598 Report 011 the Exhibition of Live-Stock at Taunton. 
took place. The soil is a good deep loam ; and this was so far 
an advantage, that the water drained away with comparative 
rapidity, v/hereas, if it had been good old West-Country clay the 
yard would have been little better than a bog by Wednesday 
afternoon. The efforts made by the Taunton people to give the 
Societv a befitting welcome never relaxed, though the Local 
Committee had many difficulties to encounter. When the Show 
opened, at 9 o'clock on Monday morning, the yard presented a 
most attractive spectacle, and one of the sights which most 
struck the great majority of visitors was the handy way in 
which the various departments were arranged. The implement- 
sheds, running both right and left of the central avenue, stood 
nearest to the main entrance, the cattle were beyond them to 
the left, and the sheep and pigs opposite the cattle, to the right 
of, the central avenue. Further still was the large horse-ring, 
behind which, and quite removed from the noise and bustle of 
the crowd, were the horse-boxes. These were roomy, lofty, and 
well-ventilated, and seemed to be the model of what boxes pro- 
vided for the temporary accommodation of horses at our Shows 
should be. 
The duties of President, during the Society's visit to Somerset- 
shire, fell, as it was only most fitting that they should fall, upon 
Lord Bridport, who has done so much for the agriculture of the 
county to which he belongs, and one of whose last acts during 
his year of office was to enlist, as a Governor of the Society, 
His Royal Highness Prince Christian. Lord Bridport was 
able to announce, at the General Meeting of Members held in the 
yard, that the number of Members had increased very considerably 
since he became President ; and I would fain hope that the visit 
of the Society to Taunton, disastrous as are the recollections of 
the three concluding days, may be instrumental in raising the 
total to something near the 10,000 at which Lord Bridport 
wishes to see it stand. 
It would be too much to say that the live-stock exhibited at 
Taunton came up to the very high standard of excellence which 
has been reached at some previous Shows ; but the cattle and the 
sheep were by no means a bad lot, though there was a marked 
falling off in numbers as compared with Bedford, Hull, Cardiff, 
and other recent exhibitions. There was a not less considerable 
decline in the number of horses and pigs ; and Avhile the total 
entries of live-stock at Bedford were 1527, only 1090 head 
were entered at Taunton. 
, j Horses. 
. Cattle. 
Sbcop. 
rigs.- 
Bedford (1874) 
412 
403 
48G 
226 
Taunton (1875) 
235 
340 
359 
1G2 
