342 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



nearly a whole one in London, and twice crossing 

 the channels, reckoned the most disagreeable of 

 all passages. 



I received a hearty welcome from Col. Nichols, 

 Secretary of the Agricultural Society, who at 

 once presented me with admission tickets to all 

 the exhibitions, as well as to the ball, to come 

 off that evening. Of the exhibition I shall not 

 have occasion to speak at much length, having 

 already, in previous letters, given a pretty full 

 description of the animals and implements at the 

 exhibitions in Suffolk county and of the Royal 

 Society at Salisbury. The exhibition at Water- 

 ford was very fine, in all its departments, but I 

 was soon satisfied that at the previous exhibitions 

 which I had attended, I had seen very nearly the 

 same variety that was exhibited at Waterford. 

 The Short Horn stock was of a very high order, 

 but although not consisting of the same animals, 

 differing very little from those I described at Salis- 

 bury. Everywhere through Great Britain and 

 Lreland, the Short Horn is in general regarded 

 as the best stock, though in particular districts, 

 peculiar varieties are bred. The agricultural im- 

 plements at Waterford were nearly the same as 

 at Salisbury. Indeed, manufacturers from Eng- 

 land were the principal exhibitors. At Water- 

 ford, I noticed some very fine Ayrshire cows, in 

 milk, I think the very best milking stock I have 

 seen at any exhibition. I hai^pened, by a single 

 inquiry, to elicit a very warm discussion between 

 two breeders, as to the origin of the Ayrshire 

 stock. One of them insisted that the Ayrshire 

 is a distinct original breed, like the Alderneys and 

 North Devons, while the other contended that it 

 is a mixed breed, made up, as both admitted the 

 Short Horn to be, of other breeds improved by 

 careful crossing. I leave the question for the 

 decision of those who are competent to "decide 

 when doctors disagree." Some Galloways, of 

 very good quality, were on exhibition. From 

 what I saw of them there, and have seen else- 

 where, I should describe them as a black, horn- 

 less, hardy breed, of good size, much inclined to 

 lay on fat, and average milkers. They are much 

 valued for beef. There was, also, a fair show of 

 Kerry cows, a very small, thin looking race, with 

 very long, slender horns, and good indications 

 for milk. They look, in general, like some very 

 small, old cow that we occasionally find in a 

 farmer's yard, tolerated because she happened to 

 be a good milker, but always shown with an apol- 

 ogy for her presence in good society. 



Then we had the West Highlanders, which I 

 have seen on their native mountains in large 

 numbers. They are a small, "scrubby" looking 

 race, with large horns, and thick, rough coats, 

 valuable for the fine quality of their meat, which 

 is fattened for the gentry, who prize it above 



any other variety. These cattle are raised on 

 the Highlands of Scotland, and driven over to ' 

 England for the market. I do not hear that any 

 attempt has been anywhere made to improve 

 them by careful breeding. 



The sheep were principally Leicesters and 

 Cheviots, and appeared very excellent of their 

 kinds. 



There was a large show of swine, principally 

 of two varieties ; the Berkshire, a black and white 

 race, such as we see in America, from the West- 

 ern States, and the Cumberland, a very large, 

 white breed, long and well proportioned, evi- 

 dently designed to inhabit a land of plenty. My 

 impression of them, however, is that they cannot 

 come to maturity young enough to make them pro- 

 fitable for rearing in New England, where I think 

 the general opinion is in favor of slaughtering 

 swine at an age not much exceeding one year. 

 As I entered the show-ground I noticed the 

 American flag flying over a tent, and on approach- 

 ing found the American Eagle Mower and Reap- 

 er (Heath's Patent) there on exhibition. It took 

 the first prize both at Waterford and Salisbury 

 as a Mower. It was not entered for premium as 

 a Reaper. Mr. Haskins, who has charge of the 

 working of it, has attracted much attention by 

 his Yankee shrewdness and wit, at the exhibitions. 



At the Salisbury exhibition, when the Prince 

 Consort called to examine the Yankee machine, 

 and the attendants were attempting to explain 

 the operation of it, Mr. Haskins, to the horror 

 and consternation of the awe-stricken bystand- 

 ers, stepped in and took the exjilanation into his 

 own hands. His Royal Highness had the good 

 sense to prefer the conversation of a sensible 

 American, who understood hia subject, and at 

 once entered into the details of the matter, and 

 at the close thanked Mr. Haskins for his assist- 

 ance. It requires a good deal of intercourse with 

 Englishmen, for an American to realize the aw- 

 ful distance between a laborer or mechanic and 

 a nobleman or lord. Any American feels him- 

 self the equal of any other man alive, but Eng- 

 lish society is divided into classes, based upon 

 titles and estates, by barriers as impassible as 

 the great gulf itself. However, most nations 

 have their idols, and we will not too severely crit- 

 icise the taste of a nation who worship the na- 

 tional debt and an aristocracy, as the sources of 

 all prosperity ; and with this one ill-natured re- 

 mark, I will close this letter. Wishing you health 

 and peace, I remain your friend, 



Henry F. French. 



i^ It was the saying of Sir Robert Peel, "I 

 never knew a man to escape failure, in either 

 body or mind, who worked seven days in the 

 week." 



