The Black Swans 



that always surrounded him when on 

 official inspection tours. His only 

 companion was Sir Jacob Wilson, one 

 of the foremost agricultural author- 

 ities of his day in Britain. I only wish 

 that our American president and ex- 

 presidents, our senators and cabinet 

 officers, our men of prominence in 

 civic, commercial or political life, could 

 have listened that day to Prince Ed- 

 ward's comments on the animals as 

 they were shown. His interest was not 

 perfunctory, his knowledge not super- 

 ficial. He knew the cattle as he knew 

 the sheep and horses. He was not 

 necessarily impressed by scale. He 

 knew correct and faulty conformation. 

 He was pleased and gratified beyond 

 measure to see such a marvelous 

 presentation of England's pastoral 

 wealth. He was more capable of 

 judging in the prize-ring than thou- 

 sands of American farmers even, saying 

 nothing of the conceded incapacity in 

 such important matters among those 



[i74] 



