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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



THE HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND. 



MEETING AT GLASGOW, 



With a steady determination of purj^ose, equally 

 honourable to either, the Highland and the Yorkshire 

 Societies have again so contrived a3 to come into colli- 

 sion with each other. Of course, as far as their imme- 

 diate supporters are concerned, this is a matter of very 

 little moment; or surely more pains would have been 

 taken to avert what has now something of the authority 

 of custom in its favour. The Scotch go to their Scotch 

 show, and the Yorkshiremen to the Yorkshire. Both, 

 however, are of sufficient importance to command 

 something more than a comparatively local interest and 

 influence. We have no hesitation in saying that if 

 only so arranged as to follow on one after the other, a 

 number of visitors, both British and Foreign, would 

 gladly avail themselves of the opportunity to go the 

 round of these meetings. Say, that a clear week after 

 Salisbui-y they should have been summoned to York 

 thence to Glasgow, and so gradually to Waterford — one 

 week after the other, with a spare day or two in each 

 for the sight-seeing of the several districts. The Irish 

 Society's fixture would have exactly suited this plan, 

 while we can only say that we have done our part to 

 further such a proceeding. Six or eight months since 

 we warned Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Hannam of what was 

 coming. The Yorkshire Society, however, has a 

 standing rule on the subject ; and the Highland could 

 not hold a gathering during any week that included in 

 its Kalends " the twelfth of August." 



This kind of opposition is to be regretted for many 

 reasons. People never learn so readily nor profit so 

 much as when they can get out of a beaten path. The 

 Agricultural Society of Scotland is peculiarly remark- 

 able for features of its own. la these times of railway 

 despatch and facility, our Englishshows come very much 

 to resemble each other — the same sort of Short- 

 horns, Southdowns, and so on. But when the Southron 

 crosses the Border, he enjoys a treat that has all the 

 zest of novelty to recommend it. He sees — not by twos 

 or threes, but by whole classes — the famous polled 

 cattle ; contrasting, as they do, with their more lively 

 brethren of the Highlands — that wondrous combination 

 of strength and activity, the light-stepping,' smart- 

 looking horses of the Clyde. And then again, with 

 these, and with quite as national characteristics to dis- 

 tinguish them, he marks the curious black-faced 

 twisted-horn sheep — in their turn to be compared with 

 the grand, heavy Cheviots ; each showing in its way 

 what Scotland can do on its mountains and its low- 

 lands. By this, too, the country has many a Short- 

 horn herd famous in history ; and far longer still, its 

 own Ayrshires, to show for milk what the others do for 

 meat. 



The Glasgow Meeting was said to be the most suc- 

 cessful exhibition of such strong points in the High- 

 land Society's meetings. It was certainly, to use a 

 favourite phrase of the farmer, one of the most " even" 

 shows we ever remember to have witnessed. Of all the 

 many sections and varieties, there was not a bad or 

 inferior class on " the Green ;" and very few that were 

 not numerously filled and closely contested. To open 



with the catalogue, there were a hundred and ninety- 

 five Ayrshires entered, with three prizes to each sec- 

 tion, and some further special commendations to prove 

 how good the judges considered they were. These Ayr- 

 shire cows have wonderful udders ; although with those 

 most experienced in the breed the bulls had here the call. 

 The first prize bull especially was a great favourite ; 

 while justice must add as much for some of the prize 

 cows. But this bull even went far to endanger, at least 

 with his own friends and "neebors," the popularity of the 

 Shorthorn premium. Those at all learned in such like 

 lore will not require to be told what animal this was. 

 The first-prize bull at Salisbury was entered as the 

 property of a gentleman who represents in Parlia- 

 ment a district adjacent to Glasgow. It was so very "* 

 probable that the same bull would be again entered at 

 the Highland Show, and equally likely that he would 

 again be successful. As the best Shorthorn that has 

 now been out for many years, Mr. Stirling's " John o' 

 Groat" of course took the first prize here, with a very 

 good bull from Ireland for his second. The class, how- 

 ever, was made up with some not very symmetrical 

 stock, although the judges were enabled to add a spe- 

 cial commendation to the bronze medal. Mr. Stirling 

 exhibited another bull in the yearling class, that would 

 seem to promise almost as well as his aged one. He 

 has gone to another good man for this animal — Mr. 

 Douglas, of Athelstaneford, who himself, as usual, had 

 it all his own way with the cow and heifer classes. 

 Ringlet, and Rose of Athelstane, were both at Salis- 

 bury, although their relative merits were reversed here. 

 We will not, though, be quite sure even of the official 

 prize-list, as we saw the two — they stood side by side — 

 change places during the day. Mr. Douglas also won 

 with the brother to Rose, a two-year-old bull un- 

 noticed in the South. Indeed, our reports of the Salis- 

 bury Meeting will say a good deal for the Shorthorns 

 at Glasgow — the perfection of Mr. Stirling's bull, and 

 the excellence of Mr. Douglas's cows more particularly. 

 We might have added to these a word for Mr. 

 Wetherell's; but though he entered with the Scotch, he 

 naturally enough exhibited at the York Meeting. 



Of the native breeds, the polled Angus, Galloways, 

 and Higlilanders, the mountaineers mustered in the 

 greatest force. There was a very large entry of High- 

 land cows and heifers, shown in a fair unprepared 

 state, and just the wild shaggy sort one would expect to 

 find them. Many of these were pronounced to be very 

 good. Of the Angus, in a somewhat short entry. 

 Lord Southeske sent a really splendid bull, ranking 

 well with anything in the yard. The whole lot, 

 indeed, were to be commended, as keeping up the 

 repute of a breed that, even in these days of improved 

 agriculture, quite hold their own. If confined to their 

 own resources, the Scotch might do their best lands 

 well enough with Angus cattle and Cheviot sheep. Still 

 the Glasgow show of the Angus was not equal to the 

 many perfect animals sent last year to Inverness. Al- 

 though separated into two classes, the difference between 

 the Angus and the Galloway is not remarkable — the 

 latter, the less fancied of the two, is said now to be 

 going somewhat out of favour. 



For four different sorts all well represented, the 

 sheep show was perhaps, considered as a whole, the 

 best-filled division of the catalogue. It numbered, 



