THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



85 



aecond prize as breeder. J&tuea Walker, Esq., of Sand Hut- 

 ton, exhibited a capital fine Southdown wether. 



The piga were a fine collection, and mustered in stronger 

 force than last year. Three prize porkers belonging to Mr. 

 Robert Hornsey, of this city, which it will be remembered 

 also gained a prize at the York Pig show, were first in their 

 class again. Tne finest pig, however, in the yard, was one ex- 



hibited by Mr. H. Whittaker, of this city, who had fed it on 

 diet seasoned with Thorley's and Henri's cattle food, and the 

 cup, value £10, was awarded to it. We must not omit to 

 notice that Mr. Samuel Wiley, of Brandaby, showed a pen of 

 the finest pigs, as extra stock, that have been seen for some 

 time. They took a prize at the recent Birmingham show, and 

 here they attracted the attention they deserved. 



THE OLD NORFOLK FARMER AT THE SMITHFIELD CLUB SHOW. 



Dear Sir, — I am sure the Smithfield Club ought to be 

 grateful for the splendid weather they have had for their 

 annual festival, which is, more and more, becoming a serious 

 national institution, involving consideiations far more im- 

 portant than the mere exhibition of the auimals. It may be 

 looked upon as a powerful means of strengthening the ties 

 between the various classes of society, increasing the loyalty 

 and attachment of the middle and lower classes to the 

 Sovereign and the Government, and as promotive of a willing 

 submission to law and order, and a determination to uphold 

 the rights and privileges of the people against all comers. 



For my part, the intimate association of beef and loyalty 

 was ingrained into my very nature from my earliest child- 

 hood, probably from hearing in my youthful days the songs 

 which were then in fashion ; for our artists and poets have in 

 all ages shown their appreciation of the old English fare — 

 roast beef, in contrast with the wiahey-washy soup maigre, &c., 

 of the continent. Thus, the talented painter, Hogarth, in his 

 barlesqne painting of 'The Gate of Calais," makes the half- 

 starved hungry French sentinel exclaioi, on seeing a baron of 

 roast beef pass by : — 



" Oh ! rare ros bif, loved by all mankind. 

 If I were doomed to have thee 

 Well-dressed and garnished to my mind, 

 And swimming in thy gravy, 

 Not all the country's force combined 

 Should from ray fury save thee!" 



This was the feeling during the first-half of the last century, 

 when we were at peace with France ; and it had lost none of 

 its intensity at the close of it, when war was raging. I recol- 

 lect being taken by my father to the theatre at a provincial 

 town in Norfolk in 1794. The revolutionary fury was then 

 at its height in France, and the theatres in this country were 

 employed, or at least encouraged, to turn it into ridicule. A 

 song was sung on that occasion by the manager (Mr. Brunton), 

 the two first verses of which ran thus : — 



" Begar 1 'tis von shame," said a French democrat, 

 '•To see do^e bold Englishmen laugh and grow fat ; 

 While dey ttick to dere King and dere own Constitution 

 And turn up dere nose at our Grand Revolution ! 

 So sing, dance along, &c., &c. 



In dat land of ros bif, while ros bif dey can gorge. 

 For noting dey care but ros bif and King George. 

 We would cure dem of all dere national grief, 

 And den ask in return but to be in dere bif. 

 So sing, dance along, &c , &c." 



This, of course, was brought out in contrast with the "Sham 

 freedom and frogs" of France, as the concluding line of one of 

 the verses expresses it. Well ! you will think all this a 

 curious exordium to a letter on the Exhibition in Baker-street. 

 My object is to show that there is a more powerful connection 

 between the food of a people and their political condition, 

 influencing their feelings of attachment to their country and 

 its institutions, than a prima facie view would lead us to 

 suppose. While, however, we continue to swear by the 

 " Roast beef of Old England" as stoutly as ever, I hope and 

 trust that the increasing intercourse between us and our 

 Gallic neighbours will dispel all that feudal nationality which 

 formerly led us to look upon each other as "national enemies." 

