290 SHORTHORN HERDS OF ENGLAND. 



in years. To save needless repetition, " Gwynne " must, be understood 

 as affixed to the names of Mr. Howard's females. Lady Mary, 

 a dark roan massive heifer, is Lady Florence's daughter, to Duke of 

 Oxford 32nd 36527, and Lady Flora, a year younger, has also Duke of 

 Oxford 32nd 36527, for sire, so has her sister, Lady Louisa Gwynne, 

 a good looking roan, four years old, the third heifer produced by the 

 dam out of ten calves, and Lady Gwynne also bred more males than 

 females. Lady Montague Gwynne is a handsome white half-sister 

 of Lady Florence, having Duke of Underley 3rd 38196, for sire. 

 Oxford Gwynne, a descendant of Fanny Gwynne (one of Mr. 

 Howard's best cows, sold in 1870), was bought at Mr. Blundell's 

 1882 sale, in calf to a Surmise bull, and Orange Gwynne was her 

 first born, she having had Olive Gwynne, by Laughton Prince 8th, 

 while Ora and Ophelia, are the names of two more heifers from the 

 Woodside purchase. Altogether the two branches number some 

 twenty females, and make a choice little herd. 



The Oxfordshire Downs are the mainstay of the farm, and since 

 1865, annual ram sales have been held, about sixty shearlings being 

 usually offered, and the highest average (.17 2s. 6d.) was obtained 

 in 1875. Mr. Howard began breeding forty years ago, with the 

 produce of Down ewes, and a Leicester ram, and two years later, he 

 won a second at Smithfield, and afterwards many prizes fell to his 

 sheep at the Royal and County Shows, especially to be mentioned is 

 the fact that when the Royal Agricultural Society first established 

 separate classes for Oxfordshire Downs, Mr. Howard's sheep were 

 successful, and also at Smithfield the same year, where they were 

 likewise acknowledged for the first time as a breed worthy of separate 

 prizes. The flock is kept in beautiful order like the farm, and no 

 pleasanter afternoon on our tour has been enjoyed than the one 

 spent with Mr. Howard, one of the best known of English 

 agriculturists in driving round his three farms, containing nearly 

 1,200 acres, and we greatly regret to hear of the probable dispersion 

 of both herd and flock, as well as the giving up of two of his farms. 



To reach Clapham Park, we re-pass through Bedford, and 

 finish the day by seeing a herd with one exception composed of 

 the same tribe as that at Biddenharn. Flossv Gwynne 2nd. a fine 



