THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



103 



of whicli wo Ibi'eshadowcd at the time. In oiu" esti- 

 mate of the shorthorn classes \vc went on in this wise : 

 "The cow Volga, that separated Mr. Doughis' two, 

 also heat Rose uf Sharon in Ireland ; and has so 

 been first at the Irish, second at the Scotch, and 

 third at the English meeting. She was bred by 

 Mr. Stewart, of Soutlnvick, and is not only very 

 userul-looking, but very well bred, going- back to the 

 famous Ciiorry tribes. Mr. Stewart, however, could 

 not get her to breed ; and she was sold as a butcher's 

 benst. But she has since been frequently exhibited, as 

 well as objected to as not bi'ing a breeding animal ; al- 

 thoiigii now at eight years old, she has a calf hij her 

 side." In fact, it was the general impression on the 

 ground that the calf was not Volga's own, although 

 every one naturally supposed it liad been entered as 

 such. The mystery was thus cleared up at the Meeting 

 on Wednesday : " The Secretary said the protest re- 

 ferred to by Mr. Wemyss had been sent in too late, but 

 the matter had been fully inquired into ; and, if it was 

 the desire of the Meeting, he would state what took 

 place in reference to that case. He then read a 

 memorandum which had been drawn up in reference 

 to this. It slated that Mr. Tod entered a short- 

 horned cow in section four, and, according to the usual 

 practice, without stating whether she had calved or 

 was in-calf. The animal was exhibited with a calf at 

 her foot, but there was no evidence that the calf was 

 represented to have been hers. After the termination 

 of the Show, the Secretary received a letter from a 

 IMembrr of the Society, complaining of the award in 

 respect that the calf was not the cow's produce, and that 

 she had not had a calf. Mr. Tod, on being called upon 

 to explain the matter, stated that the calf was not the 

 produce of the cow, that it had never been represented 

 to be so, and it had been put to her to retain milk, 

 which he had found upon her. Ke had entered the 

 cow at the time in the belief that she was in-calf; but, 

 having found it not to be so, he withdrew her on the 

 29th November. The whole matter was referred to a 

 Committee, who reported to the Directors that there 

 was not sufficient evidence to establish deception and 

 to warrant expulsion. To this the Directors adhered, 

 for the following reasons : 1st. The original entry con- 

 tained no mis-statement. 2ud. There was no aver- 

 ment that Mr. Tod had represented the calf to be the 

 pi'oduce of the cow. 3rd. It was impossible to dis- 

 prove Mr. Tod's statement that he believed the cow 

 qualified for exhibition as being in-calf at the time. 

 The Dircctois had, however, resolved so to amend the 

 regulatiims with reference to cows as in future to pre- 

 vent animals whicli have never had calves being exhi- 

 bited under the pretext of being in-calf. Mr, Gulland, 

 Wemyss, thought the punishment was a very poor one, 

 and that the exhibitor ought to have been cxpc lied. The 

 Cha'rman said that nothing could be proved against 

 the exhibitor." 



Surely the opinions of the Judges should have been 

 taken previous to the Committee or the Directors 

 arriving at a decision. When they gave Volga a prize, 

 was it with the idea that she was in calf .' Or that it 

 was her own calf at her side ? And, should it not have 

 been clearly stated to them that it was 7iot her calf 1 

 When, they might have looked to the matter of milk, 

 as well as to the probability of a cow barren up to 

 eight or nine years old ever having any produce. 

 As it is, some other exhibitor has been clearly de- 

 prived of a prize. The Judges at the Scotch meetings 

 do not, w^e believe, as yet follow the English plan, and 

 place a fourth animal ; so that in this very class the 

 Society will save both its first and second prizes. 

 Venus de Medicis, the first prize, we hear, is not in calf, 

 neither is this cow of Mr. Todd's ; while Rose of Sharon 



will not take higher rank on the disqualification of 

 those above her. Volga, of course, will also lose 

 the ))reniiums both in lingland and Ireland. The sub- 

 ject itstlf is one tliat manifestly demands a deal more 

 investigation. \Vas the calf that accompanied her put 

 there under false'pretences, or not ? Did the Judges at 

 Warwick and Dundalk deal with it as her produce, or 

 not ? And is Mr. Todd an injured man, or an ofTending 

 one? The cow was entered at Warwick as "in milk 

 and in calf." Did the Judges take any especial 

 pains to ascertain if she was eitlicr, or did they 

 pass the calf at her side as sufticient qualification ? 

 The question should be settled far more definitely j 

 for, if not cleared up, the taint will never wear 

 off. There is not an exhibitor, who has ever played 

 tricks with his stock, but is a marked man to tliis 

 hour. We are induced to give the Highland Society 

 credit for going the right way, but in this case they 

 have not gone far enough. The explanation should 

 have been offered, not extracted, and the whole inquiry 

 must be published in full in the next number of the 

 Society's Journal. It will be a case full of instruction 

 for the public and the Judges— what questions they 

 are to ask, and what they are to look for, as the signs of 

 a breeding animal ? How long an old, barren cow can 

 be in milk ? And to what absurdity the over-feeding 

 system can be carried ? It seems to be really getting 

 topsy-turvy already, when wo find Colonel Towneley's 

 cow in calf the finest fat beast at the Smithfield Show, 

 and BIr. Todd's barren one a prize animal at Warwick. 



HIGHLAND 



AND AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



The half-yearly general meeting of the society \va3 held in 

 the Museum on Wednesday, Jan. 18. There could net have 

 been fewer than 300 members present. The Duke of Athole, 

 aa president, occupied the chair. 



The list of gentlemen proposed to fill up the vacancies amoDg 

 the oftice-bearers and directors was adopted. 



Sir W. Gibson-Craig, as hon. treasurer, laid on the table 

 the accounts of the society, of which an abstract was circulated 

 at the meeting. 



The Secretary reported that the arrangements for the 

 Dumfries show this year were in a forward and satisfactory 

 state. He also reported the proceedings taken in relerence to 

 the Perth Show in 1861, and stated lliat there was a corres- 

 pondence going on with influential gentlemen which gave them 

 the prospect of having a meeting in Kelso iu 1862. A report; 

 by the directors was then read, recommending that the views 

 of the special committee should be permanently given elTect tc, 

 except in the following instances : — 1st, that the premiums for 

 sheep should not be reduced; 2Dd,that separate premiums for 

 Galloway cattle should not be given at i;orthern shows, un- 

 less a certain number of animals were entered ; 3rd, tliat the 1st 

 of January instead of the Ist of October should be the period 

 assumed for determining age ; 4th, thht the judges should be 

 selected, not by popular election, but by the directors. 



The report of the directors was unanimously approved of. 



Mr. Forbes Irvine iutimated that the following awards 

 had been made last year: 1. The gold-medal to James Dun- 

 can, Old Manse, Denholm, Hawick, for report on the natural 

 history of the turnip-fly. 2. The gold-medal to James Fulton, 

 Temple, Maryhill, Glasgow, for a report on the cultivation of 

 Italisu rye-grass. 3. Tne gold-medsl to James Porter, Mony- 

 rausk, Aberdeenshire, for a report on the top-dressing pasture. 



4. Tlie gold-medal to Robert S?ot Skirving, Campton, East- 

 Lothian, for a report on the cultivation of roangold-wurzpl. 



5. The medium gold-medal to Patrick Sherrilf, Haddington, 

 for a report on the new variety of wheat. 



On the motion of the Duke Buccleugh, the thaoks of the 

 meeting were tendered to the Duke of Athole for presiding. 



