130 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Mr. Crisp, of Chillesford, and the Messrs. Wolton, were 

 the chief exhibitors of the home-breed ; whilst Mr. 

 Crisp, of Butley Abbey, and Sir Edward Kerrison had 

 a few of the more fashionable Shorthorns. Sir Edwai'd's 

 second prize bull, with a most imposing pedigree, was 

 bred by His Royal Highness the Prince Consort. Mr. 

 Barthropp did not care to send his entries ; indeed, we 

 hear he is gradually " getting out" again, and crossing 

 the Herd Book with something a little less distinguished. 

 Major Parker sent a good roan of his own rearing, but 

 the show of Shorthorns, as at Norwich, depended upon 

 Lady Pigot. There was Lady Sarah, from Mr. Am- 

 bler's herd j Duchess the 8th, from Jonas Webb ; the 

 superb Empress of Hindostan, from Warlaby ; and a 

 couple of clever yearlings. But then, alas ! beyond 

 these there was the famous Stanley Rose, purchased 

 only last year at Mr. Wetherell's sale for three hundred 

 guineas, and now entered as a fat beast, too soon to be 

 led to the shambles. Stanley Rose, like many more 

 of the overdone, will not breed ; and by the time she 

 reaches the butcher will be about as dear a bargain as 

 the Cochin China cock the worthy citizen gave " a 

 pony" for, but which his wife had killed for dinner 

 directly he was sent home. Mr. Rigden, who 

 " threatens" strongly for Canterbury, was alike a Judge 

 of beasts, sheep, and pigs ; but they did not bring him 

 much to look at in the way of a Southdown. The long- 

 wools were far better, headed as they were by Mr. 

 Sexton's magnificent Cotswold, the first prize ram at 

 Norwich ; and backed by his other prize sheep of the 

 Essex Meeting. He went further to uphold the excel- 

 lence of his very rising flock with a pen of no less than 

 twenty most promising useful lambs. Mr. Aylmer and 

 Mr. Brown, from the adjoining county, had also some 

 most creditable long-wools; and Mr. Dobito stood pre- 

 eminent for the black-faces, according to the catalogue 

 " now named the Sufiblk." This gentleman's tups 

 had size, shape, and quality to recommend them ; 

 at the same time it is no secret that to get this they are 

 frequently crossed— with the Hampshire Downs more 

 especially. The ewes, again, are readily bought up as 

 a capital nick for the white-faced rams. But still the 

 breed does not tell, and Mr. Dobito is almost alone the 

 great champion of his order. At the dinner Sir Edward 

 Kerriaon once more entered his protest against them. 

 He had tried an experiment with these sheep and some 

 other varieties, and he found the black-faces quick in 

 their growth, but with no fattening qualities whatever. 

 In this respect they were " most abominable." When 

 his other sorts " had long been sold-ofi" to the butcher, 

 the SufFolks were walking about showing their ribs and 

 looking like scare-crows." Unfortunately for the de- 

 bate, Sir Edward was in the chair, so that Mr. Dobito 

 could not well rise to reply without being directly 

 called upon. But surely the Sufiblk Association cannot 

 have given its name and patronage to a breed quite so 

 bad as all this. 



Mr. Stearn and his challenge were the great sensation 

 amongst the pigs. A short time since Mr. Stearn 

 ofi'ered, under the auspices of the Society, to show a sow 

 and pigs against all the world for ten pounds aside ; 

 while the excitement was immensely increased by this 

 being taken up in his own county. Mr. G. M. Sexton 

 •was willing to compare a black sow and her thirteen 

 pigs against Mr. Steam's white sow and her fourteen 

 pigs, and so the wager was made. Great, then, was the 

 preparation at Brandeston. As Mr. Austin, the Recorder 

 of Ipswich, and Mr. Steam's landlord, detailed at the 

 dinner, for the last three weeks the two households, the 

 masters, the men, the ladies, and the children, had been 

 alternately in " the extacy of hope and the agony of 

 apprehension." Every morning brought some fresh 

 rumour. Every morning did the white sow and her 



litter take their bath of suds, milk and sugar. And 

 when they came to Framliogham, "the sow rode iu 

 her own private carriage, while I was on the point of 

 offering a parasol a-piece for the little pigs." Mr. 

