The Agricultural Features oj the Paris Exhibition. 245 
irapldly maturing breed of sheep ; but even in those parts both 
the weight and precocity of the sheep might be greatly increased, 
with equal advantage to the breeders and to the nation at large. 
French sheep management, as a rule, is not satisfactory ; and 
of course the introduction of a finer class of sheep, in place of 
the rough rustic races that at present occupy a great part of the 
country, would necessitate the adoption of more careful and more 
liberal treatment. 
In the Cross Section there were in all 78 entries, representing 
sixteen different varieties of crosses. Whatever may be the case 
throughout France generally, as between the Leicester- Merino 
and the Southdown-Merino cross, the advantage in this display 
clearly enough lay with the former. About 60 specimens of the 
Leicester-Merino cross were exhibited, and of the 1500 francs 
offered in the Section as prize-money, 1400 francs fell to their 
lot. Speaking generally, these crosses showed a decided improve- 
ment on the pure-bred Merinos in regard to outline, depth of 
body, size of bone, and wealth of flesh. The majority, too, 
exhibited good quality and fair wool ; but, on the other hand, 
several were big in the bone and of rather indifferent quality. In 
a few the Merino features predominated, and in these there was, 
as a rule, a want of quality and a bareness of flesh. All over 
the lot, however, the improvement from the original Merino, in 
a butcher's sense, was so manifest, that the cross must be pro- 
nounced a decided success. M. Martine-Lenglet, of Aubigny, 
Aisne, showed a few very fine sheep of the Leicester-Merino cross, 
and was first in the one class and second in the other. His 
first-prize ewes were well-formed, of good quality, and richly 
covered with flesh ;. while his second-prize tup was a thoroughly 
good mutton-sheep. M. Wallet, of Gannes, Oise, headed the tup 
class with a three-year-old Leicester-Merino of exceptionally 
fine quality, broad and deep, and carrying a heavy load of 
mutton ; while the fourth prize in the female class fell to the 
same cross. The second prize in the female class was awarded to a 
pen of wealthy, well-topped two-year-old Leicester-Merino ewes, 
shown by M. Gouache-Baret, of Olle, Eure-et-Loire. Of a com- 
mended tup of this cross, our note-book says : " light on the 
shoulder and neck, but good on the back, and well-sprung in 
the rib of another, honoured with no official recognition, 
" would pass for a fair pure-bred Leicester tup, good under 
the hand, well-furnished below, and wool of fine quality ; " of 
another, " big in bone and lacking in quality, more of the 
Merino than the Leicester ;" of another, " good mutton-sheep, 
great improvement upon the Merino, and full of quality ; " and 
of another, " coarse wool, broad on the top, but rather long and 
strong in the legs." The superiority of the display of this cross 
