by day and 

 dropped by night. A detachment of cavalry soldiers 

 were every day to attend the horses, who were liberally 

 provided with fodder at the expense of the Government. 



There were about 800 horses exhibited, besides a few 

 asses of very large kind, used for the breeding of mules 

 in Poitou and the Pyrennees ; and, certainly, anything 

 more uncouth and ugly it would be difficult to conceive 

 than the ungainly, long-eared, big-limbed, and shaggy- 

 haired brutes we saw exhibited under the name of Poitou 

 Asine breed, although we were told that six hundred 

 guineas had been bid for the first prize animal, a vicious 

 and hideous looking brute, setting up every now and 

 then such a yell, in which his kindred heartily joined, 

 that it sufficed to put all bystanders to flight. 



There were only two classes ; the first comprising the 

 horses, the second the asses. These two classes were 

 subdivided into categories and sections. The amount of 

 the prizes offered for the horse class, irrespective of the 

 gold, silver, and bronze medals, amounted to more than 

 seven thousand pounds ! and for the asses, of which 

 there were very few — not more than seven or eight — to 

 £232. The Horse Class was divided into six categories, 

 comprising, 1, the thorough-bred horses ; 2, the half- 

 bred coaching horses ; 3, the half-bred light-weight 

 horses; 4, heavy-draught horses; 5, light-draught 

 horses ; G, horses kept for the breeding of mules. 

 Each category was subdivided into sections, each 

 comprising peculiar breeds, or those horses bred in 

 various districts of France. Thus the first category, 

 that of the blood horses, comprised three sections, viz. 

 pure English blood, pure Arab, and pure Anglo-Arab. 



The second category was subdivided into three sec- 

 tions, comprising 1, horses bred in the departments of 

 the province of Normandy; 2, those bred in Poitou, 

 Saintongc, and Anjou ; and, 3, those less distinctive 

 racdfe bred in any other district. This will suffice to give 

 an idea how the exhibition was arranged, the desire of the 

 managing committee being evidently to group the prin- 

 cipal French breeds together. Among these, the most 

 remarkable for their merits and distinctive points may be 

 enumerated and described as follows : The Norman 

 horses, generally half-bred, and principally used for 



carriage purposes; of these there were 117 exhibited? 

 many of them very useful horses, bearing unmistakable 

 signs of English blood and mettle. Next came the Breton 

 horses, generally of an iron-grey colour. There were 86 

 horses of this useful breed, divided into light-weight 

 half-bred, heavy and light- draught classes. These horses, 

 many of which are imported into the West of England* 

 are strong, enduring, and , indefatigable ; but they 

 generally lack mettle, and are very slow walkers. 

 Having known this breed for many years, we may state 

 that it has been greatly improved of late, and its represen- 

 tatives at the Paris exhibition certainly formed one of the 

 most meritorious class in the horse show. The far-famed 

 Percheronne breed comprised 53 horses, of both heavy 

 and light draught. This race of horses, which unfor- 

 tunately seems to be on the wane as a distinctive breed, 

 so diluted its blood appears to be by random and un- 

 judicious crossings, is chiefly bred in the department of 

 Orne. It is light grey in colour, almost merging into 

 white about the neck and head ; but there were many 

 animals exhibited in this class who had not even this 

 characteristic point to show their kindred. Some of the 

 broodmares were splendid, exhibiting every feature and 

 point of excellence for which this breed was in olden 

 times held in so much esteem and repute. 



Among the heavy and light draught horses, and es- 

 pecially for the latter purpose, we have again a very 

 valuable breed, called the Boulonaise, from the north of 

 France. Before the railway era these horses were 

 chiefly bred for bringing the fish supplies from Bou- 

 logne and Calais to Paris. They have, of course, been 

 somewhat neglected of late, their peculiar usefulness 

 being totally cancelled by the railway mode of trans- 

 port ; but it presents still many valuable qualities, 

 which, especially in the eye of the Boulognese breeders, 

 give it a great value, and, it must be said, a somewhat 

 overdue appreciation of its excellence. In the year 

 1856, at the Chelmsford meeting of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society of England, there were several good spe- 

 cimens of this breed, although they failed to enlist on 

 the part of Englishmen an equal amount of enthu- 

 siastic admiration as was expressed by their owners. 

 Their principal merit consists in their trotting powers, 

 and the long stride which their muscular legs ena- 

 ble them to take. These are the principal dis- 

 tinct breeds of France ; all the others, although they 

 bear on the catalogue some distinctive appellations, do 

 not appear to possess any characteristic mark or any 

 fixed point which may stamp them as an established 

 breed peculiar for its purpose, or even native peculiarity. 

 There were altogether 765 entries of horses and 23 of 

 asses. Taken as a whole, this department of the Great 

 Exhibition was more interesting, from its collective and 

 comparative character, than from any extraordinary 

 merit in the animals exhibited ; and it may be said 

 without any disparagement ot our neighbours, that they 

 must make yet a much greater advance in the process 

 of improving their breeds of horses before they can reach 

 the standard attained in England. 



THE CATTLE DEPARTMENT. 



The French breeds of cattle were arranged into 18 



