THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



MAY, 1859. 



PLATE T. 

 CAPTAIN SPENCER, AND SUNBEAM. 



ENGRAVED BY T. H. HUNT, FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BY BANNISTER, OF CARLISLE. 



Although Captain Spencer is better known to 

 the world by the triumphs of Sunbeam and Seagull 

 at Biggar and elsewhere, he is gradually establish- 

 ing a claim to rank among the best owners of 

 English Shorthorns. At present his herd only 

 numbers about fourteen, but four or five of them 

 are plums which would hold their own anywhere. 

 One of the earliest large purchases we remember 

 his making, was at Mr. Grenfell's sale in 1857, 

 when he gave 150 gs. for Lizzy a four-year-old 

 cow, by Fourth Duke of York (10167), dam Louisa 

 by Cramer (6907); and 60 gs. for her red calf, 

 Sappho, by Prince Duke (13507), who was only 

 twenty-three hours old at the time. At the Cob- 

 ham sale again, he went in for her other daughter 

 the elegant Leila, by Count Glos'ter (12650), and 



the mysterious telegraph between him and Mr, 

 Strafford ended by his being declared the purchaser 

 for 170 gs. At Mr. Wetherell's sale, April 19, 

 he appeared as the successful candidate for 

 the beautiful heifer calf Bloom, by Lord Mayor 

 (14828), out of Lucy at 105 gs. ; and as Leila has 

 come home with a bull calf by Marmaduke, and is 

 going to Mr, Bolden's Third Grand Duke, there 

 is no fear for the future of the Distington Herd. 

 John Irvine, his greyhound trainer, and in short 

 his factotum, looks after them, and we hope in 

 due time to see his honest face beaming at the sight 

 of the prize ribbons in a Royal Show Yard, as it 

 has done so often already when the last Biggar 

 Cup tyes are ended. 



PLATE II. 

 FIFTH DUKE OF OXFORD; A Shorthorn Bull, 



THE PROPERTY OF THE RIGHT HON. LORD FEVERSHAM. 



Fifth Duke of Oxford, bred by the late Earl 

 Ducie, and calved March 6th, 1853, is by Duke of 

 Glo'ster (11382), dam Oxford the Eleventh, by the 

 Fourth Duke of York (10167), out of Oxford the 

 Sixth, by Second Duke of Northumberland (3646) 

 — Oxfordthe Second, by ShortTail(2621)— Match- 

 em Cow, by Matchem (2281), &c. 



Duke of Glo'ster, also bred by Lord Ducie, was 

 calved September 14th, 1850, and got by Grand 

 Duke (10284), dam Duchess 59th, by Second Duke 

 of Oxford (9046), At the memorable Tortvvorth 

 sale, on the decease of Lord Ducie in the autumn 

 of 1853, Duke of Glo'ster was sold to Colonel 



OLD SERIES] 



Morris and Mr. Becar, to go to America, for six 

 hundred and fifty guineas, 



Oxford the Eleventh, bred by Mr, Bates, was 

 calved August 25th, 1849, and sold to Lord Ducie 

 at the Kirkleavington sale, in May, 1850, for a 

 hundred and twenty-five guineas. On his Lord- 

 ship's decease she was bought by Mr, Tanqueray 

 for two hundred and fifty guineas ; and again at 

 the Hendon sale, in the spring of 1855, was trans- 

 ferred to Mr, Gunter for five hundred guineas— 

 thus, curiously enough, doubling her price every 

 time she was put up. Oxford the Eleventh 

 died at Wetherby during last summer. 



C C [VOL. L.— No. 6, 



