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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE 



to those successful in winning prizes or commendations, 

 Mr. Crisp's, Mr. Barker's, and Mr. Wilkinson's are. 

 very handsome and good. In the large-breed sow class, 

 one of the best pens was Mr. Wainman's sow, suckling 

 ten splendid pigs. Col. Towneley's small-breed sow is 

 a very perfect animal ; and the number of beautiful 

 animals in this class is really astonishing. Jlr. Bowly's 

 black and white breeding sow pigs are very meritorious; 

 and the superiority of the small-breed sow pigs may be 

 judged from the circumstance of ^Ir. Mangle's real 

 beauties being beaten out-and-out by those of Mr. Wiley 

 and Mr. Watson. Black sorts have not come in for 

 much favour at the hands of the Judges, though a few 

 very good specimens were exhibited. 



POULTRY. 



THE PENS ENTERED ARE AS FOLLOW : — 



The poultry show ends its career with a slight increase 

 iu every class, and it is quite time that the farmer's 

 wives gave up looking for this collection of birds at the 

 wrong season, and took their turn with poultry-fanciers 

 at Birmingham or the Crystal Palace. This year there 

 are sixteen instead of twenty-four classes ; those omitted 

 beirig the Dorking and .Spanish cocks ; one class instead 

 of three of Cochins ; two classes of game fowls, and two 

 Malays omitted ; one instead of three classes of Polands ; 

 while there is a class for " East India ducks," instead of 

 the usual " any other variety." 



Of course the Dorkings have the preference with 

 business people, with Captain Hornby, king of the 

 roost, in both the old and young classes. The Spanish 

 fowls are very fine indeed, Mr. Fowler being fairly 

 beaten. Game fowls are favourites as usual, and an un- 

 usually good show. The Bramah Pootras are good, 

 and the golden-pencilled and silver-spangled Ilamburghs 

 better still. The show of ducks is particularly excellent, 

 Mr. Fowler being justly pre-eminent with his beautiful 

 Aylesburys. 



SPECIAL PRIZES 



Offered by the Local Committee, fou Cheshire 

 Cheese to Dairy-maids and Cheese-makers, 

 AND FOR Butter. 



We do not find (as one might almost expect) a booth 

 full of buxom dairy-maids, and another occupied by 

 competing makers of cheese; neither are the exhibitors 

 of the samples of cheese and butter busily gratifying 

 the public " taste" with choese-testers and pats of the 

 yellow unguent. 



It has been said tliat if each judge tasted half-an- 

 ounce of every cheese, he must have eaten 24 lbs. 

 weight! but there were really lUl entries, of four 

 cheeses tach — and half-au-ounce of each lot amounts to 

 six pounds. But, of course, many a specimen was dis- 

 carded at once, from its appearance and make, the eye 

 and the thumb being sufficient, except in nice cases, 

 without the delicately-discerning tongue and palate. 



We shall have something to say about cheese-making 

 when we come to review the implement department of 

 the show ; but a few words are required here, as sup- 



plementary to our already published long list of prizes. 

 Sixty-one competitors entered the lists for the champion 

 prize of £100. Would a coloured or uncoloured cheese, 

 a Cheshire or Cheddar be triumphant ? and it turns out 

 that a Cheshire man has won the honour, and with four 

 coloured cheeses, made by an apparatus of Cheshire in- 

 vention. Mr. Geo. Willis' weighed between 80 and 90 lbs. 

 The collection of cheeses was truly wonderful, and re- 

 presented the produce of a vast number of cows, and, in 

 addition to the handsome prizes, a great many 

 commendations and high-commendations were de- 

 servedly bestowed. Two good prizes were also 

 awarded to the best and second - Jsest tub or 

 crock of butter, of not less than "20 lbs. in weight. It 

 is to be hoped that these premiums for dairy 'pro- 

 duce will not altogether be lost sight of at future 

 meetings : they may very well take the place of the 

 poultry prizes we are relinquishing ; at any rate, it is 

 certain this special rewarding of the staple production 

 of which any neighbourhood is famous (as, for instance, 

 the flannels iu South Wales,) is productive of great 

 benefit. We will undertake to say that the cheese- 

 makers and dairy-maids will be benefitted by their re- 

 cent honours — as long as they continue to milk the kine 

 and set the curd. 



RETORT ON THE IMPLEMENTS. 



The numerical table of "entries" we have hitherto 

 given has not shown the actual number of articles, but 

 only the implements of different kinds : to convey 

 an idea of the vast magnitude of the exhibition, the 

 entire numbers are here subjoined. For the sake of 

 comparison with former years, take the number of ex- 

 hibitors and some of the entries taken as on former 

 occasions : — 



The actual number of articles entered at Chester was 

 as follows : Steam ploughs or cultivators, 19 ; traction 

 engines, 2; steam engines, lliJ ; thrashing machines, 

 88 ; corn dressing machines, G8 ; screens, 25 ; chaff 

 cutters, 200 ; mills, 59 ; crushers, G9 ; oilcake breakers, 

 83; bone mills, 13; turnip cutters, 65; pulpers, 97; 

 churns, 91; cheese-making apparatus, 13; cheese 

 presses, 53 ; drills, 101 ; manure distributors, 15 ; 

 horse hoes, 57 ; hay machines, 15; horse rakes, 35 ; 

 reaping machines, 17; carts and waggons, 3G ; ploughs, 

 151 ; subsoilers, 22 ; cultivators, Sec, 09 ; clod crushers 

 and rollers, 47 ; harrows, 89 ; draining tools, 25 ; brick 

 and tile machines, 14; miscellaneous, 1,675; total, 

 3,438 articles. 



We may commence our investigations with the 



THRASHING MACHINES. 

 Three judges, assisted by the engineering judges and 

 some amateur mechanicians, were five days hard at 



