THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



55 



Notwithstanding the additions and improvements 

 that have from year to year been made in the Bazaar 

 to accommodate tlie animals and machinery exhibited, 

 experience only shows how wholly inadequate is the 

 space allotted for either one or the othei*. In fact, the 

 implements and machinery are so crowded as to render 

 it impossible for visitors to get anything like a fair 

 view. This is now the annual complaint j and many 

 are the suggestions and schemes to remedy the evil. 

 We rejoice to find that something is about to be done. 

 The Smithfield Club must ere long shift its quarters, 

 and various sites for the intended erection and accom- 

 modation are mooted — Islington and Kensington Gore 

 being the favourite localities. The latter would, per- 

 haps, be the more acceptable to the general visitor, 

 especially as there will shortly be an extension of the 

 railway termini to that point. Either, however, must 

 be a move for the better. 



Although the improvement in the various breeds 

 of Ciittle ffas become general, still we do not pro- 

 duce individual specimens to exceed those of very 

 early date. Take the celebrated Durham ox, for 

 instance. He was calved in March, 1796 ; at six 

 years old he was 5 ft. 6 in. high, 11 ft. from nose 

 to tail setting-on; girth, 11 ft. 1 in.; his breast 

 was 1 ft. 6 in. from the ground, and the width 

 between the fore-legs 1 ft. 5 in. ; his breadth across the 

 back-shoulders squared 3 ft. 1 in., middle of back 3 ft. 



I in., across the hips 3 ft. lin. ; width of first rib Ojin., 

 and his estimated weight was 171 stones, 141bs. to the 

 stone. And many similarly large animals were exhi- 

 bited about the same time. Mr. Robertson's 4 yrs. 

 10 months old ox, in 1794, weighed 145 st. 31b., tallow 

 24st. 71b.; Lord Yarborough's ox, 1830-1-2, was 6 ft. 

 6 in. in height, 11 ft. 10 in. nose to setting-on of tail, 



II ft. 1 in. girth, 3 tt. 3 in. across the hips, shoulders, 

 and middle of back. Mr. R. Collins' heifer was estimated 

 to weigh 130 st. at 4 yrs. old; Mr. Charge's ox, 7 yrs. 

 old, weighed 168 st. 101b. Now, modern improve- 

 ments in breeding do not exceed this, if they attain to 

 it. We do not know an instance in which it has been 

 attained, even taking brother Jonathan into account. 

 Mr. Wortley's prize shorthorn ox, in 1857, only girted 

 9 ft., and his length from shoulder-point to setting-on 

 of tail 6 ft. The large Devon ox shown by Mr. H. H, 

 Balls girted 8 ft. 8 in., his length 5 ft. 4 in. Mr. Jno. 

 Coates' Devon cow obtaineU the second prize ; her girth 

 was 7 ft. 3 in., length 5 ft. 2 in. Mr. Bodley's famous 

 cow 7 ft. 6 in., length 5 ft. 3 in. Mr. W. Heath's 

 Hereford second prize ox measured 9 ft. 2 in., length 

 6 ft. Earl Darnley's Hereford 8 ft. 9 in., length 5 ft. 

 4 in. Mr. Jno. Naylor's large cow, 6 yrs. 8 months, 

 measured 8 ft. 6 in,, length 5 ft. 6 in. Earl Spencer's 

 shorthorn steer 8 ft. 8 in., length 5 ft. 5 in. Mr. 

 Stratton's steer 8 ft. 4 in. ^irth, length 5 ft. 6 in. 

 These and other admeasurements were all taken in 

 1857. Mr. Stratton's ox, in 1856, was 9 ft. 1 in. 

 girth, Mr. Belt's ox 9ft. 1 in,, Mr. Heath's Hereford 



9 ft. 2 in., and Mr. Naylor's 8 ft. 7 in. At the present 

 meeting we have taken the girth of the following ani- 

 mals, all of them of superb specimens of their respec- 

 tive breeds. Mr. (Shirley's Hereford steer is 2 yrs. 

