THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



535 



unless they really wanted cattle, as, after a little Welsh 

 chatter, and some Liggle-haggliug, the bids were taken, 

 and caps and slicks tossed into the air with tremendous 

 shouts. Some small lots of calves, in fair condition, 

 offered for in an off-hand way, without the least intention 

 of bujiug, were in this way sold at what was called the 

 " even money" of £4. In those cases where the calves 

 were wanted, sales took place at better prices ; and one prime 

 lot of drawn calves brought .£7, The average of the field was 

 not, however, more than £'}. Two-year-old heifers and steers 

 were in rather more favour than ihe calves, and brought all 

 Kinds of prices, the more conscionable buyers not caring, as 

 they expressed it, to " take the beasts for nothing." The 

 top price for prime drawn heifers was i;8 lOs, to -t'l), and 

 some small mixed lots were taken as low as A'li, the average 

 of the lield being i'7. Steers brought much the same 

 prices. The South Wales cattle numbered rather over 800 

 head; and what has been said of North Wales cattle applies 

 equally to them. Towards the middle of the day, both the 

 North and South Wales fields looked as if well cleared ; but 

 not more than 200 head had been then sold, the cattle 

 being merely less at large. At the close of the fair, a large 

 half remained unsold ; and the Kent farmers, if they have 

 plenty of good hay, may yet fill their cattle-yards on easy 

 terms. 



The Shorthoens. — The show of Shorthorns was really 

 good, and, calves included, there were about 700 head. Of 

 the Johnstone Shorthorns there were 150 on the field : 

 one half of the number being heifers in-calf, and the other 

 barn-feeding heifers. By the middle of the day 100 of 

 the number had been sold, and on the second day only a 

 few remained : the calf heifers bringing \U. to 182., and 

 the feeding heifers 8/. to 12/. There were no Johnstone 

 cows offered. From Buckinghamshire there were two or 

 three prime herds of Shorthorns, in which a fair amount 

 of business was transacted, but at irregular prices, equally 

 good two-year-olds being sold at 9/. and 10?. Three-year- 

 olds not diflering appreciably brought \U., 14L 10s., and 

 \bl. A few prime drawn well conditioned cattle brought 

 16/. Calves were freely offered at 6J., but attracted little 

 or no notice, and at the close a good half of all sorts re- 

 mained unsold. 



The Devons and Hekefords. — The Devons numbered 

 500 head, and the Herefords 300 head, and both were in 

 prime condition. The demand for both was, however, dis- 

 couraging and dull, and the transactions could scarcely 

 have been remunerative. The top prices realized for prime 

 drawn Hereford two-year-olds was 13/., prime three-year- 

 olds 16/., and calves 10/. Most of the transactions were 

 below these prices, and some two-year-olds were parted with 

 as low as 8/. lOs. and 9/., and some three-year olds as low as 

 13/. and 10/. 10s. Devons were scarcely so much in favour as 

 the Herefords, and must be quoted a shade lower and a 

 little more inactive, But the Devons were unusually fine 

 cattle, and, unless in the exceptional state of things now 

 existing, would have been cleared without difficulty. The 

 clearance of the Devons and Herefords was less than of 

 the Shorthorns, and upon the whole considerably less 

 satisfactory to the sellers. 



General Stock. — Under the head of general stock may 

 be included the few Highland Scots offered, the few Irish 

 and Continental, and the barn cows. The total number 

 of these as near as can be was 80C head, and the demand 

 •was very dull. Scarcely a single buyer found Ms way into 

 that part of the fair-field occupied by this stock, and a large 

 three-fourths were at the close driven out unsold. For 

 really useful Irish three-year-old heifers not more than 7/. 

 was bid, and some sales were made at slightly better 

 prices. Old barn cows were offered freely at bl. and 6/., 

 and some young barn cows as low as 6/. without attracting 

 a single purchaser. Highland Scots and Dutch were also 

 quite neglected, the few ofl'ered not presenting any choice. 



Milk Cows. — The number of milk cows large for the 

 season, and prices may be quoted 2/. less than the London 

 prices ten days since. Of good cows perhaps not twenty 

 changed hands, and the inferior were driven home unsold. 

 Eeally prime dairy cows could be had for 20/., and good useful 

 animals as low as 10/. and 15/. 



Sheep. — The supply of sheep was more than usually 

 large, the collector making 500 pens, and sis pens being 

 rated to 100 sheep, the number offered was no less than 



8,000 odd. Lower prices led only to a very limited demand, 

 and it is perhaps within the mark to say that not 1,000 

 sheep changed hands in the regular way. What sales were 

 made were at irregular prices, wethers ranging from 256. 

 to 35s., and lambs 15s. to 25s, 



Swine. — The supply of young swine was also large, and 

 the transactions limited, at fair prices. 



Horses. — In horses there was little or no business done, 

 and quotations are merely nominal. An unusual number 

 of farm horses were ofl'ered, bul|driven home again, there 

 being no demand. Cart-horses also stood all day without 

 being trotted out, and there was little or no excitement 

 with colts. Horses of all kinds were in fact never a greater 

 drug, and if the truth were told not a hundred of the great 

 number ofl'ered found purchasers. The prices asked for 

 cart-horses }-anged from 35/. to 45/., cart colts 28/. to 35/., 

 and nags 40/. to 45/. Farm horses were offered at all 

 prices, from KM. to 25/. and upwards. Welsh colts brought 

 10/. to 12/., and ponies 6/. to SI. 



DUTY ON 



An account of the duty on 

 year 1860: 



Collections. 



Barnstaple . . . . 



Canterbury ,. 

 - Essex .. <. 



Gloucester . . . . 



Hants 

 Hereford 

 Isle of Wight 

 Lincoln 

 Lynn 

 Oxford 

 Reading 



Rochester . . . . 



Sheffield 

 Stourbridge .. 

 Suffolk 

 Surrey 

 Sussex 



"VVales (middle) 

 'Worcester . . 



Old duty, at Id. and 3-StliB of a 

 farthing per pound. . 



£69,763 2 A\ 



53,485 1 1|| 



Inland Revenue Office, 

 Nov. (Jth, 1860. 



W. M. MoxoN, 



Chief Accountant. 



BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND AGRICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETY.— A meeting of the Local Committee 

 was held at the Town Hall, Truro, on Monday, Nov. 19; Mr. 

 P. P. Smith, Vice-president, in the chair. There was a nu- 

 merous attendance of members; and, by invitation from 

 the secretary, Mr. Whitley, several leading agriculturists in 

 Truro, on account of the Five Weeks Cattle Fair, attended 

 the meeting. The two chief subjects brought forward 

 ^vere— Local Prizes, and the preparation of a paper on 

 Cornish Agriculture. After much discu-sion, the meeting 

 concurred in opinion that, considering the demands which 

 would be made on the funds of the Local Committee, and 

 that it would be undesirable to attach a small e.iliibition to 

 the <^reat and all- important one for the year; the better 

 course was to postpone the subject of local prizes for three 

 months. With regard to the proposed essay on Cornish 

 Agriculture, the secretary reported that he had conferred 

 with Mr. Goodwin, the editor of the Bath and West of Eng- 

 land Society's Journal, and had also communicated with 

 the gentlemen who had been suggested as suitable persons 

 to undertake the authorship of the essay ; but all had 

 declined the duty. It was therefore rosolved, at the soli- 

 citation of the committee, that the secretary, j^Ir. 

 Whitley, be requested to prepare such a paper, aud that the 

 matter be left in his hands. The following gentlemen were 



