SUPPLEMENT. 789 



accomplished. The breed is remarkable for mass and quality of mutton, combined with 



. and those for ewes in any other breed are now given for 

 well-bred Oxfordshire Down rnius. 



MUTTON AND WOOL. 



The portraits will, we believe, be admitted to be successful representations of two cap- 

 ital breeds of sheep. The form, thanks to the photographer, and even the character of 

 the wool, thanks to the artist, are very successfully depicted. There is a certain amount 

 of distortion seen in the exaggerated length of the hind leg, as compared with fore leg in 

 the Oxford Down; and that the two pictures are not drawn to a common scale may be 

 gathered from a comparison of the shepherds, as well as of the sheep; but we claim to 

 have succeeded, nevertheless, in representing to our readers good and characteristic por- 

 traits of two very important breeds. 



Plate 368 represents "Hermit," a Lincoln ram, 3 years and 4 months old, shown at 

 Liverpool by Mr. Henry Smith, of the Grove, Cropwell Butler, Bingham, Nottingham- 

 shire. He took the first prize for Lincoln rams, other than shearlings. He was bred by 

 Mr. T. Casswell, Pointon, Falkingham. 



Plate 369 is a portrait of an Oxfordshire Down ram, " Campsfield," belonging to Mr. 

 A. F. Milton Druce, and shown at Liverpool in the class of older rams, where it took 

 the first prize. It is 3 years and 5 months old, and was bred by the exhibitor. 



BERKSHIRE PIGS. 



[Inclosure No. 9 in Consul-General Merrill's report.] 



SUTTON, WlMBORXE, DOBSET, 



January 8, 1884. 



SIR: My specialty is pigs; therefore I imagine any remarks on such would hardly 

 come under the above-printed queries. I have for years been very successful as a breeder 

 of large white pigs, and more recently of Berkshires, having secured at the Smithfield 

 Club show, in December, 1883, the champion award for the best pen of pigs in the show. 

 These Berkshires at eight months one week and three days old weighed each 16 score 

 pounds. My white pigs are hardy, and famed for size and early maturity; e. g., the pen 

 exhibited at the same time as the Berkshires, also taking first prize, attained the average- 

 weight each of 32 score pounds at sixteen months. My opinion is that the Berkshire 

 breed is the most hardy, and could be bred and reared in the United States with the 

 most perfect success. I feed my pigs on barley and maize-meal. 

 I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



JOSEPH SAUNDERS. 



[Inclosure No. 10 in Consul-General Merrill's report.] 



My Berkshires answer admirably. My sows run out on grass land nearly all the year 

 round, except when they have young. I have 260 acres of plowing, and I find swine 

 dispose of my tail corn more profitably than sending it to market. 



I sell all my pigs for breeding purposes, having a good name for them. 



ALFRED ASHWOBTH. 

 TABLET GEANGE, 



Kemlsford, Cheshire. 



THE YORKSHIRES, 



(Inclosure No. 11 in Consul-General Merrill's report.] 



Pigs have been my great weakness. I have during the last twenty-five years tried all 

 our English varieties. Berkshires, I found, were poor breeders and sticklers, and grew 

 very slowly when from three to six months old. Tamswortha were shy brutes and very 

 slow payers or feeders. The small blacks and small whites are good breeders and fatten 

 quickly at any age, but their meat is too fat for present The common English 



pig is a brute prolific enough but ruinous to fatten. I have found the middle whito 