 Stearn was iu no ways behind his landlord in doing 

 proper honour to " the most beautiful pigs under the 

 sun," and had attendant swineherds in waiting round 

 the roofed-in pen, appropriately and becomingly at- 

 tired, in red jockey jackets, with blue caps and 

 white trousers. It would have been hard, indeed, 

 to have been beaten after this, although long did 

 the judges deliberate. Mr. Sexton's sow was 

 clearly the better of the two, and took the 

 first prize of her class here, as she did 

 at Norwich. But the white pigs were wonderful ; and 

 whether it was the milk, the suds, or the sugar, never 

 was there such a litter for their age. So eventually 

 the sweepstakes was decided in their favour, and "this 

 torture of mind, these agonies of hope and despair in 

 Brandeston," brought to a triumphant end. Mr. Sex- 

 ton showed some other capital black pigs, which, with 

 some equally good of Mr. Crisp's, will go on to Can- 

 terbury, to have the actual advantage still further ad- 

 justed. There were also one or two pretty white Suf- 

 folks from Butley ; but none of those round-backed, 

 long-headed, hungry-looking monsters we met with at 

 Norwich, and never hope to meet with again. 



When we consider that two such influential firms as 

 those of Messrs. Garrett and Ransome reside in the 

 county and support the Society, it is not surprising to 

 find that the Suffolk Association has long since ceased 

 to offer premiums for implements. But there were 

 trials at Framlingham, or adjacent to Framlingham, 

 where Fowler's steam plough was at work in the hands 

 of the Ransomes, and Wood's American mower under 

 the care of the Garretts. The Chairman spoke 

 pointedly at the dinner to the eflScieucy of the latter, 

 and the good work it had left. Prentice had also 

 Harwood's combined mower and reaper in operation; 

 but its performance was not so satisfactory. There 

 was a goodly collection of machinery on the Show- 

 ground, mainly contributed by such firms as 

 Burrell ofThetford, Coleman of Chelmsford, Garrett 

 of Lciston, Humphries of Pershore, Page and Gii-ling, 

 Ransomes and Sims, Smyth of Peasenhall, the Turners 

 of Ipswich, and Woods of Stowmarket. A number of 

 engines had their steam up, and there appeared to be a 

 good deal of business going on. Let us take the op- 

 portunity of doing full justice here to one of these 

 Suffolk Houses. In addition to Clayton and Shuttle- 

 worth,' and the Ransomes, Mr. Garrett also sent his 

 fifty to the Benevolent Institution. Indeed he was the 

 first to set such an example to his fellows, whatever 

 may come of it. 



The dinner of the Society was well done. It 

 was alike supported by the owners and 

 occupiers, and between two and three hundred sat down 

 in the Castle Hall. The speaking, too, was generally 

 to the purpose, and Sir Edward Kerrison, in the ab- 

 sence of Lord Stradbroke, made a very efficient chair- 

 man. He has himself evidently a taste for the pursuit 

 — breeds Suffolk horses and Shorthorns — offers prizes 

 for draining work, and exhibits tiles — tries even black- 

 faced sheep, and has a strong opinion as to Mr. Mechi's 

 actual profits of farming. Of Mr. Austin's clever 

 address we have already given a taste, while Major 

 Parker, one of the members for the other division of 

 the county, went well to one of the farmer's points in 

 considering the scarcity of animal food : " There had 

 been an agitation about the dearness of meat, and people 

 at public meetings had resolved that they would starve 

 themselves in order to bring the price down ; those 

 people threw blame upon every quarter but the right, 



