THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



253 



be more than' usually smartly bandied to ensure such 

 laborious effusions being looked into. But too often 

 they are never read at all. 



By far the most readable paper in this number of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society's work is Mr. Robert Smith's 

 report on the Chester stock show. It is a long- way 

 the best thing of the kind the Journal has ever had, 

 and quite a reference for future Stewards to turn to. 

 But it is at the same time something more and some- 

 thing less than an actual report of the meeting. We 

 have carefully-prepared tables, showing how the differ- 

 ent breeds of animals have increased or declined in 

 the entries at these anniversaries. We have passing 

 notes — often enough but too brief and passing— of the 

 merits of the winners on the Roodee in July last. 

 The strength, however, of the paper — and wonderfully 

 strong it is — lies in the introductions to the several sorts 

 and classes now recognized in the prize sheet. Had Mr. 

 Smith given equal time to the points of the individual 

 animals he saw at Chester, as he has done to their 

 histories and qualities, he must have produced a yet 

 more valuable article. As it is, we never saw so much 

 useful information better condensed. He has a few 

 great fiicts to tell us of all the different breeds, 

 be they cattle, sheep, or pigs ; while of the origin 

 and progressof some, we repeat, that he epitomises quite 

 an interesting story. Take for example his opening to 

 the short-horn classes, in which he traces them fairly 

 back to the Teeswater, and comes on with them through 

 the Ceilings, Masons, and Bates, up to the Booth blood, 

 "now, by almost universal consent, recognized as 

 the best tribe of short-horns in existence." He tells 

 you what the bulls from this famous Warlaby herd are 

 now letting for, and has a glance at all the great 

 short-horn sales of the time. In fact, it is really 

 quite fortunate that the paper of Mr. Smith and that 

 of our Commissioner appeared simultaneously, or 

 one might possibly have had the credit of taking 

 his notions from the other. The senior steward 

 treats equally well, but at less length, of the rise of 

 the Hereford and Devon ; while, perhaps, next to the 

 Durhams his most interesting notes are on the early 

 history of the Leicester and other long-wooUed sheep. 

 Mr. Smith, it must be borne in mind, has himself been 

 a very successful breeder of cuttle and more par- 

 ticularly of Leicester sheep, so that he speaks with 

 higher authority on such matters than he even 

 would as a steward of the yard. In his estmate of 

 how the shorthorns stood at Chester, he has to 

 refer to the injurious effects of an abuse 

 we have ourselves long continued to complain of: — 



" A review leads me to the opinion that, although 

 the shorthorns have now become more the general stock 

 of the country, and were shown in unusual numbers at 

 Chester, they were not there superior to the best-bred 

 animals that have been exhibited in former years. The 

 young animals, especially the males, are not improving 

 as they ought from such parentage as we have been 

 accustomed to see at previous shows. The high con- 

 dition of the cow and heifer stock is unnatural and 

 oi)j)osed to common sense. Are such animals really 



in a state for breeding and milking — one (at least) of 

 the uses of the beast ? It would be well if more atten- 

 tion were paid to the lean meat of a shorthorn, and less 

 to superfluous fat. It would be better to err on this 

 side with our first-class bulls rather than to encourage 

 male animals of a smart heifer-like cast, without 

 lean meat — ' quality, loith substance/ being really 

 essential." 



We have in other parts of this number some further 

 confirmation of how the uses of the shorthorn are ex- 

 tending. Mr. Herbert, in his live-stock statistics, asks — 



" What are the breeds of beasts and sheep which 

 form the supplies exhibited in London ? From a analysis 

 of the stock exhibited during the past year, and founded 

 on the most careful observation, we have arrived at the 

 following conclusions : — 



Per-Centage of Beasts sJiown in the IMetropolilan Market 

 in 1858. 



Shorthovus 33 00 



Heteforda 9 25 



Devons 500 



LonT;horn3 100 



Crosses 16 00 



Hishlandera 2 00 



Polled Scots 400 



Ayrshire 025 



Irish cro9sea , 8 00 



Welsh runta 150 



Irish 9 00 



Bremen, Tonning, Dutch, and German . . 950 



Spanish and Portuguese 150 



10000 



" The above table shows that the shorthorned breed 

 of beasts now stands at the head of the list of stock for 

 what may be termed general consumption. They have 

 gone on progressing at a wonderful rate since the com- 

 mencement of the present century, and they are now to 

 be found in almost every county in England, as well as 

 in Ireland and Scotland. We may further observe that 

 half-bred beasts, between the Scots and shorthorns, 

 have considerably increased within the last twenty 

 years. The changes in the various breeds in this 

 period h:ive been remai'kable. Whilst the shorthorns 

 and crosses have increased, the Herefords, Devons, 

 longhorns, and polled beasts have declined considerably. 

 The same may be said of Welsh runts; but we find a 

 great increase in Irish crosses, no doubt with the short- 

 horned breed imported from this country." 



Mr. Wright, again, in his management of a herd, at 

 once gives us to understand his own choice is the short- 

 horn, although honestly admitting, as he does, that his 

 experience of them shows " they have less disposition to 

 milk than feed." He has a word, too, for the manner 

 in which the breed is so surely developing itself: 

 " During last autumn I had an opportunity of inquiring 

 of a gentleman, himself an extensive grazier in Aus- 

 tralia, how far these high-priced animals repaid their 

 spirited importers ? He stated that they were highly 

 profitable, as all trials of pure shorthorn bulls, or of 

 crosses with them, had been attended with eminent 

 success." 



One does not care to' be always complaining, but we 

 certainly could wish these able reports had been backed 

 s 2 



