On the Exhibition of Live Stock at Chester. 391 



commended a pen of pure Berkshires, shown by Mr. Sadler, 

 Cricklade, Wilts. 



Class VI. — Pens of three Sow Pigs of a small breed : 11 

 entries. — This was a good class — 10 pens of white and 1 of the 

 Oxfordshire breed. Mr. Wiley, of Brandsby, York, carried off 

 the first prize with a beautiful pen of his celebrated " whites." 

 One pen shown by Mr. Watson, Bolton Park, Cumberland, were 

 specially commended ; and another highly commended. A pen 

 exhibited by the Hon. Colonel Pennant, Penrhyn Castle, Bangor, 

 were commended. 



SPECIAL PRIZES 



Given by the Chester Local Committee. 



The district premiums at the Chester Meeting certainly brought 

 before us objects of much local interest ; the more so from the Prin- 

 cipality having been the seat of some of our original breeds of 

 cattle. Howell the Good describes some of the W elsh cattle in 

 the tenth century as being " white with red ears," resembling 

 the wild cattle of Chillingham Castle. These were preserved in 

 the parks of the nobles. The same record mentions also the 

 " dark or brown coloured breed " which now exists, and which is 

 general throughout the Principality. These are of the " middle- 

 horn " class already alluded to. They are stunted in their 

 growth chiefly from the scanty food which their mountain walks 

 produce, but they carry with them many of the chai'acteristics of 

 the Hereford, Devon, and Sussex cattle. Amongst them we 

 have in South Wales the Pembrokes, Glamorgans, Monmouths, 

 &c. The steers of these breeds have long commanded a ready 

 sale in the midland counties, and when fed for the London 

 market are fully appreciated by the butcher. 



North Wales, considered as a cattle country, is divided into 

 two districts : the first includes Anglesey, Carnarvon, and Meri- 

 oneth ; the second, Denbigh, Flint, and Montgomery : the latter 

 being celebrated for its dairy produce, whilst in the former the 

 rearing of cattle is almost exclusively attended to. It is impos- 

 sible to give correctly the numbers of cattle annually sent from 

 North and South Wales to the English counties. I find that in 

 1855 22,000, and in 1857 25,000, passed through the Chester 

 station ; and we may safely say that an additional 5000 would go 

 by the road. These oxen or runts are principally grazed in Lei- 

 cestershire, Northamptonshire, and. Warwickshire. The small 

 (but best) heifers go to the eastern counties, Kent, &c. Nothing 



