The Agricultural Features of the Paris Exhibition. 201 
surely not exactly as it ought to be. It is calculated that 
" France rears enough cattle for her own wants ;" but should 
not so well-favoured a country be equal to more than that? 
It was estimated that 10,469,000 head of cattle in France in 
1873 yielded 4(34,283 tons of beef — a small yield certainly, even 
taking into account the large number of calves annually slaugh- 
tered. The 10,240,000 head of cattle in the United Kingdom in 
1876 produced about 800,000 tons of beef. We have been led 
into this digression mainly by a feeling of regret that in so rich 
a country as France there should be so many inferior varieties 
of cattle ; and partly also by the unsatisfactory character of the 
reason given for this — namely, that the working and milking 
elements, which are of paramount importance in France, cannot 
be found, or developed, in sufficient degree, in breeds also 
valuable for beef. We must now proceed to speak in detail of 
the different breeds in the French Division, beginning with 
Shorthorns, as being of special interest to English agriculturists, 
and afterwards following the order of the Catalogue.* 
Feench Shorthorns. 
The history of the Shorthorn in France dates from 1825. In 
that year M. Briere, of D'Azy, Nievre, imported from England 
one bull and six cows, all descended from " Comet " (155), and 
"Favourite" (252); and a few years afterwards MM. Hunt 
and Brewter, tenants on M. Briere's estate, made two other 
small importations. Probably, in the main, from want of 
knowledge of the characteristics of the race, these enterprising 
gentlemen met with limited success. The produce of the im- 
ported animals did not realise the expectations that were enter- 
tained of them, and after some time the majority of the animals 
were scattered through the adjacent districts, and, in a manner, 
lost. A few, however, passed into the hands of a M. Jachard, 
who, with creditable perseverance, formed a herd which grew 
and prospered, and doubtless conferred substantial benefit on 
the surrounding country. In 1836 the Minister of Agriculture, 
recognising the necessity for something being done by the 
State to improve the native breeds of cattle, imported, through 
M. Yvart, Inspector-General of the Veterinary School at Alfort, 
seven females and one bull of the best Shorthorns that could be 
obtained in England. These were placed in the Veterinary 
School as objects of study ; and so favourably was the move- 
ment received, that soon after nineteen females and fifteen males 
* It will be noticed that the -writers of this Eeport have throughout critioised 
the foreign breeds from a British, and indeed almost from a Shorthorn point of 
view. — Ed. 
