368 On the Exhibition of Live Stock at Chester. 



Class V. — Heifers in Milk or Calf: 8 entries. — The prize ani- 

 mals were especially good. Of the eight exhibited scarcely one 

 could be considered unfit for a first-class herd. 



Class VI. — Yearlinrj Heifers: 14 entries. — This class con- 

 tained many beautiful young heifers. Some of these will be 

 distinguished animals at subsequent meetings. 



As a class of animals, the Herefords at Chester exhibited a 

 greater uniformity of cast and quality than at any preceding show. 

 They were upon their own ground, and an extra efibrt had 

 evidently been made by the principal breeders. 



The Hereford steer from the earliest date has always been a 

 popular beast with the grazier. They were formerly sold as oxen 

 at the age of five to six years, and as such distinguished them- 

 selves at the Smithfield Christmas market and Smithfield Club 

 shows in bygone years. They are still sought after ; but come 

 out as first-rate steers at two to three years old. To be fully 

 appreciated they should be seen at the local fairs, where, from 

 their uniformity of flesh and colour, they make a great display. 



DeVONS. — The North Devon cattle have been long recognized 

 as one of the earliest English breeds. Even in 1808 they are 

 mentioned in Vancouver's Report of the Farming of Devonshire 

 "as an important breed of animals, active at work, and their 

 aptitude to fatten unrivalled." Their natural locality is around 

 North and South Molton ; but verging away from this neighbour- 

 hood in every direction, more especially to the eastward, where 

 Ave find the VViveliscombe and AVest Somerset classes of Devons ; 

 they then merge into other breeds, or are changed by climate and 

 circumstance. The true type of the " old Devon" is peculiar to 

 North Devon. Here they have long revelled in their bracing 

 yet humid air, where nature clothes them in early autumn with 

 dark curly coats, well adapted to their native home, at the foot 

 of the Exmoor mountain range. 



They were amongst the earliest breeds to be removed from the 

 home of their fathers ; but they did not enjoy themselves on 

 distant soils in equal ratio with other breeds, especially when des- 

 tined to consume artificial food for the purposes of a corn farm • 

 yet, as converters of vegetable into animal food — breed against 

 breed — they were found to return as much per acre, or for weight 

 of food consumed, as any other breed. 



The Devon steer is described even from early times as being 

 much sought after bv the graziers and dealers from the Mid- 

 land and South Midland counties. Vancouver states (1808) that 

 the Devons were then declining in their general standard of ex- 

 cellence and numbers. He traces it to " the great demand which 

 has been made for these cattle from other parts of England, where 



