1884.] 
AMEEIOAl!^ AGEIOULTIJEIST. 
805 
A Fine Milch. Cow. 
We herewith present a portrait of a pure-blooded 
Ayrshire Cow. “Duchess of SmithBeld” is a fine 
specimen of a comparatively modern but very 
liardy and useful breed of cattle. She is a perfect 
type of the famous Douglas family of Ayrshires, 
and has taken first prizes at State Fairs since 1879. 
With a record of nearly nine thousand quarts of 
milk in a single year, on moderate feed, and with¬ 
out forcing, she stands high among the list of 
great milkers. Her grand udder measures sixty- 
eight inches in circumference, and indicates, better 
than words can express, the great capacities of the 
animal as a producer of milk. The average Ayr¬ 
shire cow may not be chosen for her beauty, but 
the constitutional vigor, great milking powers, and 
the general air of business shown in the picture 
(from a photograph by Schreiber) must inspire any 
lover of true bovine worth with more than thoughts 
of profit. This cow very thoroughly combines the 
good qualities of a superior milch cow. We wish 
her tribe may increase among our dairy farmers. 
The National Horse Show. 
The second National Horse Show held in Madison 
Square Garden, in the City of New York, was, 
like the first, gratifying to its promoters. There 
was a fine display of horses, of which we shall 
print engravings in the future. 
The “ Garden ” is really an amphitheatre, capa¬ 
ble of seating some ten thousand persons, and of 
accommodating as many more. Within the oval 
arena, well covered with tan-bark, half a dozen or 
more four-in-hand coaches may be driven at once, 
while around the sides of the great building, occu¬ 
pying an entire city block, excellent stalls and loose 
boxes were arranged for the comfortable accom¬ 
modation of the horses. The premium list was very 
full, and the prizes attractive, varying from twenty- 
five to five hundred dollars each, the same animal 
being permitted to enter for two or more prizes in 
different classes. 
If there is any one thing which is discouraging to 
lovers of horses attending the State Fairs, it is 
the fact ail the best animals are shut up and locked 
in dark stalls, where it is almost impossible to get 
a sight of them at all, except through the special 
favor of their keepers. Here all the loose-boxes 
were slatted, so that their occupants could be dis¬ 
tinctly seen, and the horses in the stalls, when not 
eating, were almost uniformity tied heads outward 
by two hitching reins, so that even vicious horses 
could not bite. 
The show consisted of breeding animals of the 
numerous classes, as well as of useful ones. Thus 
there were several classes each of Thorough-breds, 
Arabians, Trotters, Roadsters, Horses-of-all-work, 
Heavy Draught, Clydes, Normans, Coaching horses, 
etc., numerous classes of driving horses, as car¬ 
riage horses, “ T-cart ” or “Dog-cart” horses, 
“Cobs,” Ponies, Coupe horses. Four-in-hand 
teams, etc.. Saddle-horses, Cobs, Ponies of all sizes 
shown under saddle. Hunters, those entered for 
jumping, besides trained fire-engine horses. Police- 
horses, Cavalry horses, etc. 
All these classes, one hundred and twenty-one in 
all, in which there were entries, were exhibited and 
judged in the arena before the assembled multi¬ 
tude, who were free to express their approval by 
applause or otherwise, when the ribbons were 
awarded. Popular judgment in such cases is 
usually very just, and it requires good judges to 
independently brave the disapproval of the crowd. 
The impression made by the banged and docked 
horses, the grooms, the footmen and drivers in 
livery, the tights, top-boots, etc., and the vehicles 
of all sorts of strange and useless forms, was much 
'as if a piece of “ Rotten Row ” or “Pall-mall” or 
some other fashionable part of London had been 
imported to New York and put on exhibition as a 
sort of after-clap to the walking matches and 
other great shows, which occupied the same arena 
a few days before. 
Nevertheless as England really does lead the 
world in horse matters, especially in the use of the 
horse as an article of luxury, why should we not 
imitate her, and if need be, import English horse¬ 
men to show our rich young fellows who want to 
ride to hounds, to chase foxes (or scent-bags) 
across the country, to drive four-in-hand, tally-ho 
coaches, and all that sort of thing, how to do it all 
in true cockney style on American soil. 
