Report on the Exhibition of Live Stock at Cardiff. 379 
Cardiff, as I have said, tliere were hardly half-a-dozcn in all 
exhibited ; and, as the Suffolk breeders are evidently not very 
keen lor competition when far away from home, it is a question 
whether these classes should not be dropped at remote sites like 
Cardiff and Hull, to, of course, be revived again when the Society 
comes close on them in 1874. There is no worse advertisement 
than badly-filled classes at a great national meeting ; and at 
Cardiff two Suffolk stallions competed in the old class, (mly one 
two-year-old was entered, backed by a couple of mares. Con- 
sidering how much the character of the Societ\'s horse-show 
has improved, and how much it has extended, as, further, that 
the Suffolks had here a series of premiums to themselves, it is 
not so easy on the face of it to say why the Gloucester show of 
this breed of cart-horse was so goovl and that at Cardiff so bad. 
If the classes be continued at Hull, the Eastern Counties must 
make a far stronger demonstration for Yorkshire, or people will 
say the Suffolks are going out of fashion. 
Grand as are such horses as Honest Tom and Le Bon, 
and weightv as is the chestnut \ oung Champion, it is doubtful 
whether they were quite in place in Glamorganshire, for 
the Welsh farmers can never " afford " to take to them as 
they do to the Herefords and Cotswolds. The light, active 
little horse is of far more service here ; and, indeed, one 
of our leading implement-makers tells me there is a call for this 
comparatively small horse in many other parts of the country, 
— for something not over fifteen-two, compact, and, above all, 
active, who with his fellow can step away in a pair-horse plough. 
The abuse or excess we are growing into on the show-ground is 
that too many of the prize cart-horses have rather the extra weight 
and ponderous movements of dray-horses. Even the Suffolks are 
shown with more top than they can comfortably carry, but then 
this is called " constitution." The following is the Judges' 
Report on the agricultural horses ; which, 1 should say, only 
reached me after 1 had written the opening to the section: — 
In the following remarks, the Judges, <as far as possible, confine themselves 
to opinions upon which they are unanimous; and when their comments 
extend to animals bej-ond those selected tor official awards, it will mostly be 
found to be for the purpose of drawing attention to extraordinary merit, in 
cases where unsoundness or other objection has prevented a more marked 
appreciation being recorded in the shape of prize or commendation. 
A Judge at a Koyal Sleeting is not supposed to need apology or justification 
for decisions made with the consent of his colleagues, but instances maj"" 
occur in which a few words of explanation may at once afford a satisfactory 
solution to what, outside the ring, may appear an unsolved mystery. Of 
this the Judges will take advantage, where such explanation may appear 
necessary or advisable. Where marked inferiority is specially noticed, it is 
for the purpose of deterring owners from making entries for Royal prizes, 
upon what may be called off-chances in a thinly-filled class. Animals thus 
