Report on the Exhibition of Live-Stock at Derby. 5i)l 
addition six prizes divided amonp;st " other Longwools not qnaliBcd to 
couipt;to as Leicusters." lu the latter division the prizes were ail taken Ly 
sheep of the "improved" or " new " Oxfordshire Longwoollcd breed. This 
year the Longwools were separated into the three breeds of Lincoln, 
Leicester, and Cotswold, with a group embracing "Kentish, I'omncy Marsh, 
Devon, and other Longwoollcd Hreeds," an incongruous mixture of very 
moderate sheep, which might, 1 think, very fairly be removed from the prize 
list. The middle breeds, if I may so call them, were divided into Oxfordshire 
Downs and Shropshire Downs, and the ShortwooUed into Bouthdowns and 
" Hampshire or any other ShortwooUed Breeds." In 1843 the prizes 
amounted to 310?., in 1881 to 800?. 
During the period which has elapsed since 1843 the breeds, which I should 
venture to class as middle breeds of sheep, have come more prominently to 
the front, the Sliropshire, the Oxford Down, and Hampshire giving greater 
weight of mutton and a heavier fleece than the Southdown; and being more 
popular with butchers and consumers, from having a higher quality of 
mutton and not so much waste in fat as the Leicester or Lincoln. During a 
portion, however, of the time which has elapsed, the long lustre wool of the 
best Lincoln and Leicester breeds was high in price, and the success of the 
Bradford fabrics kept up the value of these classes. Changes of fashion tell 
upon manufacturers and farmers alike, and the esthetic tastes for soft fabrics- 
and delicate colours have caused a serious depreciation in Bradford stuffs and 
in lustre wool. This was, 1 think, reflected in the Show at Derby, for the 
Longwoollcd sheep were decidedly not so numerous nor of so high a quality as 
have been seen before. We do not find many aristocratic names amongst the 
txhibitors of Leicesters, Lincolus, or Cotswolds. Their owners are for the 
most part tenant farnicrs, and the serious depression of the last three years 
may have had something to do with the diminution in the numbers exhibited. 
The Leicesters range from North and East Yorkshire to Cornwall, but their 
home is principally on the Yorkshire wolds ; and in some flocks a dash 
of Lincoln has been introduced for the sake of increasing the fleece and 
carcass ; while in many folds and markets, both in Lincolnshire and York- 
shire, cross-bred sheep are to be seen, the produce of Shropshire or Hamp- 
shire rams and the whitefaced ewes. Generally the accounts of loss from 
fluke disease during the last two years were deplorable, and I heard of 
several cases of serious fatality which had occurred amongst lambs last year 
between the weaning time and the period at which they were placed on 
turnips. One Yorkshire shepherd informed me that his master had lost about 
250 lambs last autumn. From the heath districts of Lincolnstiire, where the 
Lincolns thrive best, I was glad to find a more hopeful tone amongst the 
shepherds, both with respect to the health of their sheep and the prospects of 
the turnip and barley crops. 
As might be expected in the Midland district, the Shropshire breed of sheep 
was the distinguishing feature of this department. A committee of breeders 
augmented the prizes oft'ered by the Society, and a noble show of this 
thoroughly useful sheep responded to the offer. Sixty-one Shearling Eama 
were inspected by the Judges, and from these thirty-eight were brought out 
for further revision. The Judges said that as a whole they had rarely seen 
a finer lot of sheep than these thirty-eight ; but, when by repeated drafting 
the number was reduced to the five selected for the prizes and reserve 
number, some considerable time was spent in placing the sheep, from the 
fact that no one or two of them were of such individual high merit as to 
stand out prominently from the rest. Each of the selected sheep had some 
weak point. The Irish sheep which stood second, and another from the same 
flock which was highly commended, made a brave show for that country^ 
considering the long and wearisome journey which they had experienced j 