 6 months and 27 days old, his girth is 8 ft. 7 in. ; the 

 Marquis of Exeter's shorthorn ox, 3 yrs. 8 months, his 

 girth is 9 ft. 3 in. ; Mr. Noakes' shorthorn ox, 3 yrs. 



10 months, is 9ft. 1 in. in girth; Mr. Maxwell's 

 shorthorn steer, 2 yrs. 10 months, is 8 ft. 1^ in. in 

 his girth. 



In the cows and heifers, Beauty's Butterfly, Colonel 

 Towneley's heifer, girths 9ft. lin. ; Earl Howe's heifer, 

 4 yrs. 8 months, 8 ft. 8 in. ; Mr. W. Heath's Hereford, 

 3 yrs. 10 months, 9 ft. ; Lady Emily Foley's Hereford 

 cow, 5 yrs. 11 months, 8 ft. 7 in.; Mr. Swingler's, 



3 yrs. 8 months, 8 ft. 7 in.; Mr. R. Wortley's short- 

 horn, 4 yrs. 6 months, 9 ft. 6 in. ; Mr. Frost's short- 

 horn, 2 yrs. Hi months, 8 ft. 2 in. These dimensions, 

 good as they are, do not denote any great advance in 

 size and substance, the Colonel's heifer excepted ; 

 she fully comes up to, if she does not exceed, our high- 

 est admeasurements. Mr. Ambler's celebrated cow 

 did not equal this girth; if we mistake not, her girth 

 was under 9 ft. We would observe that the few animals 

 we girted are all beautifully proportioned, and stand 

 high in their respective classes. Many breeders are 

 also the fatteners of their own animals. Other exhibi- 

 tors look out for animals of the highest order, and get 

 them up for our inspection. Thus we have the advan- 

 tage of selections from the best herds, and the assu- 

 rance of their being done the most justice to. One 

 man breeds and feeds like Colonel Towneley, and 

 another feeds only like Mr. Heath. 



We, of course, give the palm to the breeder who brings 

 his own animal to the highest perfection ; but we con- 

 sider the class of feeders who show us so many beautiful 

 animals, and which might otherwise have been lost to 

 our gaze, worthy of all praise. To go into the common 

 market, and purchase animals of high order, requires no 

 ordinary judgment ; but specimens purchased in this 

 way often carry off our first prizes. Mr. Clarke Hill- 

 yard's Devon, it will be remembered, did so. Mr. W. 

 Heath's beautiful animals have often done so ; while 

 His Royal Highness the Prince Consort has produced 

 some admiriible specimens of various breeds, but this 

 year we have one bred upon his Royal Highness's farms, 

 and which deservedly takes a good place, i. e., a second 

 prize. 



In passing through the various stock classes, we con- 

 fess we were not greatly impressed with any extraordi- 

 nary estimate of the show. It is good, but not supe- 

 rior to former years. . We certainly except Colonel 

 Towneley's heifer : we have never seen a better. She 

 will, in future years, give a character to the Show of 

 fifty-nine. Otherwise the generality of the animals in 

 all the classes strike us as being good duplicates of 

 former years, but nothing more. In our preceding 

 remarks we have perhaps hinted that we are not pro- 

 gressing quite so fast as some are led to suppose ; and 

 that so much attention has been paid to symmetry and 

 beauty, that the more profitable qualities of size and 

 weight, or substance and lean flesh, have been too much 

 overlooked. We commend this remark to our breeders 

 of cattle particularly. 



The following table shows the number of cattle exhi- 

 bited in the respective years :— 

 1855. 



Devona 17 



Herefords 20 



Shorthorns 40 



Irish, Scotch, Welsh. .. . 16 



Other cattle — 



Other pure breeds 3 



Cross breeds 7 



Extra 9 



Sussex — 



Norfolk — 



Longhorns — 



Scotch, horned — 



„ polled — 



Irish — 



W elsu ••....*...«•.. "■" 



Til 740 176 171 175 

 It is not our intention to go through the respective 



classes in regular consecutive order, but rather to make 



a note or two of those which caught our attention most 



as we walked round. 



In class 1 we never pass the Prince Consort's beasts 



without examination. His steer in this class is very 