 We are all children of one father, and I have a firm belief that 

 the time is not far distant when a cosmopolitan principle and 

 feeling will bring all the nations of the earth into one universal 

 brotherhood. 



A damp was thrown over the meeting of the members of 

 ths Smithfield Club by the severe loss the institution has sus- 

 tained by the death of the president, the Duke of Richmond. 



This event was made negatively apparent too, to the visitors, 

 by the absence of animals exhibited in his name, as has been 

 usual. The loss, however, is not irreparable ; for, without any 

 disparagement of the noble and patriotic character of the late 

 Duke, or any insensibility to bis inestimable services to the 

 agricultural interests, I may with truth affirm that he was a 

 faithful type of a numerous body of our landed aristocracy, 

 who, unlike the military hierarchy which forms the aristocracy 

 of France, take a deep interest in the rural affairs of the 

 country, and expend their money freely in the promotion of 

 the prosperity of agriculture. On the present occasion, the 

 choice of the Club has fallen on Lord Beraers, who will, I 

 doubt not, sustain the position of president with satisfaction 

 to the agricultural interest. 



I attended the " Show" this week on every public day. In 

 passing through it on Tuesday it struck me that the condition 

 of the cattle was by no means so high as on former occasions. 

 I do not refer so much to the deficie;jcy in fatness, for that I 

 should not consider an evil. I have thoughtthat there was too 

 much attention paid in general to fattening, which is a cover 

 to a want of symmetry. In purchasing cattle, if you wish to 

 select those with good points, you must do it when they are 

 out of flesh; and this rule must be especially observed in 

 purchasing breeding cattle. It appeared to me on this occasion 

 that the neat stock had not been so carefully looked after as 

 usual ; and this I thought was particularly the case with the 

 Devons and Shorthorn steers and oxen, the coats of which latter 

 looked wiry and staring, as if they had taken a chill during 

 the late inclement weather to which they had been exposed. 

 A large allowance must, however, be made for such a season 

 as we have passed through, which cannot but have a preju- 

 dicial influence on the auimal as well as the vegetable king- 

 dom exposed to its intemperance. 



There were some noble specimens amongst my favourites 

 the Devons, notwithstanding the drawbacks, which indeed, 

 from the more delicate and perfect symmetry of the race in 

 general, showed their defects less palpably. Mr. Heath's 

 three-year-old, which took the first prize in class 1, was a first- 

 rate animal, and attracted the admiration of every one. It is sin- 

 gular that the second prize of £10 was not awarded in this 

 class, I suppose because there was no animal that deserved it. 

 Mr. Heath was also successful in class 2, where he agaiu took 

 the first prize of £25. But I must not go through the prizes, 

 as they are published in your journal. His Royal High- 

 ness the Prince Consort did not shine in the bovine exhibition 

 with his usual brilliancy. How is this ? I cannot believe 

 that he is growing tired of the trouble, as he is a devoted far- 

 mer, and has erected splendid buildings for his stall-fed cattle 

 on the Flemish Farm at Windsor. The Earl of Leicester's 

 cattle were very creditable, as were those of Mr. Robert 

 Farthing. The Devon heifers and cows, I thought, were 

 better generally speaking than the steers and oxen ; the first 

 prize No. 22, class 3, was a beautiful animal ; nor was Mr. 

 J. Farquharson's, No. 20 in the same class, much behind it. 

 It is a positive evil, however, to keep milch cows in such high 

 condition as some of those exhibited displayed. It is im- 

 possible for them in such a state to give much milk, although 

 what they do give may be very rich in cream, as it is well- 

 known the Devon milk is in general. 



The Hereford cattle, with the exception of No. 35, class 5, 

 which got a first prize because it was the onlj/ one in the class, 

 were, I thought, better than they were last year. If there 

 was one in all the classes of this stock that 1 admired more 

 than another, it was No. 47, class 8, belonging to R. Hill ; 

 and next to it was No. 43, class 6, a noble steer of five years 



