The Farming of Cheshire. 
71 
About that lime, some of the principal farmers, assisted hy some 
leading cattle dealers, succeeded in establishing fairs at many of the 
small towns and ^411ages in the interior of the county ; and they 
were so arranged as to gis e purchasers the opportunity ot attending 
at convenient distances from their farms^ and sellers the facility of 
driving their unsold stock from fair to fair, without any material 
loss of time, or of the keep of their animals ; and many of the 
dealers had persons engaged in visiting the Yorkshire fairs to 
make fresh purchases, while they were selling in Cheshire ; thus 
a regular supplv of good voung milking cows was kept up through 
the earlv part of the cheese-making season. Some of the largest 
and most valuable animals were bought by dealers in mdk for 
the supply of Manchester and Liverpool ; but these cattle, from 
their, great size, were not so suitable for the tender clay land, or 
the very confined farm buildings in the chief part of this county. 
The dealers also frequently brought young bulls of from one 
to two years old for sale in the markets, and it was not unusual 
for them to receive orders from those farmers who were most 
anxious to improve their stocks ; which orders they were always 
ready to execute, as they could in such cases make their own 
charges without incurring any risk. A farmer in the hundred of 
Eddisbury, who kept about forty cows, and took a pride in having 
a good dairv stock, thinking the best way of obtaining it was to 
purchase, instead of rearing from his own, gave a respectable 
dealer an order for twelve cows — this order was speedily executed 
for 336/., or 28?. per head — probably the whole dairy of cheese 
would realize little, if any, more than 500/. 
From the cattle thus introduced at the Cheshire fairs and 
markets, many of the present stocks were raised. Perhaps the 
improvement in cattle has been more rapid within the last seven 
years than formerly, in consequence of an increased emulation 
ha^-ing been excited among farmers by the establishment of agri- 
cultural societies within the county. 
In addition to the cattle bred within Cheshire, many of which 
are also fed or fattened within it when no longer fit for the dairy, 
a considerable number of Scotch, Welsh, and a few Irish and 
Hereford bullocks and heifers are annually bought for the pur- 
pose of being fed, principally bv gentlemen residing on and farm- 
ing part of their estates — such cattle, when fat and not required 
for the use of the family, are sold to butchers for the supply of 
the surrounding neighbourhood, or sent to the Manchester and 
Liverpool markets. 
Sheep. 
Although a considerable number of sheep is fed within the 
county (estimated at about 65,000), very few comparatively are 
