THE DEVON LONGWOOLS. 321 



The retirement of Mr. Corner from the showyard afterwards 

 placed Sir J. Heathcoat- Amorj altogether to the front, still not to 

 the extent of having been able to get a monopoly of the prizes, for 

 Mr. C. Norris, Mr. J. N. Franklin, and latterly Mr. A. C. Skinner, 

 have proved serious competitors, and have succeeded in winning 

 a fair proportion of prizes. For some reason or other the Bath 

 and West of England Society has withdrawn during the past 

 five years the privilege of giving special prizes to this breed of 

 sheep ; but in the classes for " any other Longwools " they have 

 usually few, if any competitors. When the Royal Agricultural 

 Society visited Bristol in 1878, prizes were offered specially for 

 Devon Longwools, as well as at the Kilburn International. At 

 Bristol, Mr. Corner, not having as yet retired, shared the prizes 

 very evenly with the Knightshayes flock; and at Kilburn, 

 Messrs. W. and Gr. Bird and Mr. A. Bowerman won two of the 

 first prizes, Sir J. H. Heathcoat- Am ory carrying off the other. 

 At Eeading in 1882 the classes were not exclusive, but the latter 

 was quite at the top with the exception of the ewe class, where 

 Mr. J. N. Franklin took first prize. In the 1886 show season, 

 in the classes open to other breeds besides Devon Longwools at 

 the Royal, Sir J. H. Heathcoat-Amory won first and second 

 prizes with two-shear rams, and the same premiums for 

 shearling rams. This was a reversal of the decisions previously 

 made at the Bristol and Wells Show, at the former of which Mr. 

 H. T. Radmore and Mr. C. Norris won the prizes for rams ; 

 while at the Somerset Counties Show Mr. A. C. Skinner won 

 both prizes for shearling rams, the best of the Knightshayes 

 flock only having third premium. At Axminster Devon County 

 Show, at which Sir J. H. Heathcoat-Amory did not compete, 

 Mr. Joseph Ham, Budlake Broadclyst, had shearling rams which 

 were preferred to those of Mr. Norris and Mr. H. T. Radmore ; 

 but Mr. Skinner carried off first prize, Mr. C. Norris winning 

 first and second prizes, both in the older ram and in the ewe 

 classes. 



