216 
The First Two Country Meetings of the 
It will be seen that of these animals Mr. Bates’s Shorthorns 
only were brought from a very long distance, and one can very 
well understand the interest they excited amongst the visitors, 
most of whom had never set eyes on such bovine perfection 
before. There were, indeed, several animals that had to travel a 
hundred miles or more, from Suffolk, Sussex, and other counties, 
and this enterprise on the part of distant breeders was very com- 
mendable, considering the circumstances of the time ; but, taken 
as a whole, the stock was necessarily drawn from a somewhat 
limited radius. 
The Shorthorns especially, with the exception of the Kirk- 
leavington stock, were bred in the neighbourhood, and the 
great superiority of the Duchess tribe impressed all who 
saw them. Indeed, many of the older authorities have been 
known to declare that, notwithstanding the great progress which 
has since been made in all departments of agriculture, it is 
questionable if any advance has been made upon these repre- 
sentatives of a famous breed. That excellent judge, Mr. George 
Drewry, writes, “ The two things I remember best at Oxford were 
the ‘ Duke of Northumberland ’ and ‘ Duchess 43rd,’ which I still 
think the two best Shorthorns I ever saw.” The two tribes of 
cattle from which the animals exhibited by Mr. Bates were bred 
have become famous in the history of Shorthorns, and in the 
prosperous times of a few years ago realised fabulous prices. It 
is worthy of note that the cow (out of the Matchem Cow) with 
which Mr. Bates won the first premium for the best cow in 
milk was afterwards named the “ Oxford Premium Cow,” and 
from her and her half-sister was bred the famous “Oxford” 
tribe, a strain which was so long and successfully bred by the 
late Duke of Devonshire at Holker Hall. 
One other class remains to be noticed — Class XII. for Extra 
Stock, Implements, Roots and Seeds, for prizes in which 50Z. was 
placed at the disposal of the Judges. In this most comprehen- 
sive class, which even included the implements, a prize of 
10Z. was awarded to Mr. S. Druce, of Eynsham, Oxon., for a 
Hereford ox ; 51. to Mr. John Pinfold (on whose ground the 
Meeting was held) for another ox of the same breed ; 51. to Mr. J. 
H. Langston, of Sarsden, Chipping Norton, for a Shorthorn cow ; 
51. to Mr. R. Pratt, of Spilsbury, Oxon., for 3 long-woolled 
wethers ; and 31. to the Duke of Norfolk for 3 two-shear wethers. 
The extra stock also included a 9-year-old Nogore cow, from 
Delhi, exhibited by Mr. Wood, of Bramdean House, Alresford, 
Hants, remarkable for its alleged ability to travel at the rate of 
eight miles an hour — one of a breed utilised in India for State 
purposes. There were Mso 4 horses, 10 sheep (including Doomb$ 
