1851. 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



209 



I 



Class 1, Bulls calved previous to January, 1849. 

 Class 2, Bulls calved since January, 1849. Class 3, 

 Cows in milk or in calf. Class 4, Heifers in calf, 

 not exceeding 3 years. Class 5, Yearling heifers. 



Ilerefords, Devons, Long Horns, Channel Islands, 

 (Jersey and Guernsey) Sussex, Scotch horned, Scotch 

 polled, Welsh, Irish, &c., were all classed in the 

 same way as the Short Horns. 

 '^, Horses were arranged in eight classes, thus : 



Class 1, Stallions of any age, for agricultural pur- 

 poses. Class 2, Stallions, 2 years. Class 3, Dray 

 Stallions. Class 4, Hunter Stallions. Class 5, 

 Carriage Stallions. Class 6, Roadster Stallions, — 

 Class 7, Mares and foals. Class 8, Fillies, 2 years 

 old. 



Sheep were first arranged according to breed, as 

 Leicesters, South Downs, Long Wools, and Moun- 

 tain Sheep, and each breed into 3 classes, thus: 



Class 1, Shearling Rams. Class 2, Rams of any 

 age. Class 3, Shearling Ewes. 



Pigs were arranged in 6 classes, thus : 



Class 1, Boars of a large breed. Class 2, Boars 

 of a small breed. Class 3, Breeding Sows of a 

 large breed. Class 4, Breeding Sows of a small 

 breed. Class 5, Breeding sow pigs of large breed. 

 Class 6, Breeding sow pigs of small breed. 



This comprised the entire show. 



The prizes offered by this Society are worthy of 

 attention, as showing the power of the machinery 

 that produces such results as we witness here. — 

 Only think of 



$200 for best Bull. 



$100 for the best Cow in calf or in milk. 



$75 for the best yearling heifer, and so on through 

 all the classes. 



$150 for the best stallion. 



$100 for the best 2 year old, and so on. 



$150, $100, and $75, for the best sheep. 



These prizes mean something. They are worth 

 contending for, and certainly the results are every 

 way worthy of them. Heretofore the competion was 

 confined in the main to noblemen, but on this occa- 

 sion, plain practical tenant farmers have successfully 

 entered the field, and to such an extent, as not only to 

 attract much attention on the show grounds, but to 

 elicit comment in the dinner speeches. 



After the surprise and admiration with which I 

 first viewed the animals had subsided, I was forcibly 

 struck wich the predominate numbers of certain 

 breeds of animals, and this seemed to me such an in- 

 teresting point, that I took particular note of it. 



I believe the whole number of animals fell some- 

 what short of 1000. Of cattle there were 386 : 176 

 Short Horns, 74 Devons, 41 Herefords, 31 Channel 

 Islands fAlderneys, k,c.), 22 Sussex, 10 Scotch 

 Polled, 15 Welsh, Irish, Jic, 9 Scotch Horned, and 

 7 Long Horns. 



This shows us that about half the entire number 

 were Short Horns, and that next to them comes the 

 Devons and the Herefords. These three breeds are 

 now pretty well known in this country, and form the 

 principle stock at all our exhibitions. The others 

 are yet scarce. 



The Alderneys, or Jersey cattle, begin to attract 

 much attention, and at the present moment are quite 

 a speculation. Several droves were brought to Lon- 

 don for sale while I was there. They are beautiful 

 animals,and their milk is said to be of the richest and 

 finest quality. Roswell G. Colt, Esq., of Patterson, 

 JN. J., has some of this stock, which we saw last 



winter, and he will have them at our State Fair, I 

 think. 



The Scotch polled are beautiful jet black, hornless 

 animals, of large size and symmetrical forms, highly 

 esteemed in Scotland. The specimens exhibited, 

 were mostly from Aberdeen, in Scotland. Among 

 the Scotch horned are the Ayrshires, celebrated as 

 great milkers, and a hardy, long haired race from the 

 highlands. I have admired these animals wherever 

 I have met them. I saw fine specimens at the 

 Smithfield Club show in 1849, and lately a fine herd 

 of them in Scotland. They are easily kept, subsist- 

 ing on the poor highland farms where the Durhams 

 would die of hunger, and when thoy are brought into 

 good pasture and generously treated, they fatten 

 quick, for the food necessary to some other breeds 

 for mere subsistence, is a luxury to them. Their 

 flesh is fine too, and commands 6d. sterling per stone 

 of 14 lbs., more than any other. 



The curiosities of the cattle department were a Ro- 

 man Bull and Cow exhibited by Lord Walsingham. 

 They are large animals of a peculiar shape, high 

 shoulders, a remarkably round quarter, short head, 

 large spreading horns turned jowards at the points; 

 color grey, with a dark brown neck. 



An Indian Bull and Cow, very amall, about four 

 feet in height, something similar in shape and color 

 to the Italian. The cow had a calf with her about 

 as large as a lamb. 



From Shetland, pure Shetland Bull and Cow, 

 neither of them larger than a month old calf, and 

 very poor, showing very plainly that they came from 

 a cold climate and scanty pasture. What a contrast 

 these little unfortunate looking creatures presented 

 with the Durhams, yearling heifers of which weigh 

 in some cases 800 to 900 pounds ! 



Of the horses more than two-thirds I should think 

 were of the large Suffolk breed, for cart and dray 

 work. These are magnificent animals. The class 

 of two years old was throughout remarkably fine, 

 many of them weighing about 1400 pounds, well 

 proportioned, active and sprightly. These have none 

 of the clumsiness of what we know here as the 

 Norman horse, and I am convinced that they might 

 be very advantageously introduced here to improve 

 our work horses. We are all going too much for 

 speed at present, and our work horses cJe too 

 leggy and light of body — as a general thing. 



Of Carriage horses I saw nothing better than 

 some of our Rochester dealers send to New-York 

 Market. 



Of the sheep there were 136 Leicester.-, 125 South 

 Downs, 29 Long Wools, 19 Mountain, a few Me- 

 rinoes — I have no note of any save one pen of live 

 shearling ewes. 



The Leicesters are preferred for the mutton, the 

 flesh being of the finest quality. The mutton of the 

 Leicester sheep that we get in England is a real lux- 

 ury, whilst our mutton here is about as palatable 

 as a tallow candle. 



The Leicester Ram to which the $150 prize was 

 awarded, was a noble specimen, two years and four 

 months old, weighing about three hundred pounds. 

 His back is not less than three feet in breadth. His 

 fleece I was told was about 14 pounds and brought 

 Is. sterling per pound. 



The Long Wools were composed of Oxfordshire 

 and Cotswold sheep, fine large animals and of ele- 

 gant form. The prize Ram was forty months old, 

 and weighed about four hundred and twenty pounds. 



