654 
Report on Live-Stock at Carlisle. 
faces greet me amongst the herdsmen and shepherds. There 
have been great improvements ; not a single pig was disqualified 
as being incorrectly described in respect of age, and the civility 
of the exhibitors and their men, even though they saw nearly all 
the prizes fall to one fortunate breeder, formed a gratifying 
contrast to the rowdy manners prevalent among some of the 
pig-fanciers of 1863. I was fortunate enough to have the help 
of three very able Judges, at the head of whom was our veteran 
friend Mr. Gibbons, and I am able to incorporate in this Report 
very much information derived from their experience. They 
authorise me to say that they consider the show of pigs gene- 
rally most excellent ; in fact, as good as ever was seen in the 
Royal Yard. 
Cumberland bacon has a great reputation, but there were 
comparatively few exhibitors of pigs from the county, and 
nine-tenths of the prizes for White Pigs went into Lancashire, 
thanks to the wonderful exhibits of Lord Ellesmere. 
The White Pigs are divided into two distinct breeds. Large 
and Small ; and a third series, of four classes, called " Other 
Breeds not qualified to compete in any of the preceding 
Classes." Although there were many pigs of unexceptionable 
merit in these classes, and though the Judges were specially 
struck with the excellence of some of the animals, yet I have 
their authority to confirm my own opinion that nearly all 
these animals presented more or less the characteristics either 
of the Large or Small breeds, and might have been exhibited 
in the classes devoted to those breeds, or else they were 
crosses between Large and Small breeds, and, as such, as little 
likely to develop their own characteristics as sheep produced 
by crossing a black-faced ram with a white-faced ewe. The 
pigs in themselves were excellent, but if our prizes are to be 
given for distinctive breeds capable of reproducing their own 
excellence, I question whether it be wise to give prizes for the 
" Other Breeds," 
Going round with Messrs. Gibbons, S. Walker, and Edwards, 
they noticed as very good, Nos. 1349 and 1347, two old boars 
of the Large breed, exhibited respectively by Lord Ellesmere 
and Mr. Sanders Spencer. 
In the next class, for Three Breeding Pigs of the same litter, the 
Earl of Ellesmere and Mr. R. Tommas exhibited very excellent 
even pens, but some of the other pens were unevenly matched. 
In the next class, for Breeding Sows of any age, were some 
very grand sows. The whole class was commended, as pre- 
senting fine specimens of the Large breed. I suppose that sows 
with litters cannot well compete with those not having litters of 
pigs, as in this class three sows having good litters were passed 
