666 Report on the Exhibition of Live-Stock at Preston, 1885. 
Class 102. Tliree Cows of any Breed or Cross. — This was a good class^ 
throughout, and for the first prize the competition was close. Eventually, 
however, the premier place was given to No. 931, exhibited hy Mr. George 
Cooke, of Clayley Hall, Cheshire, who showed two massive handsome cows of 
the true Dairy Shorthorn tyije, together with a very pretty heifer, barely 
three years old, in full milk, and again in-calf. Following close on these 
were Mr. Harris's trio, from Calthwaite Hall, ia Cumberland. They were 
evidently well-bred Shorthorns, showing great propensity to milk, and 
calculated to prove well at the scale when their breeding-time is over. And 
this we look upon as a most important consideration in selecting a Dairy-herd. 
Mr. Edward Holmes, of Bartle, near Preston, was awarded the third prize for 
three very useful cows ; while the reserve ticket went to Mr. John Cottam, 
of Scotforth, near Lancaster. We considered the whole of the exhibits here 
highly meritorious, and therefore we commended the entire class. 
In Class 103, Dairy-heifers, only two specimens were jjresented. Mr. 
Thomas Atkinson, of Higher House, near Manchester, secured the first prize 
with a neatly-formed heifer, having a fair show for milk, and likely to grow 
into a useful Dairy beast. 
Andrew Allan. 
Thos. Bowstead. 
EicH. Fearnall. 
SHEEP. 
The show of sheep at Preston mustered an array of 433 pens, 
against 490 last year, and was slightly below Reading and 
Carlisle, but in excess of York, Derby, and Bristol. The 
quality of some of the breeds was most excellent, and generally 
above an average. The very satisfactory Report of the In- 
spectors of Shearing states that only one instance of doubt 
occurred, and that the animal in question was allowed to pass. 
The Report as to trimming is not so satisfactory ; the Council 
made a decree that lambs shall be shown " untrimmed " (Stock 
Prize-Sheet, p. 20, No. 16), and consequently the Inspectors 
were obliged to disqualify 8 pens out of 38 shown, several 
of these being good short-woolled lambs. This is unfortunate, 
and this restriction, which does not apply to older sheep, will 
probably have the effect of deterring exhibitors, should the 
Classes for Ram-lambs be retained. No such restriction exists 
elsewhere, and animals which may have taken prizes at Pro- 
vincial Shows, and are probably the best of their breed, will not 
appear at the Royal to risk disqualification and consequent loss ; 
and their non-appearance will go far to defeat the chief object 
of the Society, which is to secure the exhibition of the best 
specimens of each breed. 
Leicesters. 
There was a larger entry of these sheep than usual, but most 
of them seemed to lack the style and character which used to be 
considered " Leicester," and the Judges' Report is by no means 
