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Report to the Council on the Cattle exhibited at Newcastle. 429 
the second prize and reserve number ; in two-year-old heifers the 
first prize, in yearlings the second, and in calves the third prizes, 
besides several commendations, were taken across the border. 
The districts of Northumberland, Durham, Westmoreland, and 
Cumberland furnished fifty-one animals to the show-yard, and 
carried off the first prize for cows, the third for bull calves, and 
the second for two-year-old heifers. 
Before leaving the Shorthorn classes, I will venture to make 
one or two remarks on the present system of judging, and the 
criticisms which were addressed to me as steward of cattle. 
One suggestion made is, that the society should provide merl to 
lead the cattle into the ring, in order to avoid the supposed 
partiality of judges towards the stock of particular breeders, 
whose herdsmen are known to them. But apart from the 
difficulty of finding -proper persons in sufficient numbers to 
lead the cattle, I believe that many, if not most of our judges, 
know the animals themselves, certainly the older ones, just as 
well as racing men know the horses that are about to start 
for a race. For my own part, I would place a complete 
catalogue of the stock in the judges' hands, and trust to their 
sense of honour and impartiality, rather than keep our present 
position of supposed ignorance, which is no safeguard, but rather 
a screen for favouritism or incompetency. Another suggestion 
was made that we should increase the number of judges to five, 
but those who saw the judging of the horses at the Agricultural 
Hall by a jury of five will not readily forget the tedious process, 
which produced results quite as much open to criticism as the 
judging in our own show-yard. I feel sure that three competent 
men are better than more. Whilst upon this point I would urge 
all breeders of stock and members of the society generally, to 
send to the Council a good list of names of men whom they con- 
sider qualified to act as judges. The names suggested are so 
few, and there is so much ridiculous jealousy, that from an 
experience of three years I can safely say the Council has no. 
more difficult task than the selection of judges. Surely those 
who neglect to send in names of competent and disinterested 
men are as much to blame for the difficulties which arise as the 
Council and those who work hard in its service. 
We could not expect a numerically strong entry of either 
Herefords or Devons, but we had amongst those sent some 
very superior animals, especially in the female classes of Devons. 
A Hereford herdsman called my attention to one of the prize 
cows, which was suckling her own calf, and challenged me 
to bring a Shorthorn one that would do the same. In the Here- 
ford cow and heifer classes the fault of over feeding prevails, if 
anything, to a worse degree than amongst the Shorthorns. 
VOL. XXV. 2 H 
