^58 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



a third prize at Windsor, and second at Lewes, Emperor 

 ■ is by Napoleon the 3rd (1019), winner of a first pi-ize at 

 Chelmsford, and medal with high commendation at Paris, 

 where his sire Walford (871), won the first jn-ize of l,OiiO 

 francs and gold medal ; his dam Carlisle won 'the first prize 

 in her class at the Carlisle, Chelmsford, and Salisbury 

 meetings of the Eoyal Agricultural Society of England. 

 Animals so descended cannot fail to improve the herds in 

 whicli they may be placed. 



BERKELEY AND THORNBURY AGRI- 

 CULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 



There are few parts of England where the establishment of 

 8n agricultural society was more needed than in this ; for 

 there is scarcely any other branch of farming that has made 

 so little progress as . that in connection with the dairy. If 

 we except a few inventions in machinery, scarcely any novelty 

 has been introduced, and the present generation has been coa- 

 tented to amble on in the footsteps of their forefathers. la 

 some districts, local meetings may probably be in excess ; but 

 this is, without any doubt, an exception ; and the bantling 

 being now fairly brought into existence, requires only the fos- 

 tering care of its supporters to render it amongst the most 

 useful and important of the local agricultural associations. 



In order to raise the system of dairy practice to its most 

 profitable condition various items come under notice, not 

 one of the least important being the kind of manure best 

 adapted for the production of cheese, as experience deter- 

 mines that while farm-yard manure increases the quantity 

 of herbage, it has a prejudicial influence on the quality of 

 the cheese. To determine which are the most valuable pro- 

 perties in a dairy-cow is also an important question: 

 whether it is most profitable to select animals highly gifted 

 for their contributions to the pail, without reference to 

 future feeding properties, or whether it is most desirable to 

 cultivate those animals which combine fair pretensions in 

 both respects— can only be determined by carefully- 

 conducted experiments. The culture of roots forms another 

 interesting feature as regards successful farming in this 

 district, particularly so as touching the proportion of land 

 that can be most advantageously employed in that manner, 

 but which on many farms is considerably restricted. 



To Sir Maurice F. F. Berkeley and Colonel Berkeley 

 the establishment of this society is principally due. The gal- 

 lant Admiral has been most liberal in affording every facility 

 for the exhibition by permitting the use of the newly-erected 

 farm-buildingg at Ham, a short distance from the Castle ; and 

 the only cloud to the full enjoyment of this, the inaugurating 

 meeting, was the lamented death of one of the farmers' first 

 patrons, the Duke of Richmond, to whom Sir Maurice Berke- 

 ley was nearly connected by marriage. Thus a large party of 

 distinguished guests, who had been invited to partake of the 

 hospitalities of Berkeley Castle, were, under the melancholy 

 circumstances, compelled to submit to the disappointment of 

 not being received. 



The attendance of visitors in the town, however, far ex- 

 ceeded the most sanguine expectations of the Society ; but 

 this may in some measure have arisen from the very 

 liberal amount of premiums being given, exceeding in many 

 instances sums offered by societies of old standing. 



The first class for the best bull, cow, and their offspring, in- 

 cluded eight sets of animals, for which the first prize of £12 

 was awarded to Mr. W. J. Pouting, of Hamfield, near Berke- 

 ley; the second, of £8, to the Earl Ducie, of Tortworth Park, 

 Wotton-under-Edge; the third of £4 to Sir M. F. F, Ber- 

 keley K.C.B., of Berkeley Castle. Commendations were 

 given to the animals exhibited by Mr. Richard Barton, of 

 Oakley, near Berkeley, and Mr. John NichoUs, of Iron Acton, 

 near Bristol. 



In the second class, for bulla above 2 years old, the bulls 

 shown in the first class held similar positions in this : the pre- 



Sended '°^ ' """^ ^^- ^"' ^'"'"'' ''"^ ^^^ *=°'^- 



Both these classes were well represented, and a remarkably 

 level, symmetrical bull. Prince of Orange, exhibited by Sir 

 Maurice Berkeley, would have undoubtedly been awarded the 

 first prize had he been more perfect to the touch. 



The next class, for bulls under two years old, contained si^ 

 very useful animals, the best of which was Mr. Saul Savager's, 

 of Lays Farm, near Wotton-under-Edge; the second best, 

 Mr, John Hopkins Knight, of Haw Park, near Wotton-under- 

 Edge ; the third best, the Earl of Ducie's, of Tortworth Park, 

 near Wotton-under-Edge. 



