1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



217 



Letter from England. 



SHOW OF THE' ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 

 York, England, July 14, 1848. 

 Friend Moore: — Perhaps your readers 

 would be pleased to hear something about the 

 show of the Royal Agricultural Society, which 

 has been held here during the last three days, 

 and closed last evening. This Society was 

 founded about ten years ago, and this is its 

 tenth Annual Show. It has between six and 

 seven thousand members, embracing most of the 

 nobility and landed aristocracy of the kingdom. 

 Its President is the Earl of Yarborough, and its 

 list of Vice Presidents presents a formidable 

 array of Dukes, Earls, and Marqui-es. The 

 society has a Royal Charter which provides that 

 the society shall exclude from its discussions all 

 questions of a political tendency, or having 

 reference to any measure pending or to be 

 brought forward in either House of Parliament. 

 Thus the door is effectually closed against any 

 discussions that might lead to applications to Par- 

 liament to change the relations of landlord and 

 tenant, provided these relations should be found 

 to prevent advances in agricultural improvement. 

 The shows this year consisted of about two 

 hundred horned cattle, (or beasts as they are 

 here called,) one hundred and fifty horses, mares 

 and fillies — two hundred and thirty lots of sheep 

 — and one hundred and thirty pigs. The ar- 

 rangements for exhibiting the stock were ad- 

 mirable. Printed Catalogues were furnished at 

 one shilling (sterling) each ; and the pens were 

 in rows with convenient passages between, and 

 under awnings. Each shed was furnished with 

 a sign board, on which was painted in conspic- 

 uous letters the class of animals it contained — 

 each iinimal was numbered, so that by reference 

 to the catalogue you could see the name of the 

 owner and a full description of any animal 

 present. 



The cattle were mostly Short Horns, Here- 

 fords and Devons ; but from the greater number 

 and evident superiority of the Short Horns, they 

 undoubtedly continue the favorites with breeders. 

 Some of these animals were truly magnificent 

 creatures. The horses were excellent, especi- 

 ally those designed for agricultural purposes. 

 The sheep were Leicesters, Southdown, and 

 Cotswold. I did not see a fine-wooled sheep at 

 the show. Some of the sheep were of enor- 

 mous size, and beautiful specimens of their 

 race. The pigs were by no means extraordi- 

 nary. But few Berkshires were present — white 

 being now the favorite color. 



The implement yard was also conveniently 

 arranged, and contained one hundred and fifty- 

 eight stands, furnished with a great variety of 

 agricultural and household implements. Many 

 of these were exceedingly curious — some quite 

 useless, and but few adapted to American agri- 



culture. On Wednesday, the second day of the 

 show, I visited the implement yard, and found 

 the attendance very small. On Thursday, how- 

 ever, several thousand must have thronged the 

 implement and cattle yards, and as the admission 

 fee was half a crown and the visitors were nearly 

 one half finely dressed females, who examined 

 all the animals with a critical eye, I was upon 

 the point of deciding that the British public 

 really took a deep interest in the progress of 

 agriculture — but a furious rush towards the en- 

 trance soon explained all. Prince Albert was 

 to visit the yards, and the John Bulls (male and 

 female) had paid their half crowns to get a sight 

 at the wonderful Dutchman, who had consented 

 to officiate as husband to their queen at an an- 

 nual salary of about $200,000! Away went 

 the crowd pell-mell, men, and women, pulling, 

 pushing and elbowing to get a sight at the 

 Prince. All the other animals were forgotten 

 in a moment, in the anxiety to see the one from 

 Saxe Coburg. It took a dozen police officers to 

 keep this respectable and genteel moh of British 

 ladies and gentlemen from running over and 

 trampling upon this soft looking and inoffensive 

 German. It so happened that I was standing 

 where I had a good view of the Queen's hus- 

 band. He is a very decent looking,, blue-eyed 

 German, with a sandy moustache ; and has the 

 honor of being father to a numerous progeny, 

 each of whom will saddle the British nation 

 with an annual expense greater than the whole 

 amount paid to advance Agricultural Science 

 in the United Kingdom. Yours, 



G. W. P. 



Something for All, — So various are the ap- 

 petiles of animals that there is scarcely any plant 

 which is not chosen by some and left untouched 

 by others. The horse gives up the water hem- 

 lock to the goat ; the co20 gives up the lo7ig leaved 

 water- hemlock to the sheep ; the goat gives up 

 the monk's hood to the horse, etc. ; for that which 

 certain animals groio fat upon, others abhor as 

 poison. Hence no plant is absolutely poisonous, 

 but only respectively. Thus the spjirge, that is 

 noxious to man, is wholesome nourisliment to the 

 caterpiller. That animals may not destroy them- 

 selves for want of knowing this law, each of them 

 is guarded by such a delicy of taste and smell, 

 that they can easily distinguish what is perni- 

 cious from what is wholesome ; and when it 

 happenes that different animals live on the same 

 plants, still one kind always leaves something 

 for the other, as the mouths of all are not equally 

 adapted to lay hold of the grass — by which meai^s 

 there is sufficient food for &\\.— Stilling fleet. 



Bleeding op the Vine. — Dr. Underbill sta- 

 ted before the N. Y. Farmers' Club, that the 

 bleeding of the vine, so far from being injurious, 

 seems to insure a good crop of grapes. 



