66 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



compact. In the class of two-year-old wethers, Sir R. 

 G. Throckmorton's prize sheep have firm and splendid 

 meat, exquisite style of head, and good fore-quarter ; 

 but we maintain that it is a gross mistake for judges to 

 honour even the best animals which exhibit such great 

 inequalities in the length of staple so cleverly left in 

 the desirable places by discriminating shears. The 

 second-prize wethers of Messrs. J. and A. Heaseman 

 are very good indeed, and are tolerably fairly shorn. 

 Mr. Kent's third-prize sheep have most beautiful forms, 

 and are certainly fairly clipped. Lord Walsingham's 

 commended wethers are very beautiful indeed, and are 

 shorn properly. In the class for other Short-wools, the 

 prize wethers of Mr. W. B. Canning, of Swindon, are 

 wonderful ; very broad, level, handsome, and the trim- 

 ming nicely, not unfairly, done. Mr. S. King's second- 

 prize sheep are large, and have good backs and rare 

 rumps. Mr. W. King's third-prize pen is also very 

 good. Mr. Walters' commended Hampshires are tre- 

 mendously large, fine, handsome sheep, and fairly shorn. 

 There is a good class of extra-stock wethers. Messrs. 

 J. and A. Heaseman's prime wether takes the silver 

 medal. Mr. Foljambe's is highly commended; it is a 

 beautiful animal, but has no wool on the loin. Lord 

 Walsingham's is open to a similar reflection. Mr. 

 Kent's wether is very good indeed. Mr. S. King's is 

 very great, but with not sufficient care bestowed upon 

 its shearing. Mr. Wm. King's is a good animal, well 

 shorn. We like also Mr. W. B, Canning's, and also 

 Mr. Walter's sheep. Mr. J. P. King's we cannot 

 praise. Sir R. G. Throckmorton's wether is com- 

 mended ; a very fine animal, but amazingly full of wool 

 all about the shoulders and fore-quarter, with scarcely 

 any on the loin. The same exhibitor takes the silver 

 medal for his Sussex Down ewe, a very pretty animal, 

 with very fine quality of meat, a handsome head, and 

 fine bone ; but the judges might very properly have 

 exercised a little more firmness, and have made an ex- 

 ample of such clipping, for no one will believe that the 

 natural difference in length of staple is a variation of a 

 full inch between parts which should be full and out- 

 standing, and other parts which ought to be level and 

 straight, instead of high and protuberant. Lord Wal- 

 singham's commended ewe is a splendid animal, most 

 beautiful in form, and, as far as we can judge, perfectly 

 fairly shorn. The Earl of Radnor's ewe is also a fine 

 specimen. 



' PIGS. 

 There are 45 entries of pigs, that is, 27 of three in a 

 pen, and 18 single specimens, making in all 99 animals 

 — about an average show. As to the character of the 

 classes, they are so grand that the judges were obliged 

 to call in one of the cattle judges to assist in their de- 

 cisions, and, as may be expected, with so much room 

 for dififerences of taste and opinion, some of the awards 

 have been much canvassed and criticised. For pigs of 

 any breed not exceeding 4 months old His Royal High- 

 ness the Prince Consort carries away first prize, with a 

 pen of three little beauties of the white Middlesex breed, 

 extraordinarily forward for their age. Mr. Geo. B. 

 Morland, of Harwell, Berks, comes second, with three 



but little inferior. Mr. Barber's are also grand in form 

 and character, with fine hair. Mr, G. J. Gibbon's 

 may be also highly praised. For pigs above 4 and not 

 exceeding 8 months old, Mr. Wm. Baker, of Christ- 

 church, wins with a magnificent pen of three black 

 beauties, all exactly alike, and perfect in form and 

 quality. Mr. Morland is second, with some of his white 

 Chilton breed, especially beautiful ; Mr. Crisp's are very 

 handsome ; those of His Royal Highness are exceedingly 

 good ; and those of Mr. S. G. Steam, of Wickham 

 Market, are so excellent in all respects that we consider 

 them worthy of a prize. The class of pigs above 8 and 

 not exceeding 12 months old is large and good. Mr. 

 Morland's black pigs take not only the prize, but the 

 Gold Medal. Mr. H. Wilson's black Essex pigs, and 

 Mr. Barker's Middlesex pigs are especially worthy of 

 favourable mention. Pigs above 12 and under 18 

 months old form a splendid class, all exhibited being 

 good and meritorious. Tiie prize pigs of Mr. G. Beaie, 

 of Lutterworth, are wonderfully grand, and supposed to 

 weigh between 50 and 60 imperial stones each. Two 

 of the three were highly commended at Birmingham ; 

 the third, we are told, was not there ; it has a longer 

 coarser hair, and is unlike its fellows ; is it of the same 

 litter ? Mr. Crisp, of Butley Abbey, Suffolk, wins 

 second prize, with some splendid specimens of his black 

 breed. The Extra Stock Class is very splendid, and the 

 entries in it numerous. The silver medal goes to Mr. 

 J. King Tombs for a truly wonderful animal, a black 

 Berkshire, of immense length, and still more surprising 

 depth of carcass, with the smallest finest head and legs, 

 presenting a maximum of splendid pork upon a mini- 

 mum of bone and offal. Mr. Baker's white improved 

 Hampshire is highly commended, a very prime specimen 

 indeed. Mr. G. M. Sexton's is a magnificent black Suf- 

 folk; Mr. Samuel Druce shows an exceedingly good black 

 improved Oxfordshire ; Mr. Barnes has a capital heavy 

 Berkshire ; Mr. H. Wilson, a compact black beauty ; 

 Mr. Crisp, a magnificent animal ; and Mr. Barber, a 

 pretty well-fed white Middlesex. Mr. G. B. Morland's 

 white Chilton, which was first in its class at Birming- 

 ham, is grand, and splendidly made up in all points; 

 Mr. Beale's is extraordinary for fat and thickness at 

 both ends ; and Mr. Macraghton's Sussex is a black 

 hippopotamus for size, though very handsome and with 

 nice quality of flesh. Altogether the show of pigs is 

 unusually good, and comprising many first-class 

 animals. 



PRIZE LIST. 



FAT CATTLE. 



Judges.— W. Bartholomew, Goltho, Wragby. 

 Joseph Druce, Eynsham, Oxon. 

 E. Warren, Childe Okeford, Blandford. 



DEVONS. 



Steehs , not exceeding 3 years old. 



First prize of ^25, W. Heath, Ludbam Hall, Norwich, 

 and silver medal as breeder, J. Quartly, Holland House, 

 South Molton. 



Second of £10, E. Wortley, Suffield HaU, North Wal- 

 sham (^Disqualified). 



Tnird of ^5, Ths Earl of Leicester, Holkham Hftll, 



