EXHIBITION AT HAMBURG. 23 



and variety sufficient to represent tlie soils and climates of thirty different na- 

 tions. This, the most difficult part of the exhibition to arrange, was methodized 

 in the most careful and perfect order, every article being labelled and numbered. 



A little further on were the sheep pens, a group of long, wide sheds, parti- 

 tioned in the centre, lengthwise, giving ample accommodations to more than 

 two thousand sheep. All the best breeds of Europe were represented. Hei*e 

 were Merinos from Prussia, Saxony, France, Silesia, and the United States ; 

 Merinos with broad backs, full bosoms and buttocks ; with round bodies and 

 short, thick heads and necks; with short legs, wide apart, straight and strong; 

 Merinos with heavy folds and wrinkles, with wide dew-laps, plaited or smooth ; 

 Merinos with heavy folds on the neck, and thick, even wool ; Merinos with 

 short staple and uneven, with a comly^iation of thickness and length, with 

 wool low down on the knees and hocks; Merinos of all sizes and weights, 

 from pens of little Mechlenbergs to pens of tall, heavy French, weighing more 

 than two hundred pounds. Every variety of Merino was there, and as we laid 

 open the fleeces of sheep after sheep in this class, and noticed the difference in 

 =:ize, in weight, and in form, and in length, thickness, and quality of staple, we 

 wondered if it was possible that this great variety had sprung from the same 

 origin. Beyond were pens of South Downs, and Leicesters, and Cotswolds, 

 from Great Britain and many continental countries, with longer and coarser 

 wool ; some of them of enormous size, too heavy to stand, and too indolent to 

 indicate, either by the motion of head or tail, their dislike of the uninterrupted 

 personal examinations of visitors. The small quantity of hay and grain fed 

 out to these flit sheep was quite surprising. The shepherds from England 

 were very intelligent in matters appertaining to the breeding and blood of sheep, 

 but, beyond their occupation, had little knowledge of the world. 



To the rear of the sheep pens, and at the left of the banquet hall, were the 

 cattle pais. They were ample in space and number. Here were pens of noble 

 short-horns, a breed which has commanded universal admiration for half a cen- 

 tury, and whose origin can be traced a hundred years. They were principally 

 from England, Scotland, Prussia, and Sweden. The fine heads, full, promi- 

 nent nostrils, bright, mild eyes, long, broad, muscular necks, deep, projecting 

 chests, short fore legs, wide, even hips, mark the breed with gi-eat distinctness, 

 and the crowd constantly surrounding these pens indicated the short-horns as 

 the favorite cattle. A bull from Suffolk, England, which took the first prize 

 of two hundred thalers, was an object of universal admiration. With his mild, 

 pleasant eyes he looked upon the crowd who were pressing his soft, velvety 

 skin with their fingers, and almost impressed them with the beliet that he was 

 intellectually conscious of his superiority. 



A beautiful cow from Suffolk, and another from Yorkshire, England, had 

 the same points in the main, but with more tapering, thinner, and lighter necks. 

 The Suffolk cow took the first premium of one hundred thalers, and the York- 

 shire cow the second premium of fifty. So nearly equal were the merits of 

 these two animals, that the judges were nearly divided in their opinions, and 

 reached their final conclusion only after a long and careful examination and 

 discussion. 



In this department the animals were all meritorious, and it was only after 

 the most patient examination that the judges made their decisions. The Ayr- 

 shires were not as numerous, but the pens exhibited a goodly number, and the 

 best specimens of their class. Some were red and white, giving a bright con- 

 trast of colors. One was nearly all red ; another was a brilliant strawberry. 

 Their heads were small and clean, with long faces, narrow at the muzzle, and 

 a lively, kind expression. They had small eyes and short, slightly curved 

 horns, straight backs, broad across the loins, and fine, long tails, bushy at the 

 end. Scotland took all the prizes for Great Britain and Ireland, and Mecklan- 



