of the Vienna Exhibition, 1873. 37 



I shall presently give some account of Merino sheep, but it is 

 as well to state at once that they are essentially a wool race, 

 while the English races are excellent both for flesh and wool. 

 We cannot rival the Merino in quality of wool, but when weight 

 of fleece is taken into account, we need not fear competing with 

 the finest super-super-electoral Merinos. The rapid rise in the 

 price of meat has forced upon the Austrian and Hungarian 

 agriculturists the need of attention to flesh as well as fleece. 

 From 1855-60 beef was 3^^/. to M. per English pound, and 

 mutton od. to 3^d. From 1860-70 beef was M. to b^d., and 

 mutton 2|(/. to 3^fZ. ; Avhile in 1873 beef has been b^d. to 7d.y 

 and mutton S^d. to 4|c?. These figures do much towards 

 explaining the interest excited by the appearance of English 

 Cotswolds, Lincolns, Southdowns, Sec. They were evidently 

 regarded as novelties and curiosities by the public, while they 

 were readily purchased by the agents of the great pi'oprietors. 

 The objection has been urged that English sheep will not stand 

 the heat of the southern portions of the Empire, but will suffer 

 from hlut-schlag, i.e. apoplexy or sun-stroke. This danger does 

 not seem, however, to be imminent in a country where the 

 universal practice is to house sheep during the hot hours ot 

 the day, neither does it seem to apply to crosses so much as to 

 purely-bred English sheep. I hope in the course of this and 

 the succeeding report to strengthen by facts the statement that 

 a fine market is open to breeders of English sheep in Austro- 

 Hungary. 



Mr. Russell Swanwick, of the Royal Agricultural College 

 Farm, Cirencester, showed six rams and as many ewes of the 

 Cotswold race. Mr. Swanwick sold all his sheep but one, and 

 writes as follows : — " The chief purchasers of my sheep were 

 Count Braniski of Russia, Baron Magnus, Saxony ; Count Vron- 

 driavtziff of South Russia, Count Rudolf of the Tyrol, and Mr. 

 Paget of Transylvania. Others went to North Russia. The 

 highest prices were 30Z. to 34/. Everybody expressed themselves 

 astonished with the lustre of the wool, which they said was 

 greater than that of any other long-woolled sheep. Count Braniski 

 and Baron Magnus were the chief purchasers of the pigs." 



Lord Sondes, of Elmham Hall, Norfolk, and his agent 

 Mr. Fulcher, were both exhibitors of Southdowns and Shrop- 

 shires respectively. Mr. Fulcher writes, " Lord Sondes's South- 

 downs were sold to buyers in Hungary, Galicia, Russia, and 

 North Germany. My rams were sold to buyers in Bohemia, 

 Hungary, Transylvania, Hanover, Wurzburg in Bavaria, and 

 North Germany. The highest priced animal, a Southdown ram» 

 was sold for 50Z. to Herr von Gyiotti, a Hungarian landowner." 



Lord Walsingham (represented by Mr. Woods) showed South- 



