Report of the Stewards of Stock at the Battersea Show. 389 
prize ram was seldom exceeded in size, his fleece was perhaps 
rather of the " trimmer " order, and his colour and contour 
of face savoured slightly of the Leicester. This style was 
somewhat observable in nearly all the winners, and the second 
prize shearling was also a little feminine in the head. A 
grey face had, however, slipped up second in the Aged Ram 
classes, but such honours were rare. Throughout the 83 the 
grey face was principally found in connection with the close 
trimmer coat ; and it would seem that a combination of these two' 
qualities is more studied by ram-breeders for the purpose of 
suiting hirers than the real lustre-wool. " The first pen of prize 
theaves was remarkably uniform and good, and very much in 
advance of the rest ; and on the whole it may be said that the 
old sheep were never larger or better as a lot, the shear- 
lings an average, and the theaves not an average." Still the 
Judges were not lavish in their approval, and only gave one 
high commendation and one commendation in each class. It 
has been suggested to us that it would be desirable in future to 
have Cotswold sheep judged by Cotswold men ; but on this 
occasion none of their names were sent in. 
Tlie Rormiey 3farsh Sheep breed numbered 20, from four 
different flocks, of which Mr. Frederick Murton's and Mr. 
Thomas Blake's were most successful. They inhabit several 
thousand acres of exposed country, where nothing but a very 
hardy sheep could live, and are generally kept badly during 
their first winter, as the Marsh breeders are dependent on the 
small farmers in the Wealds of Kent and Sussex, from which 
the flocks return to the Marsh the first week in April. The 
lambs are shorn, and produce from to 2 lbs. of wool, which is 
sold at two-thirds the price of the regular fleece, which generallv 
goes to the French market. The Kentish graziers are very parti- 
cular about using a stain of any other blood. On the uplands, 
and amongst the arable farmers, a higher-bred sheep is used, 
selected from the Romney Marsh, and crossed with Improved 
Kents or " Goord's sheep ;" but, although they mature earlier, 
they do not suit open marsh feeding. Mr. Goord, who died 
about twenty years ago, always denied having any crosses out of 
the county ; and those crossed with his blood took their part 
well in the Battersea competition. 
For the 90Z. given for Pure Native Irish Long- Wools there was 
no entry. 
" Speaking from what I remember as a spectator at Leeds, I 
should say that, as a whole, the Doims were much the same 
this year as last." Another Judge thus writes of them : " The 
Southdown shearling rams were not so good as I have seen at 
many of the previous meetings ; and I do think the older rams 
