THE FARMER'S xMAGAZINE. 



223 



beyond a few Cotswolds that could be scarcely takeu 

 into account, Leicesters, Cheviots, Black-faces, and 

 Southdowns. Of a!) these the Cheviots are the most 

 remarkable, and on their own gi'ound, perhaps, the best. 

 Some of the rams were really wonderful, uniting with 

 size and symmetry a certain degree of power, generally 

 observable in the male animal, though not so often in 

 sheep. We have the opinion of one of the judges to re- 

 cord them as a very excellent entry. Next in favour in 

 the North comes the Leicester — bred, as is now the fa- 

 shion, not quite so pure as he has been. The South- 

 downs, moreover, are evidently on the improvement. 

 Mr. Hutchison crosses directly with Mr. Jonas Webb's 

 flock, and his second prize was bred at Babraham. 

 The Duke of Richmond materially strengthened this 

 section with some of his beautiful Downs. One ram — 

 which the judges justly preferred to a far bigger sheep 

 by his side — was a perfect picture of a Down — as hand- 

 some in his way as the horned Highlanders to be en- 

 countered a little further on. As sheep that, originally 

 at any rate, had to " earn their living" off short- 

 commons, we question whether his Grace and Mr. 

 Blacklock do not give us the true metal of what a 

 Down or a hill-side sheep should be. 



As with the short-horns, some of the best pigs came 

 from Salisbury — Mr. Harrison to wit. Still the entire 

 show was a capital one, with the poor brutes, as usual, 

 most shamefully over-fed. Had either of the show-days 

 been anything like as hot as the weather we have had 

 lately, many of them must have died where they lay. 

 As it was, they were protected and screened by all kinds 

 of contrivances ; and some so much so as to be scarcely 

 visible. In an exhibition of breeding-stock, we repeat, 

 this is something worse than an absurdity. At Salis- 

 bury many of the pigs actually did die from being 

 over-fattened to an extent which prevented their 

 bearing the least fatigue ; and, although such secrets 

 are generally pretty well kept, a gentleman kindly 

 sent us an account of how many score one of these 

 dead-weights realized. Of course this was something 

 equal to the most wonderful ^fat pig ever shown in a 

 fair. A nice animal to give a premium to, as a sample 

 of what breeding-stock should be ! 



Tiie show of horses at the Highland Society's meet- 

 ing is still a show of draught horses, and a most extra- 

 ordinary one it is. On the very banks of the Clyde it 

 was but natural to expect a good entry of Clydesdales. 

 There numbered at Glasgow thirty-three aged stallions, 

 twenty- three three-year-old stallions, twenty-nine two- 

 year-olds, and twenty-seven yearlings, with equally 

 strong classes of mares and fillies. The great majority, 

 if not all these, were Clydes, and the chief attraction 

 amongst them the aged horses. The Clydesdale, in 

 fact, developes almost beyond anything else — without it 

 be a game-cock — as he grows on to maturity. And 

 it is almost impossible to suppose that many of the 

 young stock could ever ripen into the magnificent 

 animals they do. It is a difficult thing to judge a foal 

 of any sort, while it must be far more than usually 

 hazardous with these. Even judging the old horses 

 must have been a task of some difficulty. They ran 

 more generally good than we ever remember them ; and 

 a horse almost covered with plates, in commemoration of 

 the premiums he had taken, was not even commended. 

 The first prize horse is a very favourable example of the 

 breed — in colour a dappled brown, very gaily marked, 

 four white legs and a bald face, with quick ready 

 action, immense power and weight, generally good sym- 

 metry, and may-be just a little light in the arm. We 

 repeat, the Clydes here were "very much of a much- 

 ness;" and we noticed few of those two big ends with 

 nothing between them, that we have had recommended 

 to our attention before now, as Clydesdales. 



There were beyond these a couple of thorough-bred 

 stallions, one of which was commended — a famous 

 chesnut pony, with just cross enough of the Shetland 

 not to spoil him, also worthily distinguished — some 

 capital cob stock, " suitable for milk-carts," the terms 

 on which they were entered — and some cart-horses, 

 chiefly from Glasgow, exhibited in their working har- 

 ness, the finest work-a-day dress we ever did see. We 

 are assured, however, that the men have an especial 

 pride in this gear, and that their horses always turn 

 out as smart as they came to the show. 



It is not only as an exhibition of stock that the 

 Glasgow Meeting will rank as an unusually good one. 

 The advance in the imidement department was at once 

 apparent. Although by no means a perfect collection 

 of agricultural machinery, the Highland Society has 

 never yet afforded its members so instructive a lesson 

 in this branch of a farmer's studies. It is one, more- 

 over, they require beyond all others. We believe, as a 

 rule, the Scotch are only just beginning to appreciate 

 the advantages of improved machinery. When at the 

 Judges' dinner on Wednesday, we asked our Cheviot 

 friend what he thought of the show of implements, his 

 answer was one we should rarely hear now in England : 

 " Weel, I ken boot leetle aboot'em. I'm just a sheep 

 mon." And so it is with the majority. They are just 

 sheep men, or stock men, or horse men, leaving 

 ploughs and drills and harrows very much to chance 

 or to the local makers, who, so far, have not done 

 a vast deal to amend them. 



At Glasgow, however, we must repeat, there was a 

 marked advance in what die home manufacturers had 

 to exhibit ; while these entries were considerably 

 strengthened by such implements as Howard's and 

 Bentall's ploughs, Hornsby's thrashing machines, 

 Clayton and Shuttleworth's steam-engine, and Rich- 

 mond and Chandler's chafi-cutters. Through the 

 agency, moreovei", of Mr. Palmer, of Stockton, nearly 

 all these were intended for trial. Hornsby's machine, 

 in fact, took the premium ; but the Bedford plough 

 was unfortunately smashed on its way to the field, and 

 another interesting illustration of what the wheel- 

 plough can do lost to those who took to it so kindly a 

 year or two since at Berwick. Richmond and Chand- 

 ler, it is only right to say, manfully entered their own 

 wares. They had too, their reward, taking api'ize for 

 everything they exhibited, and meeting with a sale 

 altogether unprecedented. Mr. Bentall, again, was 

 his own showman, and with similar success. The 

 English ploughs were also in demand, and 

 there is no doubt but such an introduction 

 as the Highland Society affords may do much for both 

 the contracting parties — our manufacturers from the 

 south on the one side, and the farmers from the north 

 on the other. The chief objection the former have to 

 attending these meetings is the peculiar manner in 

 which this part of the ground is arranged. Every im- 

 plement for trial stands in its own class — all the general 

 purpose ploughs in a row together — grubbers in another 

 — drills in a thii'd, and so on. In fact you run on, 

 number for number, just as you would through a lot of 

 Shorthorns, or Ayrshires. Convenient to a certain ex- 

 tent as this may be for the visitor, it is anything but so 

 to the exhibitor. A firm must have a good many heads 

 and hands to be in so many places at once ; and the 

 consequence is, that business is said to be sadly inter- 

 fered with. There are of course no such well-furnished 

 stands as we see at our shows in the South, and but few 

 have any head-quarters at all. Nothing indeed, 

 neither high-prized animals, nor high-priced imple- 

 ments, is covered in, or in any way protected from the 

 elements. It would be hard to realize a more depres- 

 sing scene than a Highland Society's Show on a very 



