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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



KENT CATTLE, POULTRY, AND IMPLEMENT SHOW. 



Prompted, perhaps, by the success which has at- 

 tended the meetings of our national agricultural 

 societies, the last few years have witnesseil the estab- 

 lishment or re-organization of several district asso- 

 ciation?. They have died out as political organs, like 

 that in Essex ; and have extended their operations from 

 parishes and hundreds to whole counties, like the 

 Sparkenhoe Club. The latter, indeed, is the 

 now popular plan of proceeding. In place of 

 three or four little gatherings, that are at- 

 tended with proportionately little effect, the aim 

 is to concentrate these into one respectable 

 focus. Even East Suffolk, doing so well as it was, 

 must embrace the West also. Tlio neighbouring coun- 

 ties on either side are now fairly under weigh with a 

 venture built precisely on the same principle. Of 

 course, however, all cannot flourish alike. The very 

 character and extent of country will go to make one, 

 as it will lessen the influence of another. There is, 

 for instance, no such county show as the Yorkshire, 

 precisely because there is no other such a county. 

 Still, all may in a degree commaud success if they will 

 only go the right way to work to obtain it. 



The ]iast month has ushered into action another of 

 these societies. The Maidstone Christmas Fat Cattle 

 Show has been altered and improved into a summer show 

 of breeding stock and implements, including the whole 

 county in its title and arrangements. But, unfortunately, 

 the whole county would scarcely seem to have been duly 

 consulted on this point. There are, we believe, in Kent 

 three or four other similar associations, which still hold 

 yiemselves altogether independent of this one. They have 

 certuinly gone by no means out of their way to support 

 its opening day, and the rather grave question arises as to 

 where is the blame ? Did the managers of the Maidstone 

 fat cattle meeting bodily enlarge themselves, or did 

 they take tbo projjcr steps to secure that co-o[)eration 

 they should have had ? There is no doubt the district 

 would profit by a good lesson of this kind; in fact, 

 there are few quarters in which it is more wanted. 

 Little good or effect, however, can follow from such a 

 combined exliibition of strength as that we witnessed on 

 Thursday, Aug. 20. In sober sadness, it was the weakest 

 show, for such an extent of country, we ever remember 

 having been present at. 



Kent is generally famous for hops, fruit, filberts, and 

 pretty faces. It may still depend upon these by no 

 means despicable attractions. Further than this, in an 

 agricultural point of view, it is renowned for its breed 

 of sheep and make of ploughs — cither so peculiarly 

 adapted to the county as to be of little use out of it. 

 Let alone the excit(ment of hop cultivation, the farmers 

 grow rare wheat and beans; and so wo come again to 

 the not uncommon excuse, when a man has little to 

 show you, that " this is not a breeding district." 

 One might, however, expect to find, as we con- 



fess we did, a strong entry of the local sheep. 

 As it was, there were nine prizes for pure-bred 

 Kent long-woolled sheep, and eight of these were 

 taken by one exhibitcr, Mr. Murton, of Smeeth. For 

 the best yearling rams there were two prizes and two 

 entries — both Mr. Murton's; for the best two-year-old 

 rams there were two prizes and three entries, all Mr. 

 Murton's, and so on. In fact, in the six classes there 

 was only one other breeder who had a Kent sheep to 

 show. None of these were thought to be remarkable 

 for their excellence, but at best we should not think 

 they were not a good sheep to exhibit. Their chief 

 recommendation is a certain hardihood of constitu- 

 tion which enables them to withstand the bleak un- 

 sheltered range of Romney-marsh, and at the same 

 time to do the best by the good keep they find 

 there. In neither size, symmetry, nor quality will 

 they compare with the Cotswold, of which there were 

 one or two good specimens on the ground, from the 

 flock ot Mr. Slatter, of Cirencester. 



Of stock, the Sussex beast has long been the favourite 

 here, and the entries were certainly more encouraging. 

 But Mr. Rigden, one of thejudges, couldnot congratu- 

 late the meeting on their quality — " there was plenty of 

 room for improvement." Then the cart-mares and foals 

 were a terribly mixed and ragged lot, with a smart 

 active mare of Mr. Leney's just saving them from con- 

 demnation. The Messrs. Pack did better with three 

 Shire horses, backed by a Catlin Suffolk, while a 

 good-looking Voltigeur colt went far to help out this 

 section of the show. As a class, however, of farm 

 horses entered by farmers, it was wofully inferior. 



Luckily the Short-horn came once more to the rescue. 

 It was the only really commendable class of the meet- 

 ing, and Mr. Hales, Mr. Belts, and Colonel Austen 

 sent some generally well-bred, good-looking animals. 

 Mr. Hales' pair of prize cows, for instance, and more 

 especially Mr. Betts' two-year-old bull, and heifer-calf 

 were wonderfully admired— so that it proves a good 

 beast can bo appreciated here. For shape, and qtiality 

 more particularly, thejudges selected these two young 

 animals as likely to hold their own in any company. 

 Mr. Betts is clearly an acquisition to the neighbour- 

 hood, and his example should not be without its effect. 

 Mr. Gillett, one of the judges, declared he had never 

 seen a property so well managed. 



The display of implements was altogether far better, 

 made up, as it was, of such firms as those of Bentall, 

 and Coleman, from Essex; Dray, and Turner, from 

 London ; James, of CheUenluim ; Picksley, from Lan- 

 cashire ; and the homo houses of Foord, of Lenham ; 

 Weeks of Maidstone ; Garrett of Maidstone ; Spencer; 

 Aveling, and others. Coleman, of course, was declared 

 to have the best scarifier, Bentall tlic best broadshare, 

 Weeks and Picksley two good collections of imple- 

 ments. Dray the best set of hand-tools, and so on. 