Class 4, for the best cow in-calf or in milk, strange to say, 

 in this extensive dairy district, contained only four entries, 

 three of which were exhibited by Mr. Richard Barton, of 

 Oakleys, near Berkeley, the other by Mr. Henry Barber, of 

 Blisbury, near Berkeley. The former gentleman took the two 

 first prizes, the latter the third. 



Mr. William Jones Pouting, who already had the two first 

 premiums accredited to him, was again successful in Class V 

 for the beat pair of in-calf heifers ; the above Mr. Richard 

 Barton, came in for second honour ; Mr. William Gaisford, of 

 Stone, near Berkeley, third. Highly commended : Sir George 

 Jenkinson, Bart., of Eastwood Park, near Berkeley; and 

 commended, Mr. William Cox Wetmore, of Stone, near 

 Berkeley. 



For the best pair of stirks the aforesaid Mr. Richard Barton 

 took the first prize, and Mr. William Gaisford the second and 

 third. The respective value of prizes in each of the last four 

 classes were £5 for the first, £3 for the second, and £1 for 

 the third. 



Two remarkably good Hereford oxen, exhibited by Mr. 

 William Taylor, of Henbury, near Bristol, took the two 

 prizes of £8 and £4 respectively for first and second in Class?; 

 a good short-horn shown by Mr. John Richings, of Wottoa- 

 upon-Edge, receiving only a commendation. 



Class 8, for the best fat cow, contained eight entries, whereof 

 the best was adjudged to be that of Mr. Richings, the second- 

 best that of Sir M.P. F, Berkeley, K.C.B. 



A special prize, given by Sir Maurice Berkeley, for the beat 

 mare and foal for hunting purposes, attracted the attention of 

 nine exhibiters ; and in this class were' some good-looking 

 promising foals, many of them bidding fair to shame their 

 dams in aristocratic appearance and true symmetry of form ; 

 for good brood mares do not abound in this vale at present, 

 neither do their owners pay that regard to good keep which is 

 essentially necessary to success in breeding horses. With the 

 exception of one by Kingstown, all the foals were by Moor- 

 cock and Elvaston, The first prize of £10 in this class was 

 given to Colonel Berkeley, M.P., WickseUne, near Berkeley, 

 and the second of £5 to Mr, James Nicholls, of Symond's- 

 hall, near Wotton-under-Edge. Commended : Mr. Thomas 

 Taylor, Pearse-of-Mobley, near Berkeley. 



In Class 10, for the best stallion for agricultural purposes, 

 of which there were only four, with the exception of the one 

 to which the prize of £\Q was awarded, they were an indiffer- 

 ent sample. The successful exhibitor, Mr. Burnett, of Kings- 

 cote, near Wotton-under-Edge, possesses a useful three years 

 old colt of the Clydesdale breed. The judges highly com- 

 mended a grey exhibited by Mr. Alfred Paulton, of East- 

 court, near Tetbury. His great size, it may be presumed, 

 gained him the distinction. 



Among the mares and foals for agricultural purposes there 

 was nothing worthy of more than mere passing mention. 

 The first prize of £5 was gained by Mr. Samuel Long, of 

 Clingre, near Dursley ; and the second prize of £3 by Mr. 

 George Laurence, of Hurst Farm, Slimbridge. A very re- 

 spectable exhibition followed, for fillies or geldings for agri- 

 cultural purposes, of which there were six. The first prize, 

 £5, fell to Mr. William Hill, of Hengaston, near Berkeley; 

 the second, of ^£'3, to Mr. Henry Bailey, of Wallgaston, near 

 Berkeley. Commended, Mr. Thomas Shipp, of Slimbridge; 

 Mr. Joseph Adams, of Huntingford, near Wotton-under- 

 Edge ; and Mr. Henry Barber, of BUsbury, near Berkeley. 



We now approach the sheep, which were decidedly the only 

 weak feature of the exhibition ; but it is not a sheep district, 

 therefore a numerous entry could not have been expected, and 

 it behoves the Society to consider whether another year their 

 funds cannot be better appropriated. With the exception 

 of the first prize of £4 for a ram, which went to the Woiid'a 

 End, and to the exchequer and fac^e of a worthy cuUivato, 



