13S 



'JIIK FARMKR'S MACAZINE, 



that quite maintains the repute of her owner. The 

 Judges thought so well of these cows, that they 

 generally commended them, distinguishing Mr. 

 Strattoa by the second prize. Indeed, the 

 Hinton stock never showed so well as it did here. 

 When we consider the company he is in, Mr. Stratton's 

 position is now clearly established as a breeder of first- 

 class animals. In the cow classes, however, Mr. 

 Douglas must on the whole be ranked as only second 

 to Mr. Booth, from whom he will have his best blood. 

 As the property of one man, his pair of three-year-old 

 heifers have never been excelled ; although the Gold 

 Medal and Challenge Cup heifer of the last Dublin show 

 (Venus de Medicij was only the commended here, and her 

 companion. Queen of Trumps, the first prize. But if 

 we recollect aright, the positions of the two have more 

 than once, before this, been reversed. Another of Mr. 

 Douglas' cows, in the all-aged entry, yet holds the 

 challenge cup of the Irish national society. In short, 

 there never were so many excellent animals to be found 

 on the same ground, almost any one of which might 

 have fairly been expected to win. 



The Sliorthorn bulls, if not quite equal to the cows, 

 still studded the catalogue with renowned names and 

 pedigrees. The best bull was undoubtedly the best bred 

 one in his class, coming direct from the Bates' blood, as 

 preserved by the late Lord Ducie. But he was yet 

 quite a contradiction to look at. Of immense size cer- 

 tainly, but very coarse in appearance, with a plain head, 

 a drooping horn, and big joints, the Duke of Oxford 

 owes his success almost entirely to his quality. This 

 was pronounced to be wonderfully fine. Seldom w-as 

 there a beast that handled so well, and this of itself 

 proved his high descent. He is not, however, an animal 

 to please the eye; while his dam, we believe, had the 

 same ugly straight horn and mean head. This bull was 

 bought when a calf at the great Tortworth sale, by Lord 

 Feversham, for three hundred guineas, and his lordship 

 bas no cause to complain of the price. Amongst the 

 other especially good animals in this class were Sir 

 Charles Tempest's Napoleon, Mr. Wetherell's Statesman, 

 and Mr. Fawkes' Sir Edmund Lyons, the first prize 

 yearling at Salisbury. The latter showed to consider- 

 able disadvantage here, not being half the age of the 

 prize bull. Lord Hill's two-year-old is a good useful 

 animal, but scarcely of a first-class character ; while the 

 second, the prize calf at Salisbury, " The Great Mogul," 

 did not come up to the expectations he then raised. 

 The commended bull, belonging to Mr. Fawkes, saving 

 just for a defect or so, might have had the best of it ; 

 but the class positively abounded in good ones. It was 

 a nice point, again, as to which was the best calf, Bon 

 Garcon or Comet, though the prize-list will show how 

 good they either were. Royal Hutterfly, thought to be 

 gure to win, was third to them ; and five others com- 

 mended. 



The Shorthorn honours did not even end here. 

 Say or fancy what some people will, the Judges 

 stamped their excellence for dairy, as well as 

 for feeding, purposes. Of the twelve prizes offered 

 by the local committee for cattle best adapted 



for the dairy, tlevcn were awarded to Shorthorns, a third 

 premium only being given to some cross-bred cows. la 

 short, the Chester Meeting makes the sort fit for any- 

 thing, at the same time an amusing anecdote is told of 

 the matnier in which they maybe prepared. A Steward 

 of the yard encountered a man bringing in four cows, 

 evidently of one herd, although vastly different in appear- 

 ance. Two were well-rounded, plump, comely heifers ; 

 the others prominent in rib and hip-bone, and anything 

 but over-fed. "How is tbii ?" asked the authority ; 

 " what do you mean by fattening one pair and starving 

 the other ?" " Well, sir, you see," answered the herds- 

 man, wiih a grin, " these two be for breeding, and 

 them there thin cows for milking — you understaud ?" As 

 he did at once, no doubt. 



It is not very long since that the other established 

 breeds suffered terribly from comparison with the 

 Durhams, at least in ihe numerical force of the 

 entries. The taste for the Hereford, hawever, is rapidly 

 reviving; and, after doing better and better for some 

 time, their admirers have reached a very admirable show 

 of them at Chester. The cows in this instance had also 

 as a rule the preference, and nothing could look sweeter 

 or prettier than their white faces, ruddy coats, and fine 

 frames. Air. Price, Mr. Hill, Lord Berwick, and Lord 

 Bateman, siill, sent some grand.highly bred bulls, amongst 

 which we cannot help fancying that of the latter noble lord 

 might have taken a higher rank had it not been for the 

 monstrous state of fatness to which he has been brought. 

 We should almost hope he was passed over on this ac- 

 count. He was the first prize bull at the recent West 

 of England Meeting; and really, for compactness of 

 form, size, and quality, is very nearly perfect. The 

 Hereford is becoming more and more worthy of his 

 Herd Book, of which, by the way, Mr. Duckham has 

 just issued his third volume. 



A sense of justice will soon mike it a question whe- . 

 ther the Devons will not have to merge into " the other 

 classes.'' There were, as usual, very few, it' not yet 

 fewer, of them than heretofore, at Chester, But the test 

 of a Devon is more quality than quantity, and Mr. 

 Quartley's cows and Mr, Pope's heifers were very pic- 

 tures of useful beauty. In this Heifer Class there were 

 just three catered, Mr. Pope taking the first and second 

 premiums, and Mr. Davy receiving a high commenda- 

 tion ; so that the Prize Sheet reads far better than the 

 Catalogue. Mr. Pope appears to have got hold of a 

 rare sort of his own, while other exhibitors out of the 

 county generally go to it pretty directly for their ma- 

 terial. In the other established breeds to which the 

 Devons stand in ominous proximity. Lord Southesk's 

 Polled Angus had a long lead. His prize bull was a grand, 

 lengthy, even heist, and altogether of quite a majestic 

 appearance. But the Welsh cattle stood in the great- 

 est prominence here ; and it is only a national meeting 

 like this that can demonstrate how far they may be ac- 

 tually improved. Colonel Pennant's stock are very 

 different to the " runts" we are accustomed to — good 

 even as they are — and it is very evident that, with a 

 little more care, the black cattle of North Wales may 

 become a favourite breed. At present, it is said, the 