The most numerous impressive classes were, as 
may be supposed, those of horses for pleasure and 
show-driving, and for use under saddle. I here in¬ 
clude the coaching teams, and all the various 
carriage teams, matched cots, ponies, etc. The 
hunters formed a very interesting group, having a 
highly thorough-bred look, being extremely muscu¬ 
lar, very thin, greyhound-like, and usually tall 
horses, with grand bone, large joints, and a supple¬ 
ness really surprising. One of these, Mr. Fred. 
Gebhard’s “Leo,” a six-year-old chestnut gelding, 
sixteen and a half hands high, cleared a bar six 
feet six inches high, landing safely with his rider— 
the highest jump of which there is any record iu 
either English or American horse annals. 
Ponies were very numerously represented, Shet¬ 
land, Highland, Welsh, and many other kinds. 
The smallest full-grown one was the seven-year- 
old mare “ Midget,” standing only nine and a half 
hands high (thirty eight inches). The dividingline 
between ponies and cobs seems to be fourteen 
hands or thereabouts. “Cobs” are pony-built 
horses,above fourteen and under fifteen hands high. 
There was an astonishing disparity in size be¬ 
tween the little fellows of nine or ten hands, and 
the enormous draught horses which were shown in 
their classes. There were not many en¬ 
tries of these, but they made up in bulk. 
One gray marc stood eighteen and a half 
hands high, and weighed, it was said, 
nineteen hundred and sixty pounds; a 
gray gelding of four-years-old, was seven¬ 
teen and a half hands high, and weighed 
eighteen hundred and fifty pounds. A 
dapple-gray Norman stallion, “ Marquis,” 
shown by H. G. White, of Syracuse, six¬ 
teen and a half hands high, and weighing 
eighteen hundred pounds, was by odds 
the best stock horse of the heavy ones. 
There was a small but choice show 
of coach stallions, a class of horses which 
it will pay farmers to patronize if they 
have large, sound, well-formed mares. 
Among these were two French stallions 
of large size and wonderful grace and 
beauty of form and action—“ Tyrolien ” 
and “ Telespharc,” belonging to W. S. 
Gurnee, of New York. The -\rabian stal¬ 
lions, presented by the Sultan of Turkey, 
to Gen. Grant, W'ere the only pure Arabs 
show'u. Fine specimens of strong blood. 
The growing love for the horse, and 
for the manly sports which center about 
him, is becoming both a fashion and a 
passion with our rich men, and it cer¬ 
tainly should be in every way encouraged 
as likely to produce lasting benefit to 
the country in many ways. America ma}' 
well feel proud of her trotting horses. Let us 
try to produce a breed of good walkers. 
The Turnip Fly. 
The wavy-striped Flea-beetle, or “ Turnip Fly,” 
{Ilaliica siriolata), is a great pest to young turnips 
when first breaking through the soil. If the young 
seedlings can be protected at this time until a fevv 
leaves form, they usually need no further care. 
One of the best preventives is to have the soil rich 
and well prepared, that the crop may push forward 
rapidly. Some turnip growers have found it profit- 
abie to employ hoys with bags attached to curved 
forked sticks, which are run astride the rows of 
young plants. Tlie beetles, when thus disturbed, 
jump into the bag and are afterwards destroyed. 
A common application is equal parts of wood ashes 
and land plaster, entirely covering the young tur¬ 
nip leaves. Finely powdered air-slaked lime may 
be dusted on with a bottle-shaped tin dish, having 
holes in the bottom, and a wooden handle iu the top. 
A Tomato Trellis. 
Some support for the tomato vines is a necessity 
in the garden, not only for the sake of order and 
neatness, but the fruit is better when kept from 
contact with the ground. This support may vary 
A TRELLIS FOR TOMATOES. 
from the simple expedient of laying brush along 
the rows, to a carefully made trellis, intended to be 
used year after year. We prefer a sloping trellis to 
a straight one. The engraving shows one made 
with wire. A trellis in this shape may be readily 
made by the use of stakes and poles. Drive stakes 
of suitable length into the ground for supports, and 
use any small poles that may be readily procured 
for the slats. These may be nailed to the supports, 
or lashed to them with small wire or tarred twine. 
A rniE AYRSHIRE COW .—Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
