458 THE PIGS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



grand sow Black Diamond and her farrow of ten pigs, wliicK 

 took the prize at the Paris Exhibition of 1855. These were by 

 the celebrated IjFegro, from whom, more or less directly, all the- 

 most remarkable pigs at the present day descend. In the 

 following year, 1856, a boar of this litter took the first prize at 

 the Eoyal Meeting at Chelmsford, beating Mr. E. England's 

 White Yorkshire and others. This boar was sold to an American 

 for the then great price of 50 guineas. The old sow at the same 

 meeting was only highly commended, although there were many 

 who thought her decidedly the best in the class. On this occa- 

 sion Mr. W. B. Wainman's white sow of the improved Yorkshire 

 sort took the first prize. Three other breeders of Suffolk blacks 

 were exhibitors — the Rev. Martin Shaw, who had been crossing 

 with the Dor sets ; Mr. Wolton, who had tried the Devons ; and 

 Mr. Badham, with a dash of the Essex. In the following year, 

 at the Salisbury meeting, Mr. Thomas Crisp was again to the 

 fore with Black Diamond, then three years and four months old, 

 and this in a strong class. 



In 1860 the society very wisely decided to offer separate 

 prizes for white and black sorts ; up to this period they had 

 competed together, the only distinction being as to size. This 

 was a most desirable change, since it was next to impossible 

 to obtain correct judging, as it all depended upon the taste 

 of the judges — as to colour and sort — as to where the prizes 

 would go. It was at the Canterbury Royal in that year that 

 Mr. G. M. Sexton first put in an appearance as an exhibitor, 

 and divided the honours with Mr. Crisp, winning first prize 

 with a three-year-old sow, whilst Mr. Crisp was successful with a 

 boar. Since that year, and for a long period, the Wherstead 

 Hall pigs were successful at every show, but for some years past 

 Mr. Sexton has withdrawn from the show ring though his blood 

 s frequently represented. We were not acquainted with Mr, 

 Crisp's pigs, and therefore have no means of comparing the 

 present with the past, but it is difficult to imagine that they could 

 have surpassed the exceeding beauty of the present Suffolk as 

 illustrated by Mr. Sexton. Up to a recent period they were 

 rendered more glossy even than nature made them by a filthy 

 mixture of lampblack and oil, which was very properly made a 

 subject of disqualification. Such animals require no paint, both 



