THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE.! 



191 



of such a power that we have ah-eady noticed. Then 

 Mr. Sniitli, of Woolston, with characteristic good 

 temper, forwards his recently issued " Clialiengo for a 

 thousand," although of late thousand pound challenges 

 have not done much for those who made them. 

 Thirdly, Mr. Fiskin claims to be the Columbus of the 

 art, and demands the recognition of his right to be 

 ranked as the original inventor of ploughing by 

 steam. Further, Mr. Burcham details the only 

 conditions upon which a prize for steam ploughing 

 should be awarded; and, taking these at once for 

 granted, i^rocceds to suggest, with possibly an eye to 

 the spoil, that such a premium should not bo less in 

 amount than a thousand. The Council itself, not to be 

 behindhand, volunteer another inducement for the 

 development of the same principle. They will give 

 twenty-five pounds to the gentleman who will furnish 

 them with the best essay on that suggestive and pro- 

 lific theme — Steam Cultivation. It is noticeable 



that the Bath and West of England Society has a prize 

 now open to competition of precisely the same amount, 

 and on the same subject. Would one essay be eligible 

 to take the two ? 



And now, as country gentlemen, after all, really set 

 the fashion in important points, the House in Hanover 

 Square, like the other Houses in Westminster, has closed 

 its doors. There are assizes, harvesting, grouse-shoot- 

 ing, and other autumn sports to call them away. There 

 will be the home-trial with the reaper, or perhaps, 

 even, as an especial treat, a field or two operated upon 

 under the direction of Mr. Howard or Mr. Fowler. 

 But the foi-raula of official life is over. Mr. Hudson 

 calmly tmms his back on minutes of meetings; Mr. 

 Gibbs folds up his Report of the Judges' well-worn 

 authority ; and his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, 

 having duly read himself in, awaits to fulfil hereafter 

 the good promise he has already made as President of 

 the Society. 



MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The eleventh annual meeting of this Society haa been tixed 

 to take place at Manchester, on Thursday and Friday, the 9th 

 and 10th of September next ; and the entries closed on the 

 30th ult. Through the liberality of the inhabitants of 

 Maiicbeater a large amouut hfs this year teen raised for spe- 

 cial prizes ; and, including the amount voted from the fimds 

 of the Society, the Committee of Management had not les^ 

 than £1,000 at their disposal. With such an amount of pre- 

 miums, and which appear to have besi judiciously apprt- 

 priated, there can be little doubt of the complete success and 

 importance of the meeting. We have been favoured with 

 copies of the prize lists and regulations, and purpose to draw 

 the attention of our readers to some of the principal features. 

 Prizes are offered for cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, implements, 

 cheese, butter, poultry, vegetables, seeds, roots, fruit, and 

 flowers, and for saddlery ; the total number beicg not less than 

 252. We notice, first, the Society's prizes, which are open to 

 general compelition. These are for the best Shorthorn bulls 

 of different ages, for the best cows or heifers ii>milk or in-calf, 

 the best two-year-old heifers, and the best yearling heifers, all 

 without reatrictions as to breed. lu the classes for horses, the 

 premiums open to general competition are for stahions best 

 adapted for agricultural purposes, dra3'-horses, horses for road 

 p\irposes, aud thorough-bred horses. Four prizes of £3 each 

 are also offered on the sauie condition for the best Leicester, 

 Southdown, Shropshire, and Cotawold or other long-woolled 

 rams, except Leicesters. There are a number of other prizes 

 for stock open to members of the Society on the conditions 

 which are set forth in the list ; and prizes are ."jIso offered by 

 the Society for vegetables and seeds; and medals and prizes 

 of the value of £50 for agricultural implements. 



The principal prizes announced by the local committee are 

 open to general competition. In the cltisses for horned cattle 

 there are two premiums, of £10 and £5, for the best bulls of 

 any breed, not exceeding three years old ; the same amounts 

 for bulls not exceeding two years old ; and £5 and 

 £3 for yearling bulls. Prizes of £10 and £5 respectively are 

 offered to the farmer or dairyman who shall exhibit the best 

 lot of four dairy cows, in-aiilk or incalf; and prizes 

 of the like amount for the best pairs of twoycar-old heifers ; 



aud also for the best pairs of stirks. Two premiums, of £20 

 and £10, are offered to cattle dealers who shall exhibit the best 

 lot of six dairy cows without restriction as to breed. Some of 

 these prizes, and others in the special list, are of a novel cha- 

 racter, but they appear to be well calculated to give great ad- 

 ditional interest to the exhibition. With regard to special 

 prizes for dairy stock, we heard a very excellent suggestion 

 made a few days ago, viz., that the judges selected to awerd 

 the prizes ia these classes should, in all cases, be experienced 

 dairy farmers, and not breeders of stock only. Were this the 

 case, the properties required in good dairy cattle would be 

 more distinctly recognised than they have hitherto been, and 

 the utility of competitions of this nature would soon be uni- 

 versally acknowledged. 



In addition to the premiums for cattle to which we have re- 

 ferred, there are first and second prizes of £10 aud £5 respec- 

 tively, in each case, offered to graziers, cattle salesmen, or 

 butchers, for the best pair of shorlhorued and West Highlard 

 heifers, " showing the most symmetry, quality of meat, and 

 weight ;" for the beat pair of Polled or Galloway Scots, and for 

 the best pair of heifers, bred and fed in Ireland — the whole of 

 these premiums being open to general competition. 



The special prizes for horses are numerous, and range frcm 

 £10 to £3. They are for horses best adapted to draught pur- 

 poses, and for road purposes, thorough-bred horses, hunters, and 

 cob horses ; there being-, in addition, prizes of £15 and £7 

 offered to dealers for the best pair of cirriage horses ; £lO for 

 the best pair of ponies, not exceeding fourteen hands high, and 

 suitable for harness ; and £5 for the best gelding or mare pony, 

 not exceeding fourteen hands — the whole being open to a'l 

 competitors. It is, however, very properly stated in the regu- 

 lations that no exhibitor shall enter any animal for two dis- 

 tinct prizes, this referring to every part of the exhibition. 



There are six prizes for cheese, ranging from £15 to £3^ 

 "made on the exhibitor's farm in Lancashire or Cheshire, or 

 within the limits of the Society, viz., thirty-five miles round 

 Warrington ;" and three prizes for butter, the competition 

 being confined to the sarae districts. In the classes for seeds 

 and roots, prizes are offered for wheats and oafs of different 

 varieties; for beans, barley, fluke or other varieties of kidney 



