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XXVI. — Report of the Stetcards of Stock at the Worcester Show. 
In order to arrive at a fair estimate of the comparative number 
of the Worcester entries, it has been necessary to take Leeds in 
1861 as our trial year; and the result is, that we can report 
progress in three out of the four departments of stock. The 
sheep entries are 91 and the pig 41 in advance, and the Hereford 
breeders bore up so manfully for their great white and mottle-face 
interest as to more than wipe off the Yorkshire majority in the 
horse classes. 
Setting aside the purely Scottish and foreign entries at 
Battersea, we have 1219 at Worcester (which were contributed 
by 369 exhibitors) against 1595. Pursuing this comparison with 
"the exceptional year," we have 166 entries (14 of which com- 
prise 11- pairs and 3 trios) against 250 ; 113 Hereford (including 
8 pairs and 2 trios) against 97 ; and 50 Devon against 66. If 
we then disregard, and fairly enough, the somewhat wholesale 
and strictly speculative consignment of 23 Shetland ponies to 
Battersea, we have 201 horses and ponies against 233, — a dimi- 
nution which is more especially due to the great paucity of 
Suffolk Punch entries. The very slender Ryeland reinforce- 
ment did not compensate for the absence of the Kent and the 
Dorset sheep, which had no special classes to tempt them ; but 
it is also owing to the falling off in the Southdown, Hampshire, 
Mountain, " Lincoln, and other Long- Wools," that we find the 
sheep entries only 450, or 125 behind last year. The pig 
entries were much stronger in Berkshires ; but still there was a 
balance against them of 38, when compared with the 194 at 
Battersea, where the sows were considerably more numerous. 
The experience of public judging which was then gained, and 
the additional space available for the purpose, were turned to 
ample account. Instead of judging them between the rows, the 
cattle and the Leicester sheep were brought out into rings, and 
the proceedings of the Short-horn Judges were keenly watched by 
a large crowd for upwards of six hours ! In order to make the 
system as perfect as possible, it might be well if the " Highly 
Commended " and " Commended " cards were handed out by 
Judges along with the prize ones, and fixed up at once by the 
attendant. It might also be suggested that boards should be put 
up to the height of 6 feet along the head of the bull-sheds, so as 
effectually to prevent the spectators from teazing the bulls, — a 
thoughtless practice, which is stated to have utterly ruined the 
tempers of not a few for life. Placing the cattle in double rows 
with such a boarded partition between them, would also tend 
considerably to economise space. 
