THE GENESEE FARMER. 



51 



loss of time to buy second-rate stock, however ex- 

 cellent your judgment may be, for the purpose of 

 improving it. Climb as far as you can on the 

 shoulders of others who have pioneered before you, 

 and then take up the path. You will be passed in 

 turn, never fear, by some one now a small boy 

 munching at a crust. Start, however, as forward 

 as you can, and do your best while your hour lasts." 



SHOWS OF FAT STOCK. 



The two principal shows of fat stock in England, 

 viz., that of the Midhxnd Counties' Association, and 

 that of the Smithfield Club, took place the last 

 week in November and the first week in December 

 — the former at Birmingham and the latter at Lon- 

 don. These shows are interesting to American 

 farmers, because the breeds of cattle, sheep and 

 swine which are held in the highest estimation are 

 at them extensively exhibited, and their relative 

 merits to some extent tested. 



At the Birmingham show, the gold medal for the 

 "best ox or steer" was awarded ton Short-horn 

 owned by Mr. Taylor, of Bridlington, Yorkshire, 

 and that for the " best cow or heifer " to a Gallo- 

 way, bred by the Duke of Buccleugh, and owned 

 by Mr. M'Combie, of Aberdeen, Scotland. The 

 last-named animal was also awarded a silver cup, 

 as "the best of all the cattle," without regard to 

 sex. These awards may be taken as showing the 

 relative merits of all the cattle exhibited, as all 

 competed, or might have competed, for these prizes. 

 The Herefords and Devons, it is said, " were not 

 up to their established excellence," but the Short- 

 horns made a fair representation, although, as has 

 been stated, a Short-horn was not the best animal 

 in the show. 



But we pass to the show of the Smithfield Club, 

 an association of upwards of sixty years standing 

 (founded 1798), whose exhibitions have long at- 

 tracted the attention of the agricultural world. 

 Until within a few years, all breeds of cattle have 

 here competed for the same premiums ; but a 

 change was made by which separate classes were 

 formed for different breeds, and there is a general 

 competition for the gold medals offered for the best 

 ox or steer, and the best cow or heifer. Up to this 

 time the shows have been held in London, but the 

 Club, for various reasons, has provided for itself 

 new accommodations at Islington. The competi- 

 tion for the gold medals on the present occasion, 

 resulted in bestowing that for oxen and steers on 

 the Short-horn of Mr. Taylor, which carried the 

 same honor at Birmingham, and that for cows and 

 heifers on a Short-horn of Mr. Faulkner, of Bur- 

 ton-on-Trent, which also stood first in the Short- 

 horn class for cows and heifers at Birmingham. 



The Galloway heifer which was declared to be 

 " the best animal in all the cattle classes " at Bir- 

 mingham, competed for the gold medal of the 

 Smithfield Club offered for the best cow or heifer, 

 but was set aside by a cow which at Birmingham 

 was deemed inferior to her. The award of the 

 Club gave rise to criticism. The Marls Lane Ex- 

 press asks : " How can it be that Mr. Faulkner's 

 Short-horn cow has been permitted to step before 

 the Spot?" Describing the latter, it is said : " Not 

 only is her form perfect — back, rib, shoulder-point, 

 breast-end, hip, loin, flank, and rump — but her 

 thigh and twist are wonderful, the rounds of beef 



full and heavy to the very hocks ; her head is beau- 

 tiful, exactly characteristic of the breed, her coat 

 just what it should be, and she handles like what 

 she is, a magnificent feeder, of a quality worth 

 something to the butcher, and calculated to make 

 the appreciative epicure smack his lips. In pro- 

 portion to her symmetrical figure elsewhere, her 

 girth forms her weak point; but even this is 8 feet 

 9 inches, at 4 years 10 months old." The girth of 

 Mr. Faulkner's Short-horn cow is two inches less 

 than that of the Galloway, although she is a full 

 year older." 



We commend the remark in regard to the beauty 

 of the head of this animal being "exactly charac- 

 teristic of the breed," to persons who think the 

 Galloways are generally "sour headed;" and would 

 also call attention to the size, as indicated by the 

 girth, for the enlightenment of those who, without 

 personal knowledge of the breed, frequently speak 

 of the Galloways as " small," " diminutive," etc. 



As a class, the Short-boms maintained the repu- 

 tation of the bread at the show of the Smithfield 

 Club. Of the Herefords, the Hark Lane Express 

 says : " We have no excessive praise to bestow this 

 year." Only 15 of the breed were exhibited, but 

 some of them were highly spoken of. The Devons 

 are spoken of as being " as pretty as ever, and this 

 year in some instances combining splendid quality 

 of meat with greater size than is sometimes seen." 

 Earl Howe's steer, 3 years and 10 months old, 

 girted 7 feet 10 inches. No Long-horn oxen or 

 steers were exhibited, but two cows of the breed 

 were shown which proved what this old breed, ad- 

 ways celebrated for the dairy, is still capable of in 

 the way of beef. Mr. Burberry's first-prize cow, 

 7 years and 8 months old, girted 7 feet 7 inches, 

 and was pronounced a model of what the breed 

 should be. The general show of Scotch cattle, 

 which it is said " the London butchers take delight 

 in, and which get so fat in our midland and eastern 

 counties pastures," made a fine display. Mr. M'- 

 Combie's polled Aberdeen ox, 4 years and 8 months 

 old, girted 9 feet 5 inches, and the Duke of Beau- 

 fort's West Highland ox, 8 feet 6 inches. 



The sheep comprised specimens of the Leicester, 

 Cotswold, Lincoln, Kent or Romney Marsh, Che- 

 voit, South Down, Shropshire Down, Oxford Dowd, 

 and the Exmoor — the latter new candidates for 

 favor at the shows of the Club, and very highly 

 shoken of as to quality of flesh. Mr. Foljambe'b 

 priae Leicesttr wethers, 20 months old, are said to 

 have girted 5 feet 7 inches each. 



Of swine, the Suffolks of Mr. Crisp, the Berk- 

 shire, the improved Dorset, improved Hampshire, 

 etc., appear to have been fine. — Boston Cultivator. 



Sorghum Syrup. — An establishment for refining 

 Chinese sugar cane syrup is now in successful ope- 

 ration in Chicago, 111. It is specially devoted to 

 the making of syrup (not sugar), which is equal, it 

 is stated, to that obtained from sugar cane. The 

 company offer to receive crude syrup from farmers, 

 and refine it for ten cents a gallon. The syrup is 

 first placed in a copper pan, and when it commences 

 to boil a small quantity of lime water is added.' 

 After this it is strained through canvas sacks, then 

 filtered through animal charcoal, and afterward 

 concentrated in the vacuum pan at a temperature 

 of 160° Fah. 



