iiU 



THE iARMiiR'S MAUAZiI\'E. 



it was being a Utile too long in the pastern for heavy 

 work — rather a sign of speed than strength. Then his 

 Grace the Duke of JIarlborough put to demonstratiou 

 the difference between a dray-horse and one for agri- 

 cultural purposes. Glengarry, at the first glance, was 

 a magnificent animal, standing over seventeen hands 

 and a hall high, of a very showy colour, and with many 

 catching points. Only adorn him with well-embossed 

 harness, so as to hide his quarters and thighs, and he 

 was quite a lion to " walk up" and see. 



Still the Society's best horse for farmers, or best 

 horse for draymen, did not find the best draught-horse 

 on the Roodee. The local committee ofi'ered their 

 premium also, open without any restriction to all 

 comers; and this attracted, amongst others, two 

 senior wranglers of other years. One was the grey 

 horse " Matchless," who was first at Salisbury 

 last year, and easily identified by his long flowing 

 mane. He looks better out than in, and is anything but 

 improved since last season. The other was the Leicester 

 bred horse " Nonpareil," still better known at the So- 

 ciety's meetings. He was the best two-year-old at Wind- 

 sor, second in his class at Lincoln, and the best horse at 

 Carlisle. He was pronounced, and very deservedly so, 

 the best, again, at Chester. He has worn well, and all 

 his points are now beautifully developed, without any 

 sign as yet of decline. Still it is only fair to remember, 

 when estimating the merits of the two, that JMr. Bad- 

 ham's horse is only a four-j'ear-old. But we cannot 

 understand how the Suffolk is inferior to the Lincoln 

 grey. There was plenty of young stock to pick from , 

 and some capital working pairs. As a whole, the show 

 of farm horses, without being at all extraordinary for its 

 excellence, was well up to the high-water mark of the 

 meeting. 



We can scarcely say as much for the hacks and hunters. 

 We thought the thorough-bred stallions a very middling 

 lot, and one of the Judges confirmed us in our opinion. 

 They were only saved from positive inferiority by the 

 two prize animals ; not that either of them is by any 

 means of the high character of Hobble Noble, or A 

 British Yeoman. Spencer, pronounced to be just the best 

 of the two, was the second horse at Salisbury, where he 

 made no sensation. And then followed such cast-offs as 

 Peppermint, Raven, Come-away, and Burndale. The last 

 of these is a thorough savage, with the worst sullen eye 

 we ever saw in a horse's head. He was bound down, 

 to keep the peace, by all sorts of head-reins and chains ; 

 offering a fine opportunity for any of Mr. Rarey's dis- 

 ciples to go through a performance. It was said, indeed, 

 one of the two gentlemen at least, who came in 

 judgment on him, had taken out his ten-guinea diploma ; 

 but when we left the unhappy Burndale on Friday, he 

 was still all foam, head-tackle, and bated fury. 



The Hack Stallions were far better ; only it is diffi- 

 cult to define what a hack is. One man, we remember, 

 at Salisbury, sent a great Cleveland harness- horse, and 

 entered him as a hack. The class here, too, was made 

 up of "all-sorts;" and the Judges joined issue as to 

 whether Sir Watkin's Colonel horse or one of the old 

 sort of roadsters the better came up to the description. 



An umpire decided in favour of the latter— a very neat 

 nag, with lots of "go," "show," and power about 

 him. Another handsome Galloway in this class 

 was declared to be the best sort of animal to 

 improve the breed of Welsh ponies. These hardly 

 came up to our expectations, and we certainly saw one 

 or two more perfect at the South Wales Show at Cardiff. 

 In fact, the best pony here was a Scotchman, bred as 

 far North as Dumfries, and for his size a very model of 

 strength, with the pony's first excellence — straight, true 

 action. There was quite a history connected with him. 

 In the first place, after some dispute, he had been sold 

 for " sixpence a pound," at which he realized some- 

 thing over twenty. Then, a few months since, Mr. 

 Moffatt gave five-and-twenly for him. Mr. Pain, one 

 of the stewards of the yard, indulged his fancy directly 

 he saw him, and took him at double the price. The 

 same afternoon Mr. Starkey, the owner of Fisher- 

 man, the race-horse, would have himj and the 

 figure was doubled again, like the horseshoe-sum, 

 up to a hundred and ten guineas ! — Just about twice as 

 much as "Highland Laddie" is worth. Neither the 

 hunter nor hack mares will bear speaking of. 



The poultry department is said to be doomed ; but 

 the birds never showed, at this time of year, in better 

 condition ; and some of the Aylesbury ducks were so fine 

 that it was thought they must have had a cross of the 

 goose in them ! 



A Cheshire show without Cheshire cheese would have 

 been a mistake ; and with a hundred-pound prize 

 to be had, no wonder they took a line of their 

 own on the ground. The four thus selected have 

 been presented by the local committee to her 

 Majesty, the Emperor of the French, Lord Derby as 

 Prime Minister, and Lord Berners as President of the 

 Society. Tempting, indeed, were they to look at ; but 

 there was no testing till the dinner, when the Chairman 

 cut away at one in good earnest — not his Lordship's 

 own, we trust. This dinner, which was very well done, 

 was chiefly remarkable for the presence of the Duke of 

 Malakoff, and the speech of Mr. Gladstone. A full re- 

 port of this is given further on ; but it was a terrible 

 mistake to ignore the Stewards and Judges ; neither of 

 whom would have had a word had not Lord Berners 

 himself called one of them up. In truth, the toast list 

 might have been improved. 



The Chester Meeting, in a word, was " a bumper." 

 There was more than ever to see, and more people than 

 ever to see it. The general arrangements were good, 

 the results encouraging, and the week to be marked, as 

 the ancient philosopher did his happy days, with a 

 white stone. 



PRIZES FOR CATTLE, &c. 



SITORT-HORNED CATTLE. 



JunoEs. — William Ladds, Ellington. 



A. Jj. Maynard, Morton-le-Moore, Ripen. 

 Thomas Parkinson, Hexgrave, Southwell. 

 Class 1.— Bulls calved on or before the Ist of July, 1856» 

 and not exceeding six years old. 

 First prize of £30 to Lord Feversbam, of Duncombe Park, 

 Helmsley, York (Fifth Duke of Oxford). 



