THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



263 



grubbing harrow, a horse rake for whickea hay or corn, with 

 improved patent regulator, an improved mowing and reaping 

 machine, and a corn dressing machine. 



The Trustees of W. Croaskill, Beverley Iron Works, Bever- 

 ley, £3, a Newcastle prize l-horae cart and harvest shelyinga, 

 with double draw tipper and spring tail board, 3^- inch tire, to 

 carry 20 cwt. ; and other articles. 



Messrs. Maule and Sons, 10s., a stand of various carriages 

 and harness, 



Mr. James Wood, Eglingham, Alnwick, £1, a hay and corn 

 rake, a pair of grass seed harrows, a grubbing harrow, a swing 



plough, and a ribbing plough with two mouldboards and clean- 

 ing coulters, 



Mr. John Turner, Alnwick, £2, a reaping machine, two 

 ploughs, set of iron harrows, and two turnip cutters. 



Mr. J. Gregory, agricultural implement maker, Westoe, 

 South Shields, £2, Cuthbert's patent double and single horse 

 reaping machine, and other articles. 



Mr. W. Trotter, South Acomb, Newcastle, £1, a patent 

 flexible combined reaping and mowing machine. 



Messrs. Wilkia and Dickman, £3, for a quantity of agricul- 

 tural implements. 



CLEVELAND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MEETING AT MIDDLESBRO'-ON-TEES. 



To enlarge the area of show-yard competition seems 

 to be the special aim of this spirited society. Last year 

 it revived the hound shows, which had long since sunk 

 into oblivion, and appropriately placed its first wreath on 

 the brow of the " Premier Huntsman of England." The 

 experiment was so successful that the committee decided on 

 having three classes in the foxhound department; and by 

 way of adding further Mat to their first day, instituted a 

 £100 and a £^^20 prize for the stallion " best calculated 

 to improve and perpetuate the breed of the sound and 

 stout thorough-bred horse, not only for racing but also 

 for general stud purposes." At one time it was thought 

 that the twenty horses mentioned in the conditions 

 would not be forthcoming ; but the entry closed at last 

 with twenty-one. And when the word was passed from 

 town to hamlet, throughout the whole breadth of York- 

 shire, that " Volty" and Fandango were in, the prize 

 assumed the proportions of " a great fact" at last. 



The weather was rather unpromising on the morning of 

 the Thursday ; and such had been the heavy wet of the 

 previous day and night, that hay-making was quite sus- 

 pended. Hence the attendance was anything but large; 

 and the state of the show-meadow, which was in some 

 places little better than a morass, sadly interfered with 

 the horses' action. The arrangements in the yard were 

 remarkably good. The hounds were located under a 

 large tent, from which two union-jacks waved; and the 

 thorough-breds were stabled in a long row of extempore 

 sheds, closed in with a canvas passage, along which the 

 judges were conducted for a preliminary survey. The 

 three judges were chosen with great care and tact. In 

 the absence of Mr. George Payne, the turf interest was 

 represented by Mr. James Wetherby, the Secretary to 

 the Jockey Club ; the hunter breeders, by Mr. Hobson, 

 of Kettleby, the breeder of North Lincoln ; and the 

 trainers by Mr. Thomas Dawson, of Middleham. 

 Ethelbert, Cavendish, and Wild Huntsman did not 

 come. At twelve o'clock the first of the eighteen can- 

 didates was called into the ring, in the shape of Hunting 

 Horn, the winner of the royal prize at Warwick last 

 year. Motley, Tirailleur, Lord Fauconberg, Voltigeur, 

 Fandango, Backbiter, The Hadji, Claret, Windhound, 

 De Clare, Farnham, Dr. Sangrado, Saunterer, Neville, 

 The Cure, Hospitality, and General Williams followed. 

 After looking them through, in rather more than two 

 hours, the judges retired to lunch; and then the office 

 was given that Lord Fauconberg, Voltigeur, Fandango, 

 De Clare, Saunterer, and The Cure " would be wanted 

 again ;" and they were summoned into the ring to- 

 gether. De Clare's friends had become very confident ; 

 and the very long second inspection he received raised 

 their hopes not a little. However, matters took the op- 

 posite turn, and he and Saunterer received their conge. 

 The inspection was just reaching its most interesting 

 point, when a Budd«a hurricane of rain sent horses, 



judges, and spectators flying beneath canvas 

 tor shelter ; and gossip was left to do the rest, 

 till " the momentous question" was set at rest at din- 

 ner. The general impression prevailed that Voltigeur 

 (1) and Lord Fauconberg (2) would be the fiat, but 

 after dinner the secret was announced that The Cure 

 had come up next to the great Richmond horse, and 

 that Fandango and Lord Fauconberg were commended. 

 We believe that the decision was quite unanimous, and 

 although The Cure and Lord Fauconberg had each 

 strong parties, it seemed to be the one most acceptable 

 to the public. 



The hound decisions were very quickly got through by 

 Messrs. Hodgson, Milbanke, Williamson, and Steere, 

 all ex-masters ; but they lost their interest in a great 

 measure, owing to the absence of the Duke of Beau- 

 fort's lot. Tom Sebright was not in such force as last 

 year, and a second to Ben Morgan, Lord Middleton's 

 huntsman, in the puppy class, was all he could achieve. 

 Ben was beaten in his turn by Mr. Hill's couple, in 

 the three-season-and-upwards class, and again by the 

 Durham County for the best stallion foxhound. The 

 grey and white Splendour, of Foljambeand Ainsty blood, 

 was the winner in the latter class; but the decision was 

 not generally liked, and public opinion ran in favour of 

 Middleton Corporal, who was substituted by *' Ben" for 

 his favourite Chanticleer. Much credit is due to the 

 Society for having taken the initiative, but the exhibi- 

 tion bore no comparison with that at Pontefract, and 

 the only pull in its favour was that the huntsmen all 

 appeared in scarlet. 



The shoeing match was in its way a hit, and eighteen 

 sons of Mulciber entered their names in the lists. Un- 

 fortunately they got it into their heads that pace was 

 the great requisite, and hence those who felt sure of 

 winning because they had made and fixed on a shoe in 

 something like a quarter of an hour were rather aston- 

 ished to find that the winner had taken rather more 

 than double than time. The crowd also caught " the 

 short time" notion, and vigorously clapped the candi- 

 dates which passed through the ordeal most rapidly. 

 A silver medal and £3 was the prize for the first, and 

 £2 for the second, and never did men wear their tickets 

 more proudly than the winners. Still, the work, oa 

 the whole, was far from good. 



Thursday was a most cheerless day, and from the 

 time that the animals entered the yard, until the lunch 

 was over, and the company adjourned to see the leaping, 

 it rained unceasingly, The attendance of Shorthorns 

 was stronger in quality than in quantity. Mr. Richard 

 Booth sent his Queen Mab and won the head prize, for 

 cows, with Lady Pigot's Duchess of Glos'ter for her 

 second. The latter seems to improve with travel, and 

 at her six shows this year, she has been four times first, 

 once second, and once third. She returned home from 



