THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



197 



wonderful chine and extraordinary fore-quaiter. Mr. 

 Gibbs' second prize yearling is good, and also those of 

 Mr. Halse and of Mr. Miller, of Sherbourne. That 

 shown by His Royal Highness is exceedingly good, and 

 deserving of its high commendation. 



CHANNEL ISLANDS CATTLE. 



Everybody is familiar v^ith the fawn-like, spotted, 

 " crumpled horn" cows, which jield the very richest of 

 milk and cream, and the yellowest of butter, and are 

 commonly spoken of as "Alderueys." However, the 

 Jersey cattle are the best in the Channel Islands ; the 

 Guernsey breed, larger and of a red or dun colour, 

 being almost equally renowned. Originally from Nor- 

 mandy, these breeds have been wonderfully improved 

 by selection and by crossing between the upland and 

 low-ground herds, and have been employed to improve 

 both the true Alderney and also the distant Ayrshire, 

 which is famous for the quantity rather than extra 

 quality of its milk. The Jersey stock was as noted for 

 its produce sixty years ago as it is now ; but it was ill- 

 formed and ugly, its redeeming points having been its 

 fine head, crumpled horns, and capacious, well-formed 

 udder. The old farmers were chiefly careful to per- 

 petuate the valuable milking and creaming qualities ; but 

 about twenty years ago the symmetry and feeding cha- 

 racter of the animals became more strictly attended to. 

 And we would here observe, that the local agricultural 

 society has arrived, by study of the best animals, at a 

 "scale of points," as a standard by which to estimate 

 the excellencies and defects of any animal of the breed. 

 There are thirty-three points for bulls, and thirty-six 

 for cows and heifers, the possession of all constituting 

 " perfection." Were such a schedule of characteristics 

 and desiderata to be drawn up for each of our great 

 breeds, the criticism of judges and breeders would be 

 much more systematic and reliable, and less influenced 

 by private predilections and opinions than at present. 

 We believe that the Royal Agricultural Society might 

 very judiciously and beneficially turn its attention to this 

 matter. 



The Channel Islands cows will produce weekly ten to 

 fourteen pounds of rich yellow butter, and from four- 

 teen to twenty quarts of milk daily. In summer they 

 are tethered upon pasture, eating the grass down as 

 clean as if it were mown, and being shifted two or three 

 times a-day. In winter they are housed, and fed on 

 hay, a small quantity of straw, and ten to twenty pounds 

 each of parsnips or white carrots. The Jersey oxen 

 rarely exceed one hundred imperial stones in weight. 

 The cows, when dried off at twelve or fourteen years 

 old, fatten well, and make excellent meat. Those ex- 

 hibited do not equal our expectation, from what we 

 know of the breed. 



Class I. — Bulls calved on or before Jan. 

 1st, 1856. 



Some of the animals are good, but there is a general 

 lack of symmetry about them, and very few are well 

 ribbed up. Mr. Elphinstone's prize bull is of very 

 great length, with a good fore-quarter : his back is not 

 straight, but his head and bone are very fine, and his 

 flesh excellent. 



For Class II. there was no entry. 



Class III.— Cows In-milk. 

 This ought to be the strong point of the sliow ; but, 

 though good in milking quality, too many of the cows 

 have a narrow " hatchety " appearance, that is far from 

 what we should like in a breed which is said to have been 

 so much improved. Mr. Compton's prize Guernsey cow 

 is very large, level, and good, her milk-vein and udder 

 denoting first-rate milking properties. Mr. Pain's Al- 

 derney— a very much smaller breed — is very good. 



Class IV. — In-calf Heifers not exceeding 

 two years old. 

 Mr. Beckingham's prize heifer is a really beautiful 

 little thing ; her chine especially good. 



Class V. — Yearling Heifers. 

 Mr. Maton's heifer is straight, but too narrow in 

 frame : a remarkably good milker. 



OTHER ESTABLISHED BREEDS. 



The classes in this division are very scantily filled, 

 and nothing of particular merit is observable. 



In Classes I. and II. there was no entry. 

 Class HI.— Cows In-milk or In-calf. 



Mr. Cartwright's prize polled Angus is very good. 

 Mr. Crisp's Suffolks not particularly superior. 



Class IV. — No entry. 



Class V. — Yearling Heifers. 



Mr. Shaw's Suffolks is very good. Lady Pigott's 

 West Highland is noticeable, as being the only specimen 

 in the yard of this small, shaggy, dun breed. 



The special gold medal, offered by a French gentle- 

 man for the best polled bull of any age, is awarded to 

 Mr. Badham's large red Suffolk — a very good animal. 



HORSES. 



The number of horses, including stallions, mares, 

 &c., shown at each of the more recent meetings, is as 

 follows : — 



Meeting. 



Lewes .... 1852 

 Gloucester, 1853 

 LiucolD....1854 

 Carlisle .. 1855 

 Chelmsford 1856 



Average of 5 yrs. 

 Salisbufy.. 1857 



For Agri. iRoadatra. p^ays. 

 Purpo'jes I ■*"> 



80 

 63 



76 



83 



123 



85 

 101 



&c. 



7 



35 



12 











18 

 



7 

 10 



Hacks, ,p , 

 &c. 











18 



90 



66 



58 

 40 



87 



98 



108 



173 



196 



168 

 151 



In comparison with the show at Chelmsford the show at 

 Salisbury falls rather short, both in quantity and quality. 

 But as we did not go expecting to find great exeelknce 

 in the equine breed from that quarter, we were much 

 pleased with the general merit that met our view. Our 

 attention was drawn to the judicious and successful 

 endeavour which the Suffolk men have made to correct 

 the deficiencies that we are generally prone to consider 

 as appertaining to their stock. We must say that the 

 Messrs. Barthropp, Crisp, and Ward, &c., deserve 

 great praise for their unremitting exertions to improve 

 and carry forward the stock of which Mr. Catlin, with 

 his celebrated Duke, laid the foundation. They seem 

 to be fully aware of the necessity of seeking for mares of 

 great size and substance in other counties, and are thus 

 producing- a superior strengthy class of horses for agri- 

 cultural purposes. For illustration of this improvement 

 we point to Classes II., III., and IV., in all of which 

 the Suffolk horses, except in one instance, carry off the 

 prizes. In our opinion these are just the horses that 

 are wanted in Wiltshii e, and indeed, in all our light- 

 land districts where active clever stepping is required, 

 combined with considerable substance ; and we entertain 

 no doubt, arguing from the great demand for them 

 now felt, and the activity of breeders to supply that 

 demand, that their presence will be nearly cotemporary 

 with their reputation : and when we teH our readers that 

 amongst the two-year-old stock horses, sales were 

 effected in the yard at i'lOO, £150, and £200, and 

 among fillies of the same age at ^t'/O, £80, and £100, 

 no one can deny the increased popularity of the breed. 



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