42 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



That the Shropshire Sheep have loug beea distinguished for 

 their size, early maturity, aud quality, characteristics vf hich 

 have led to their being preferred above any other breeds in the 

 general markets of those districts in which they are already 

 established ; while the loag-acknowledged superiority of their 

 wool, vigour of constitution, and hardihood, are additional pro- 

 perties of great importance. 



That during the last ten years the Shropshire Sheep have 

 been introduced into many parts of the United Kingdom, and 

 purchases are now being constantly made by agriculturists in 

 the principal sheep counties for the purpose of founding new 

 flocks ; and the fact that so many tenant farmers who are not 

 usually exhibitors of stock have adopted this breed to the 

 exclusion of other breeds or cross-bred sheep, ia also, in the 

 opinion of your memorialists, another striking proof of their 

 excellence. 



That on these grounds your memorialists respectfully urge 

 your Council to open separate classes for Shropshire Sheep at 

 the future Country Meetings of your Society, believing, as 

 they do, that such a coacessiou would be received with satis- 

 faction by a large portion of the Members of your Society, and 

 that it would tend to promote the great object which your 

 Council has in view in offering prizes for stock — the encourage- 

 ment of pure breeds, without which the value of agricultural 

 stock generally cannot be maintained. 



We have always spoken to the great merits of the 

 Shropshire Downs as a most useful and rising breed of 

 sheep. The only question is whether they are as yet 

 kept sufficiently pure, and to themselves, to warrant 

 their taking place over the Hampshire and West Coun- 

 try Downs as a distinct breed ? Had not, indeed, one 

 of the gentlemen who will go up with and support this 

 memorial a pen of Shropshire sheep in Bingley Hall, 

 with so strong a cross of the Southdown in them as to 

 be at once recognizable ? Have not other as famous 

 flocks very recently had a strain of T;he Cotswold ? The 

 purest-bred Shropshire sheep in the yard, and at the 

 same time amongst the worst, were those of Lord 

 Aylesford. It is, of course, only fair and creditable to 

 improve a middling animal into a good one ; but have 

 the Shropshire breeders quite accomplished this ? Con- 

 sidering the extent to which their sheep are now used, 

 and the numbers they are shown in at our national 

 meetings, the matter rests entirely here : — Are they 

 strong enough to go alone ? If so, give them a class, 

 by all means. If not — if a cross of another sort is still 

 occasionally necessary — it will be difficult where to draw 

 theline, or to declare what should not have rank of its 

 own, Mr. Smith, of Sutton Maddoek, Mr. Holland, Mr. 

 Hand, and Mr. Orme Foster, all furnished some appro- 

 priate illustrations of the New Order. Mr. Smith's 

 prize wethers were the commended yearlings of last year, 

 and with a small flock this gentlemen, a tenant farmer 

 of some two hundred acres, is really doing wonders. 



Mr. Foljambe's Leicesters were very good, and per- 

 haps the best ever seen here. They had more size and 

 substance, but still with all the quality, the clean head, 

 and fine Leicester leg the hard-riding exquisite was 

 wont to covet as the model to pull a boot over. Mr. 

 Overman's Downs, again, were very pretty j compact 

 of frame, with good backs and rare heads. But the 

 general show of Southdowns was mediocre, and Lord 

 Leicester alone appeared to have two or three patterns, 

 some with almost white faces, and long-wool heads. 

 Neither were Lord Walsingham's sheep equal to what 

 we have seen, but the strength of the Merton flock may 

 be in reserve for Smithfield. There were three pens of 

 Cotswolds, the prize sheep of which division had this 

 note added on to the award : — " The Judges complain 

 of the unfairness of the way in which the sheep in 

 this pen had been shorn ;^' and very properly too: 

 the only matter for surprise is that they did not complain 

 of two-thirds of the sheep they inspected. In the 

 Leicester and Southdown classes more particularly, the 



manner in which some of the anirdals were trimmed into 

 form was really disgraceful, and little short of a posi- 

 tive insult to the spectator. It is hard to understand 

 how judges can continue to pass such glarin«c abuses. 

 However, at the meeting of the Smithfield Club to- 

 morrow morning, Mr. Valentine Barford, one of our 

 oldest flock-masters, is to bring the matter formally be- 

 fore the members. It is to be hoped this will not be 

 without some very strong effect, or the art of shearing 

 and showing a sheep will gradually demoralize the 

 whole agricultural community. Thimble-rigging or 

 horse-chanting is nothing to it as one of the occult 

 sciences. 



Mr. Crisp, a new man here, added materially to the 

 already strong show of pigs by his entries of both white 

 andblack Suffolks. Thelatter are at present almost entirely 

 in his own and his family's hands, but their many manifest 

 merits are sure to speak for them. The Berkshire breed- 

 ing pigs are still getting better and better here. Mr. 

 Smith's (Henley-in-Arden) prize pen of five were very 

 uniform in their character, and good in their quality : 

 they trace back to a boar from Mr. Hewer. The fat pigs 

 were quite up to the Birmingham average, and that is 

 saying a great deal for them ; while Mr. Wiley lost none 

 of his repute with the young whites, although Mr. 

 Mangles is creeping up. Lady Chesterfield, too, well 

 maintains the claims of the Bretby variety, and Mr. 

 Morland, Mr. Cartwright, and Sir Francis Holyoake 

 Goodricke were all deservedly distinguished. It may 

 tend something to show the excellence of the entry, 

 when the Prince Consort, with his famous white Wind- 

 sors, gets no higher than a commendation. White, in- 

 deed, was the favourite hue, while the curious coloured 

 Tamworths seem to have almost gone out. 



The Root show, although now an established part of 

 the programme, only made up a moderate display. In 

 fact, there were better roots on the stalls of some of the 

 seedsmen and manure- dealers than any of those en- 

 tered for competition. The Poultry we have already 

 referred to. It was once more declared to be the finest 

 collection ever brought together. The great class was 

 that of the coloured Dorkings, the white being by no 

 means so excellent. Then, the Game are always in force 

 here. The run has now for some time been on the 

 black-breasted reds with the willow or slate leg, and 

 this to the manifest neglect of the Piles, which are quite 

 in the shade. A good game cock, however, can hardly 

 be of a bad colour, and like the thorough-bred horse, he 

 crosses well with almost anything. The Game and the 

 Dorking *' nick " is said to be magnificent. The 

 Spanish quite maintain their position, although the 

 black leg will be always against them in the eyes of a 

 good housewife as a table bird. Even the Cochins 

 were pronounced, on the argument of what 

 was sent here, to be coming again. For our own 

 part, we agree with one of the most experienced 

 judges we have, who considers they have done "far 

 more harm than good to the farm yard fowl 

 of this country. There were, as usual, almost infinite 

 varieties of other kinds, with some of the most beauti- 

 ful of bantams, and most curious of pigeons. The 

 turkeys were magnificent, and Mr. Fowler's three geese 

 reached seventy-five pounds. The poultry fanciers, 

 like the Shropshire Down men, are also about to 

 memorialize the Council of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society. It is admitted that old birds do not show to 

 advantage in the summer, but it is thought that a 

 Chicken Class would tell, and this is the prayer of the 

 petitioners. 



A dog show at the Repository added to the attractions 

 of the earlier days of the meeting. It was supported by 

 entries from the teams of Lord Lichfield, Lord Spencer, 

 the Hon. W. Vernon, Sir Thomas Lennard, and a num- 



