42 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



conditions, makes a mild request that after a sheep has 

 been once shorn, he should not be unfairly trimmed. 

 But they should get their judges to enforce this. Per- 

 haps the most telling way would have been to turn out 

 two Downs, one as he is, and the other as he should be. 

 In the latter case you cut all the wool close off his back, 

 but leave it long on his carcase, to give him a springing 

 rib and well-rounded appearance, taking care also to leave 

 any other weak place thickly covered. The very know- 

 ing ones even go so far as to smear some kind of nastiness 

 over the sheep — the backs particularly mind — so as to 

 give people the notion that they had just been driven up 

 in the rough off the turnips, and perhaps to prevent the 

 curious from handling them too closely. If you do 

 get in the pen you can hardly have half-an-inch hold on 

 the top, while elsewhere your hand is buried in wool, 

 very fine and good no doubt. But what do the judges 

 mean by passing off such mal practices on the public ? Or 

 why should those learned Professors Simonds and Hunt 

 be so hard on the poor pigs, who are perhaps a little older 

 than they admit, while the sheep are suffered to strut 

 about padded like ancient bucks, or with a crinoline 

 rotundity to their really ragged shanks ? To serve such 

 a leg of mutton properly, you should dress it as they do 

 a hunted hare — with the skin on. 



The pig show at Birmingham is always a good one ; 

 indeed, it ranks almost coequal with the poultry for pe- 

 culiar attractions. It was signalized this year by the 

 introduction of a distinct series of premiums for the 

 Berkshire breed, which produced a very strong and en- 

 couraging entry, and quite sufficient to warrant the 

 Council in the step they had taken. Some of the very 

 high-bred ones had pedigrees as long as those of race- 

 horses. As, for instance, a litter of Mr. Joseph Smith's, 

 of Henley-in-Arden,is thus described : — "Age, 5 months 

 and 3 weeks ; pedigree— sire Gipsy Boy the Fourteenth 

 by Champion, dam Gipsy Queen by a brawn bred by 

 Sir Robert Throckmorton, grandam Longwaist by 

 Longsides, g. g. dam Short Tail by Berkshire Pride ; 

 dam Cholsey Lass, sire Moreton Jack, g. sire Nonpa- 

 reil, g. g. sire Magnum Bonum, g. g. g. sire Old Ben." 

 And there were other exhibitors almost as learned in hog- 

 flesh. The Countess of Chesterfield became at once 

 famous for a white pig, of what we must call the Bretby 

 breed, being not quite recognizable either as a York- 

 shire or a Cumberland. The young pigs of the latter 

 variety furnished altogether the best lot of any in the 

 yard — Mr. "Wiley, Mr. Watson, Mr. Hindson, and Mr. 

 Mangles all sending some of their choicest. But, for 

 their age, there v/as no approaching the Bransby first 

 prize pen. One or two large whites were nearly as long 

 as ships ; and there were some improved Tamworths 

 that, however, we seldom see elsewhere. 



An exhibition of roots, very tastily arranged, and in- 

 cluding some fine mangolds, brings the spectator gradu- 

 ally round to the poultry — the very Hamlet, as many 

 think, of tbe whole play. According to the judges, this 

 was the best poultry show ever known ; but the judges 

 at Birmingham talk proverbially in superlatives. Even 

 those for stock deal out commendations and high 

 commendations with such a liberal hand, that one really 



comes to hardly regard them at all. There should be a 

 limit to the best of intentions, or we defeat our own ob- 

 ject. Still the poultry were almost generally good, 

 while we never saw them in finer feather. The run at 

 present is chiefly on the Dorking, Spanish, and Game ; 

 and we must admit we never saw such well-built, beau- 

 tifully coloured, and smart-looking game-cocks as con- 

 tended for the sweepstakes. Let us record Captain 

 Hornby as the winner. Mr. Fowler, of Aylesbury, also 

 deserves a word of especial praise, not so much this time 

 for his white ducks as for his grey geese. One of these, 

 the ccander, was of the extraordinary and unprecedented 

 weight of two-and-thirty pounds, and he had a pair of 

 worthy helpmates with him. The trio, moreover, ap- 

 peared by no means over-done, but were, on the con- 

 trary, very active and cheerful, showing none of that 

 suffering a too-fat goose is popularly supposed to un- 

 dergo in the process. The Rouen ducks and the Christ- 

 mas turkeys come also in strong evidence of the good 

 influence of the show ; while the display of pigeons is 

 gradually getting more and more imposing. But pigeon- 

 fancying must be a business of itself, and without the 

 book we do not remember the names even of half we 

 saw. At any rate, the electric telegraph would appear 

 by no means to have depreciated their value or import- 

 ance. 



Lord Spencer succeeds Lord John Scott as President 

 of the Society. During the week Professor Tanner de- 

 livered two lectures on congenial themes, but the hour 

 was ill-timed. Visitors cannot be expected to leave the 

 yard at three o'clock in the afternoon, whereas had the 

 evening been arranged for, there might have been a much 

 better attendance. 



PRIZE LIST. 

 FAT CATTLE. 



Judges— Mr. George Bright, Broome, Acton-on-Clun, Salop, 

 Mr. Philip Halse, MoUand, South Molton, Devon. 

 Mr. John Oatley, Bishton Hall, Shiffnal. 

 HEREFORDS. 

 Oxen or Steers, 

 First prize £10, with Gold Medal as beat of all the 

 oxeu, the President's Silver Cup, value £25, as best ox or 

 steer bred aud fed by au exhibitor, the extra prize of J;20, as 

 the best Hereford, aad Silver Medal as breeder (Mr. John 

 Naylor, Leighton Hall, Welshpool. 



Second, £5, Mr. Robert Swinucrtou, Weddington, Nun- 

 eaton. 



Highly commended, Mr. John Shaw, Hunsbury Hill.North- 

 amptou ; aud the Earl of Aylesford, Packiiigton. 



Commended, His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, 

 Windsor Castle. 



Steers. 

 (Under Three Years and Three Months Old.) 

 First prize £10, Mr. laaac G. Niblett, Red Lodge, Ashley 

 Hill, Briatol; Silver Medal to breeder, Mr. T. Meire, Cound 

 Arbour, Shrewsbury. 



Second, His Royal Highness the Prince Consort. 

 llighbi commended, Mr. Isaac Niblett, Filton, Briatol. 

 Commended, Mr. John Cerwardiiie, Stockton Bury, Leo- 

 minster; aud the Earl of Harnley, Cobham Hall, Graveseud. 

 Cows. 

 First prize £10, and Silver Medul as breeder, Mr. William 

 Vaughan, Cholstrey, L?otniuster (had seven calves). 



Second, £5, Mr. Richard Hill, Goldiug Hall, Shrewsbury 

 (had three calves). 



Commended, Mr. George Pitt, Chadnor Court, Dilwyo, 

 Leomiuater (had eight calves). 



