THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



71 



quality, to tliat of last year. Those, however, exhibited by 

 Mr. King {'272 and 274) were certainly splendid sheep. Of 

 the loiifjwoolled breeds there were many meritorious lot s, but 

 the Cotswold did not strike me as equ<al to those of la':t \car. 

 Possibly tlie dryness of the season may have had something 

 to do with the condition of the largsr sheep, which require 

 a more abundant pasture than the Southdowns. In sym- 

 metry, however, there was no falling olf in any of the various 

 breeds; and this is of far more importance than the condi- 

 tion of the animals, being a proof that the attention of the 

 breeders has not relaxed. 



Of the pij^a I believe there was but one opinion, that they 

 were quite equal to any previous exhibition. The enormous 

 disproportion, it is true, between the age aud the size and 

 weight of some of the animals, led some critical farmers to 

 doubt the truth of the announcemeuts upon the cards. Thus 

 lot No. 325 states the age of the pigs at 10 months and 5 

 days, whilst the weight was estimated by a butcher, whom I 

 questioned on the subject, at 25 score each, or 35 stone lOlbs. 

 long weight. It is not likely, however, that Lord Berner's 

 herd should have any motive for deceiving his lordship as to 

 the age of the pigs, but certainly it appears a marvellous thing 

 for a pig to gain 3^ stone per month the first ten mouths of 

 its existence. Almost as wonderful was lot 333, the three 

 pigs of which were estimated at 30 score, or 42 st. I21bs. 

 each, their age being 17 months, which allows 2^ stone per 

 month. I cannot, however, agree in the propriety of thus lay- 

 ing on fat, whilst it is manifest the flesh cannot grow in propor- 

 tion, although I am not exactly of opinion with the Irishman 

 who fed his pig only every other day in order to have a streak 

 of fat and a streak of lean alternately, which he considered the 

 perfection of good pork. If we are to judge of the taste of the 

 visitors by the attention they paid to particular portions of the 

 Exhibition, then I should conclude that the show of pigs was 

 the favourite part of it, for it seemed a'most impossible to get 

 near some of the lots, so great was the curiosity thegrunters 

 excited ; and great also was the anger, expressed in harsh and 

 querulous notes, excited by the attempts of the company to 

 make them exhibit their proportions by rising from the re- 

 cumbent position in which their swineships seemed so much 

 to delight. 



The show of roots and other vegetable productions was 

 very fine. Those sent over by the Royal Irish Agricultural 



Society were of enormous size; some of the cabbages being 

 almost mon.iters. They could not weigh leas than from 35 to 

 40 lb?. The mangel wurzols, too, were of gigantic propor- 

 tions ; but Ireland is par excellence the country of roots, and 

 1 have known as much as 70 tons of mangels per acre grown 

 in the neighbourhood of Dublin. Mr. Smith exhibited some 

 very Urge specimens, the result of his steam-ploughing (as he 

 avers), which enabled him to stir the land to a depth not 

 attainable by any common plough. There werrf some fine 

 specimens of the Sorgho plant grosvn by Mr. .J. W. Clark, of 

 Whittleaea. The produce of his crop be estimated at 120 

 tens per acre (green), which ia enormous. I expect that this 

 plant will receive considerable attention in future in this 

 country, as it has already done in France. It is not difficult 

 of cultivation if put in late enough to escape the frosts of 

 spring. 



I am almost afraid to touch upon the machinery depart- 

 ment. Every machinist was well represented in that wonderful 

 part of the exhibition, which displays the breadth and power 

 of English agriculture more, in my estimation, than even the 

 animals. That all those complicated and expensive machines 

 and implements of husbandry should have become the common 

 utensils iu trade of almost every farmer in the country holding 

 150 acres of land and upwards, speaks volumes for the present 

 condition of that class. There were, however, several quite new 

 machines; amongst which were Messrs. Burgess and Key's 

 mowing machine, the patent of which they purchased of Mr. 

 Owen, an American machinist; a corn-cleaning machine by 

 Mr, Childs (also an American machinist), aud which is confes- 

 sedly the most efficient thing of the kind yet brought out ; 

 and last, but not least, the " Guide-way steam cultivator" of 

 Mr. Halkett. I ought here to state, that I have found the 

 attention of the farmers almost wholly absorbed by the 

 question of ploughing by steam, which is now the desideratum 

 to which the machinist must devote all his attention and iu- 

 genuitj'. Mr. Halkett delivered a lecture at the roonis of the 

 Society of Arts ou Wednesday eveniog, on the system he has 

 invented ; and as my space this week is filled up, I will 

 write you agaiu, and give you my opinion of the principle 

 on which that system is based, having paid more than a 

 common attention to the subject. 



Yours respectfully, 



London, Dec. 11. An Old Norfolk. Farmer. 



THE BEST KIND OF WELSH CATTLE-USEFUL, HARDY, AND PROFITABLE. 



Sir, — The droves of Welsh cattle that come yearly into 

 our midland counties to be fed appear as if many of them 

 were bred bychance, like rabbits upon a warren— good, bad, 

 aud middling. But Colonel Pennant, within the last five 

 or six years, has proved what some of the best of the said 

 kind of cattle may be brought to, by giving them the same 

 strength of food as the best of oiher kinds of cattle. As a 

 proof, about five years back, Mr. Kirkby, of Park-street, 

 purveyor to Her Majesty, purchased of Mr. Maydwell Col. 

 Pennant's prize North Welsh ox for £65. The said ox 

 weighed about 200 stone, and 30 stone of tallow was taken 

 out of him ; carcase and tallow, 250 stone of 81bs. to the 

 stone. He was very thick in his lean flesh, which was beau- 

 tifully marhled ; nay, very fine and silky in the grain. He was 



an admirable specimen of what a Welsh ox ought to be — 

 useful, ornamental, and profitable. The Welsh cattle are 

 bought a great deal by the Leicester, Buckingham, and 

 South Northamptonshire graziers at the latter end of the 

 year, and used as scavengers, alias land-cleaners, by eating 

 up the old coarse grass left by the fat cattle during the hot 

 months. From their hale constitution, the North Wales 

 runts can bear the bleak winds in the winter much better 

 than the fine, thin-skinned, handsome Durhams, Devons, 

 and Herefords. The North Welsh cattle are second to 

 none in strength of constitution, which is the foundation of 

 hll good sound and profitable breeding; an animal weak in 

 a;e stamina may be compared to a bell without a clapper. 

 Mill Field, PeterborougJi. Sam. Arnsby. 



