Report on the Exhibition of Live Slock at Wolverhaynpton. G03 
classes brouglit before them. TIere, perhaps, I on<rht to stop. I 
admire the breed oi' sheep as bciiij;^ well adapted to the Midlands, 
but I cannot lay claim to any practical knowledge of them, and 
it may not be safe to add to the Report of the Judges ; but I 
cannot resist the temptation to say what I think may strike others 
as it did me, — that there is still the same reason as heretofore for 
urging upon breeders the importance of keeping in view the 
characteristics of good Shropshires, as indicated by the Report 
of the Judges, so as to attain to something like the uniformity of 
the Southdown, whilst retaining a far greater weight of wool 
and mutton. It was obvious that the Judges had their diffi- 
culties ; for, in spite of their anxiety to stamp by their awards 
the type of animal they wanted, they must have felt constrained 
to relax the rule they had laid down for themselves when, after 
placing their First and Third Prize Shearling Rams, they had 
no alternative but to select the animal they did for the First 
All-aged Prize, and to take two pens of young and old ewes, 
so unlike each other, as First in their respective classes. No 
objection could have been raised if they had adhered to the line 
they had laid down, and after placing Mrs. Beach's shearling 
ewes First — about which there could be no doubt — they had 
given the same position to the aged ewes from the same flock ; 
for there can be no stronger proof of the practicability of 
attaining the uniformity in Shropshire sheep that breeders have 
so repeatedly been urged to strive for than is shewn by the 
animals exhibited by this lady. Her shearling and old rams, 
the shearling and aged ewes, the ram and ewe lambs, are all 
precisely of the same character. The Judges, however, very 
properly marked their appreciation of the type by awarding to 
Mrs. Beach the cup, as the winner of the greatest number of 
Shropshire prizes ; and even if they had gone further than they 
did, they would still have satisfied the other exhibitors and have 
confirmed by their decisions the views they expressed in their 
Oxford Report. I have dwelt thus long on the above subject, 
inasmuch as I consider that the importance of Shropshire sheep 
to the tenant-farmers of England, and the prominent position 
they occupied in the Wolverhampton Show-yard, demanded 
more than an ordinary recognition at my hands. 
Amongst the Hampshire and other Short-wools, I need scarcely 
say that Mr. Rawlence, as usual, held his own against all comers ; 
whilst in showing the great improvement observable in this 
breed the Judges write thus : — 
The Hampshires \?ere short in numbers but good in quality. They were 
of great size, and a great improvement upon former years, most of the animals 
shown being good of the sort. The first and second prize ewes were two 
remarkably good pens. Only two Dorset sheep were shown, but they were of 
the right sort as regards quality, size, and horn. n „ 9 
