188 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMSSTICATED ANIMALS. 



white Oil back and belly, the sides a light yellow, streaked with black, 

 marking them mnch like a tiger. About a dozen of them were in the 

 show. 



The show of sheep was not remarkable in any feature. The French 

 merinos rather took the lead in numbers, closel;y followed by the Eng- 

 lish mutton breeds, the various classes of Downs, with a fewCotswolds 

 and Lincolns. Of the French merinos, there were many most excellent 

 specimens, better and larger than any I had heretofore seen. The peo- 

 ple of Germany appear to be " taking to" the Southdowus, Shropshires, 

 Hampshires, and Oxfords largely. 



In the swine department of the show I was pleased to see our 

 American-Poland Chinas holding a promiuent place, and, in my judg- 

 ment, the very best specimens of swine on exhibition were of this breed 

 and imported from America. Mr. John C. Funch, of Oldenburg, was 

 the enterprising gentleman who made this exhibit, and his swine are 

 certainly most creditable representatives of the breed. In point of 

 numbers, the white breeds, mostly of the various Yorkshire families, 

 made up about GO percent, of the show, while the remainder were about 

 equally divided between the Berkshires and Poland -Chinas, with a few 

 Essex. 



I may sum up my impressions of this show by saying that, while it 

 was very creditable in most departments and great in disi)lay of dairy 

 stock, I saw nothiug worthy of especial remark in the management. 

 The system of classification was very complete, and the several breeds 

 were usually grouped together in their stalls or pens so that one desir- 

 ing to examine any class of stock found but little difficulty in doing so. 

 The published catalogue of the exhibits was also a great convenience 

 to visitors, as in it full particulars as to name, age, pedigree, owner- 

 ship, etc., were given. The custom of issuing a catalogue of this sort 

 is general with European agricultural shows, and might be followed in 

 our own country with iirofit. 



I saw no breeds of live stock at this show the importation of which 

 to the United States, in my judgment, should be encouraged or recom- 

 mended other than the Holstein or Friesian-Dutch dairy cattle and the 

 Oldenburgs, to which I have alluded in the foregoing. They are cer- 

 tainly most excellent breeds of cattle for the purposes indicated. The 

 former have already been extensively introduced in our country, and 

 are certainly rapidly growing in public favor. To what extent the 

 Oldenburgs might be profitably imported, if at all, I am not prepared 

 to say. I can only reiterate my former statement, that they were cer- 

 tainly the best beef animals on exhibition, and that they also seem to 

 possess an adaptation to the uses of the general dairy farmer, but little 

 inferior to the Holsteins or Friesians, which they closely resemble. 



OUR PORK IN GERMANY. 



While in Germany I made diligent inquiry in order to ascertain so far 

 as possible the feeling of the Government and i)eople concerning the 



