338 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



them in the fall, weighing generally over 1000 lbs. 

 net. ; I saw six weighed, at the same time with the 

 two year olds, which averaged over 1100 lbs. net, 

 and sold for nearly $160 a pair. The two year olds, 

 mentioned above, were nothing extra; they were a 

 fair sample of Kentucky tAvo year old steers, and it 

 was for that reason I have given you the weight and 

 prices. But I must come to the Lexington Show. 



The Show Grounds are beautifully located, on ele- 

 vated grounds about half a mile south of the city, 

 in a beautiful grove, affording fine shade for the 

 visitors and stock, which was so much needed on 

 account of the extreme heat. The grounds contain 

 about 50 acres, which were purchased by the Society 

 at an expense of about $12,000. The Society has 

 spent about as much more in fitting up the grounds, 

 and I thought the whole arrangements of the 

 grounds, whether we consider the facilities of get- 

 ing to and from the show, or the comfort and con- 

 venience of the crowd when in the enclosure, were 

 perfect and complete. They manage their shows 

 in Kentucky different from any I have ever been 

 at, and I will endeavor to describe their mode of 

 management. There is an amphitheatre erected, 

 w 7 hich is over 300 feet in diameter. It is a circle 

 and closely planked up about 6 feet high, when. the 

 eeats commence, and rise one above the other, like 

 the seats of a circus, and run back some 40 feet, 

 affording room for 12 or 15,000 persons; under the 

 seats and outside the ring are booths, in which all 

 kinds of refreshments are served. The whole is 

 well covered with shingles, and the spectators are 

 comfortably seated during the whole show. On the 

 first day nothing is exhibited except manufactures, 

 agricultural implements, grain of different kinds, 

 fruit, products of the garden, and dairy, poultry, &c. 

 There is no stock of any kind on the ground the 

 first day; on the second day cattle, sheep and hogs 

 are exhibited ; on the third, horses for harness and 

 saddle; and on the fourth, draught horses, jacks, 

 mules, &c. 



The first day is called the ladies' day, as on that 

 day all kinds of domestic manufactures are shown, 

 consisting of jeans, shirts, socks, blankets, needle- 

 work of various kinds, but most of all, of fine quilts, 

 some of silk, silk velvet, worsted, and cotton. The 

 quilts were hung upon lines stretched across the 

 ring, and looked most beautiful. I tried to count 

 them, and if I made no mistake, there were up- 

 wards of eighty. I am not good at describing such 

 things, and will pass to the second day. And here, 

 again, the show is different, for they do not class 

 the cattle into Short-Horns, Herefords, Devons, Ayr- 

 shires and natives. They have but one class as far 

 as breed is concerned. They give a premium for 

 the "best bull four years old or over," and so on 

 down to calves ; and all kinds show against each 

 other. There was not a Hereford, Devon or Ayr- 

 shire on the ground, and never will be, I suppose, 

 if they have to show against the Short-Horns. 



You will, of course, expect me to give a descrip- 

 tion of the show of cattle more particularly than 

 any thing else. I was enabled to examine the cat- 

 tle well, for through the kindness and partiality of 

 some of my friends in Kentucky, I had been ap- 

 pointed one of the judges of cattle. The judges 

 were all selected from other States, none of whom 

 attended, however, except Mr. E. H. Smith, of New 

 York, and myself. 



I thought of you often whilst examining the cat- 

 tle, and wished that you could be present, so that 

 you could have seen, how entirely you were mis- 

 taken, when comparing the Short-Horns, with the 



Devons and Herefords, You said "though there 

 might be a sprinkling of premium animals, the 

 average of excellence would be less." I pledge 

 you my word as a man, and what little judgment 

 I may have about cattle, that out of more than one 

 hundred Short-Horns, which were shown, I >>aw 

 very few ordinary, and not one inferior animal. 

 And they were of all ages from calves to four year 

 olds. You know how I begged you to go with me 

 to Kentucky, for it is there you must go, if you 

 wish to see the Short-Horns in perfection, for Ken- 

 tucky is, in truth, "the home of the Short-Horns." 

 They have got to be the common cattle of the 

 country, and " see cattle where you will, you will 

 see the Short-Horn colors, of red, and white, and 

 roan, and you will see the form too, and the horn." 

 The Kentuckians have long since learned that ani- 

 mals, well bred and properly managed, are profit 

 table, whilst bad stock of any kind, and badly pro- 

 vided for, seldom repay the expense of keeping 

 them. They get an earlier and better return, and 

 the expense of fattening is diminished, for they get 

 them into market so much earlier. I was very 

 anxious to see the late importation of Short-Horns, 

 which sold at such enormous prices last year, and 

 to see whether they were better than the fine ani- 

 mals which I had seen in Kentucky at previous vi- 

 sits. Some of the animals are very fine, and others 

 I think had better have been left in England — they 

 certainly, at least, will not improve the many fine 

 herds which they already had in Kentucky. I am 

 the last person to say anything against the improve- 

 ment of stock of any kind ; and every one who at- 

 tempts it has my best wishes. But improving stock 

 is one thing, and importing miserable brutes — the 

 refuse of English herds for the sake of the profit — 

 Is another and quite different affair. The success 

 of the Company last year was so great that it gave 

 rise to several other companies, who have imported 

 a great many, both sheep and cattle. I saw several 

 which had just got to Kentucky, which I think 

 they will find some difficulty in disposing of. They 

 had a few, and only a few, which were very good. 

 I never could conceive why a bad animal should 

 be made good merely by crossing the Atlantic. 

 But to the Show. 



In the class of bulls, four years or over, there 

 were two entries. The premium was taken by 

 Young Chilton, (No. 11,278 in the Herd Book,) im- 

 ported last year, and purchased by Wm. Warfield, 

 at $3005. He is, to my thinking, the best of the 

 imported bulls. He is an animal of fine symmetry, 

 well proportioned; the quality of his flesh very 

 fine, and his handling superior. He stood at $25 

 last year, and cleared his cost; he now stands at 

 $50, and is making a full season, which I was glad 

 to hear, for there is no person who has taken more 

 pains to have fine stock, or who better deserves 

 them, than his liberal and gentlemanly owner. 



In the class of bulls over three and under four 

 years old, there were four entries; three of them 

 imported, belonging to Mr. Alexander, of Woodford, 

 and one bred in Kentucky. The premium was 

 taken by Mr. Alexander with Lord John, and the 

 second premium by the Kentucky bull belonging 

 to Mr. Gratz — both very good. 



Bulls two years old, eight entries, premiums both 

 taken by imported bulls. The first was Mr. Alex- 

 ander's " Grand Master," a very fine animal — very 

 fat, however. The second, taken by A. & J. Allen 

 with " Senator," a very fair bull, but his handling 

 not as good as it ought to have been for a w r hite 

 animal. 



