THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



65 



so good a speeimen of its results. In colour white, 

 with straggling red spots — a form perfect in evenness of 

 fattening, and quality realizing all that one could desire. 

 A cultivated German alive to the insipidity of veal, or a 

 Frenchman escaped from the traditionary influence of 

 frogs and made dishes, would abandon himself to a new 

 and delicious delirium, as morsel after morsel of this 

 dainty meat, gently pressed between the palate and the 

 tongue, gradually dissolved away. No wonder that 

 she was venj highly commended. Mr. Longmore's 

 prize (Shorthorn snd Aberdeen) heifer exhibits surprising 

 development. The cross of the Shorthorn with the 

 Devon, shown in Mr. Ball's heifer, exhibits an animal 

 very pretty and very small. The Shorthorn, it will be 

 seen, is the backbone of this class, and stands in relation 

 to other breeds of cattle very much as Leicesters do to 

 other breeds of sheep. 



In the class for Extra Stock there were 6 steers and 

 8 heifers — the Earl of Leicester receiving the silver medal 

 in the first for a small but very beautiful Devon steer, 

 and Mr. Walter Farthing for a Devon cow of remarkable 

 quality and good breeding. Her touch and condition 

 would never have revealed the fact of her age — yet she 

 is nearly eleven years old, and has had seven calves. 



SHEEP. 



The number of entries for 1857 and 1858 was 129 in 

 each year : last year the number was 137. At the pre- 

 sent meeting it is only 105 ; but, comparing the number 

 of animals comprised in the pens of three as well as 

 single specimens, we find 235 at the present show, 

 against 289 at last year's unprecedented gathering. The 

 scarcity of sheep-food, owing to the late unfavourable 

 seasons, sufficiently accounts for the lack of increase in 

 a department of the Baker-street wonders, always so 

 large and important. The Leicesters make an unmis- 

 takeably good show both in numbers and extra quality. 

 As wonderfully fine examples of what this breed may 

 be brought up to, we cannot point to anything better 

 than the gold medal wethers of Mr. Twitchell, of Wel- 

 lington, Bedfordshire ; their size is great, their mutton 

 superb in the handling, wool very superior, while in 

 beauty of countenance and fineness of offal they do 

 credit to the breeder who has derived them from the 

 flocks of Messrs. Sanday and Pawlett. The second 

 prize wethers of the Hon. Col. Lowther are certainly 

 beauties, though not so developed in frame. Mr. 

 Foljambe's third prize wethers are splendid, as his sheep 

 always are ; but too diminutive in comparison with the 

 winning pen, Mr. Bradshaw's are very handsome ; Mr. 

 Bowser's great, with an enormous quantity of wool. 

 The class for Leicester wethers, not exceeding 220 lbs. 

 live weight, is grand. Mr. Foljambe's prize pen are 

 prime, and of wonderful quality; Mr. Bradshaw's are 

 splendid meat ; Colonel Lowther's and Mr. Twitchell's 

 especially good ; and the pen of Lord Berners very fine 

 indeed. We admired the particularly meritorious 

 though very small class of Cotswolds. Mr. Charles 

 Kearsey's wethers are magnificent, large, broad, with 

 good looks, prime meat, and a good curly fleece. Mr. 

 West's and Mr. William Hewer's are little less com- 



mendable. There is a large show of extra stock long- 

 wool wethers. The silver medal justly goes to Mr. 

 Foljambe's beautiful sheep ; while Mr. Willmore's, 

 Mr. Richard Newman's and Mr. Edmund Riley's well 

 deserve their high commendations. The smaller class 

 of extra stock long-wool ewes are also surprisingly 

 good. Mr. Craddock, of Eastington, Northleach, takes 

 the silver medal for a wonderful Cotswold ewe, of tre- 

 mendous size, marvellous breadth of back, loin, out- 

 springing chine, wonderful plaits, flanks, and rump, 

 and also exceedingly beautiful in quality of meat as 

 well as immense in weight. Such a specimen of the 

 possible attainments of the breed has been rarely seen. 

 Mr. Jordon's splendid Leicester ewe is deservedly very 

 highly commended, and Mr. West's is particularly 

 handsome. 



The cross-breeds are not so numerous as before, but 

 form extraordinary classes for their vast size and won- 

 derful development of flesh with early maturity. The 

 first prizes in both wether classes go to Mr. Joha Over- 

 man, of Burnham, Norfolk. These Down and Leicester 

 sheep are of very great size and substance, broad, and 

 well-proportioned, magnificent animals in every respect, 

 and, unlike many, are tolerably fairly and evenly shorn. 

 Mr. White's Down-and-Cotswold wethers are certainly 

 magnificent beautiful mutton, and sufficiently broad in 

 frame so that their trimming is moderate and fairly 

 done. Mr, Samuel Druce's wethers are so great and 

 good that they have merited the third prize. What 

 occasion was there for having the backs of these sheep 

 clipped horizontal so as to give the appearance of still 

 greater expansion .•' Mr, Hine's are particularly good 

 wethers ; but here, also, we think a less amount of this 

 shaping would have been better. Why are Mr, J. B. 

 Twitchell's commended ? They are very pretty, but the 

 wool is clipped off their backs. In the extra stock 

 class, Mr, Overman's Southdown-and- Leicester wether, 

 a beautiful animal, takes the silver medal. 



Among the Southdowns, we miss the Duke of Rich- 

 mond's famous pens, though Mr, Kent is successful 

 with some beautiful animals of the Goodwood flock. 

 His prize wethers are splendid — very beautiful in every 

 point, with especially good legs of mutton, a fine fleece, 

 and tolerably fairly shorn. Mr. Rigden's second-prize 

 wethers are extremely good, and fairly shorn. Lord 

 Walsingham's third-prize wethers have extraordinary 

 fore-quarters and good rumps ; their shape being per- 

 fect in symmetry, without any speciul difference being 

 observable (as in many cases) in the length of wool 

 along the back. The pens of the Earl of Radnor and 

 of Mr. Stewart Marjoribanks are particularly good. 

 Mr.H. Wilson's have an amazing quantity of open wool, 

 and are of great substance, though not very fine in 

 quality. In the class of wethers not exceeding 2001bs. 

 live weight, Mr. Rigden wins the first prize for three 

 wethers very beautiful indeed, and tolerably fairly 

 shorn. Sir R. G. Throckmorton's second-prize sheep 

 are fine animals, but we certainly do object to so much 

 wool growing on the shoulders and back, and so short 

 a staple on the loin. Mr. Kent's commended wethers, 

 bred by the Duke of Richmond, are very excellent and 



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