3H 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Mr. Hob KIRK rose and moved the followitifr 

 resolution, supporting it with some remarks against 

 limiting the height as in Mr. Scott's motion — 

 "That, in the opinion of this club, there is no lim- 

 it to the profita1)le cultivation of the cereal crops in 

 respect of altitude in this district, where the nature 

 of the soil and the possibility of approaching it 

 do not offer insurmountable obstacles." 



The motion was seconded by Mr, A. Fisher, 

 who took objections jiarticularly to the latter part 

 of the first motion, viz., that there was no land in 

 Roxburgh and Selkirk which would be unprofitable 

 to cultivate. He referred to the great height 

 of some of the hills in the north part of Liddes- 

 dale, and in the head of Teviotdale, and also to the 

 different nature of the soils in these uplands, com- 



pared with such places as Gala Water and Caddon. 

 In the borders of Teviotdale and Liddesdale, where 

 there were some of the highest hills in the South, 

 some of the highest ridges were so steep that a 

 crow could scarcely sit on the slope, and in others 

 the land was a more level upland table, but consist- 

 ing of peat haggs and mosses at the top. He held 

 that it was impossible to apply a general rule to 

 places in the two counties so naturally and essen- 

 tially different. Although Mr, Hobkirk's motion 

 did not embody all his objections to that of Mr. 

 Scott, it was on the whole preferable. 



The amendment and motion being put to the 

 meeting, 14 voted for Mr. Hobkirk's amendment, 

 and 11 for the original motion. The amendment 

 was therefore declared duly carried. 



HEREFORD AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW. 



The Hereford Times says, Tuesday, Oct. 19, was the 

 31st anniversary of the society, and the show was not only 

 the best provincial show we have ever seen, but it sur- 

 passed all its predecessors in such a superlative degree 

 that a new era seems to have dawned upon its opera- 

 tions. We may reasonably anticipate a brilliant future 

 for the society if the county men of influence will give 

 it that meed of support which it really demands at their 

 hands, and if the farmers of this our beautiful county 

 are really awakened to a sense of their own interests, 

 and are determined to take and to sustain their proper 

 place in the onward movement which characterizes the 

 present age. 



The considerable prize of £25 for the best bull, 

 cow, and offspring brought together a most interesting 

 collection of animals, but several lots which had been 

 entered did not arrive. The magnificent "Sir Benja- 

 min," wliich now, as the sire, bore the palm from such 

 celebrated animals as " Carlisle," " Arthur Napoleon," 

 and " Young Sir David," was by " Sir David," and 

 was bred by Mr. Benjamin Rogers, the Grove, Pern- 

 bridge. 



But to us the classes for young bulls were the most 

 attractive, for here is the great criterion of the merits 

 of the breed, and the surest sign of its great and con- 

 tinuous improvement. Judges and breeders will bear 

 us out in the opinion, that however good may be the 

 animals which have attained their maximum size and 

 maturity of age, we have only to go a step farther, and 

 view the young stock, and we find that it e.\hibits still 

 greater excellence, and approaches still nearer to the 

 standard of perfection. It is this continual progress 

 which must in time place the white-faced breed of cattle 

 at the top of the tree. Mr. Perry's" Salisbury," which 

 took the first prize in Class -2, is a superb yearling bull, 

 an opinion in which the reader will fully concur when 

 he glances at the list of competitors. The juvenile 

 bovine hero " Leominster" was cast in the shade, after 



plucking BO many laurels to adorn his sprouting horns ; 

 and the combined forces of Messrs. Price, Monkhouse, 

 Lord Bateman, and all the category of distinguished 

 winners were beaten, and fairly beaten, too, as they will 

 all confess. The Judges were not satisfied with award- 

 ing the three prizes, but passed an official commenda- 

 tion upon the entire class. The two-year old bulls 

 were not less admirable. The prize bull, " Caret," be- 

 longing to Mr. Hill, of Golding, was the darkest Here- 

 ford we have ever seen ; but we were informed by his 

 attendant that both sire and dam were of a light red 

 colour. He is a remarkably handsome animal, beiog 

 cleanly made, and capable of much feeding. In this 

 class several animals were commended. 



The entire show of horned animals fully bore out the 

 character we have given the principal beasts, and apart 

 from the specific goodness arising from purity of breed 

 or perfection of form which earned for the prize animals 

 the judicial fiat, even the casual observer could not fail 

 to be struck with the uniform actual beauty of the 

 animals. Shapely forms, of fine proportion ; rich- 

 coloured skins, some dappled, and sleek as an old maid's 

 tabby; others curly as a negro's pericranium; mild 

 white faces, handsome and almost iatelligent ; taper 

 legs, upholding finest forms of beef, delighting the eye 

 of the butcher, and promising to gladden the hearts and 

 satisfy the appetites of many in the merry Christmas 

 time. And if one class was more prominent than 

 another in respect to this beauty of form, it was that in 

 which the two-years old heifers were shown (Class 7). 

 A drover bystanding expressed his admiration of these 

 beautiful animals by saying, " If anything licks them, 

 I'm bio wed:" and no doubt the unlettered opinion was 

 worth something. 



The exhibition of sheep, although far from beicg so 

 extensive as wc could wish to see it, was this year a 

 great improvement upon preceding seasons. The light 

 lands about Ross have long been noted in this locality 



