the  Society's  Meeting , 1883. 
451 
A careful  perusal  of  the  Catalogue  and  a glance  at  the 
following  detailed  Report  will  convey  some  instructive  and 
gratifying  facts.  In  the  first  place,  a very  large  proportion  of 
the  animals  exhibited  were  bred  by  the  exhibitors.  This  was  so 
as  regards  cattle,  while  very  few  of  the  sheep  and  pigs  have  ever 
changed  hands,  and  many  of  the  horses  were  bred  and  reared  by 
their  present  owners.  In  the  next  place,  an  astonishingly  large 
number  of  the  prize-winners  in  the  younger  classes  are  the 
produce  of  males  and  females  still  in  Showyard  trim,  and 
adorned  by  prize-tickets  at  this  very  Meeting.  This  favours  the 
belief  that  high  feeding  is  not  so  detrimental,  in  skilful  hands, 
to  successful  breeding  as  is  generally  supposed.  Preparation 
for  modern  Showyards  is  a severe  ordeal,  and  only  good-con- 
stitutioned  animals  can  endure  it.  It  leads  to  many  breeding 
mishaps  and  failures ; but  when  one  finds  the  sires  and  dams  of 
so  many  of  the  prize-winners  themselves  in  the  prize-list  as  was 
the  case  at  York,  one  is  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  successful 
showing  and  breeding  go  hand  in  hand  to  a considerable  extent, 
and  to  a larger  degree  than  is  commonly  imagined. 
Overfeeding  has  been  disappearing  somewhat  in  recent  years. 
There  is  still  too  much  of  it,  though  rather  less  at  York  than 
usual.  The  Society  is  to  be  congratulated  on  its  choice  of 
Judges.  In  many  of  the  classes  the  task  of  a Judge  was  an 
arduous  one.  The  awards  on  the  whole,  however,  were  judi- 
ciously made.  Turning  to  my  descriptive  notes  of  the  different 
breeds,  I begin,  as  the  Catalogue  does,  with 
HORSES. 
As  before  stated,  the  exhibition  of  horses  was  one  of  the  best 
yet  witnessed  in  England.  The  great  size  and  early  develop- 
ment of  the  Shire  and  Agricultural  colts  and  fillies  were  fitting 
subjects  of  remark.  The  clean  hardy  bones,  free  pasterns,  and 
fine  action  of  the  Clydesdales  had  to  be  pitted  against  the 
greater  weight  and  earlier  maturity  of  the  corresponding  breeds 
across  the  Border.  The  good-wearing  legs  and  portly  bodies  of 
the  Suffolk,  and  the  great  activity  of  many  of  the  hunting  horses 
and  hacks,  riveted  attention,  no  less  than  did  the  symmetry  and 
quality  of  several  of  the  ponies. 
Shire  Horses. 
The  Aged  Stallion  Class  was  small,  but  very  good.  Lord 
Ellesmere’s  first  horse  was  “ Exchange  ” (2421),  bred  by 
Mr.  Stanley,  and  very  heavy  for  a five-year-old.  He  has  more 
feather  than  the  rest,  and  is  powerfully  coupled,  but  bad  in 
