12 AGRICULTURE. 



great value in an agricultural animal composure of mind. 

 The males have lost the combativeuess of their species. 

 We can hardly conceive a more ludicrous sight than a bull 

 from Al thorp, or Bab worth, thrust into the arena at 

 Seville, or Ronda. The females yield precedence without 

 contest. If you introduce a little petulant Highland cow 

 into a dairy of short-horns, of which every individual is 

 double her own weight, she at once becomes mistress and 

 leader of the herd. We have been in the habit of attend- 

 ing annually a sale of fat cattle where the stalls are filled 

 with beasts of various descriptions. The short-horn is 

 released from the stake to which he has been tied for four 

 months, and proceeds to the hammer with all the solem- 

 nity which befits an animal who is walking to his own 

 funeral. The West Highlander, as soon as he ascertains 

 that he is free, rather in frolic than in fury breaks through 

 the ring of his intending purchasers, blunders over a fence, 

 and celebrates his recovered liberty by most extraordinary 

 antics. The butchers get but a passing view of him. 

 "Now, gentlemen," says the facetious auctioneer, "you 

 must shoot him flying." His sale proceeds without the 

 solemn pinching and punching, and the wise looks which, 

 in the case of a more patient animal, are preliminary to a 

 bid. Some excitement has been produced by the scene, 

 and, if the gin-bottle has done its duty, he generally sells 

 well. But we beg pardon. We must not altogether pass 

 by the important point of early maturity. Here the short- 

 horns claim a decided pre-eminence. We will not alto- 

 gether negative the claim, though we do not find it borne 

 out by the declared ages of the animals which are ex- 

 hibited for prizes at the Smithfield show. We only desire 

 to ask and to receive candid answers to two questions, and, 

 in order that we may dismiss the subject, our questions 

 shall have reference to new Leicester sheep as well as to 

 short-horned cattle. Have, or have not, these two breeds 

 possession of the most fertile districts which are deveted 

 to breeding ? Have they, or have they not, during their 



