five and six animals, all good and enough to carry off all the prizes, which were the same as those offered to the same classes in the Angus list.

The Highland cattle occupy the next space, of which there were twentyseven head in all, five bulls, the balance cows and heifers over two years old. They have heavy horns for the size of the animal and a variety of colors; two of the five bulls were black, one yellow, one brindle and another dun. In addition to the above colors the heifers add yellow, dun and cream color. The cows were a large size, apparently fair milkers, long, thick, rough hair, and rather rough looking customers. The history of this race of cattle fairly written would undoubtedly present a varied and checkered life, abounding in hardships, romance and starvation. A drove of Highland cattle I met on the shores of Loch Lomond, headed for the far distant pastures of England, were more diminutive in size, and indicated that their Battersea representatives, had been carefully selected. It is said that the Highland bullocks feed well and when fattened make very choice beef.

We now reach the Ayrshires, which closes the Scotch list and presents us with a race of animals in which we are more interested at home than those we have been considering, and as the great dairy stock of Scotland, was very well represented. There were eleven bulls in the three classes, the winning bull in the first class, exhibited by the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, of Lanark, was a beautiful animal of excellent points, prize £20. The bulls were generally good, and a creditable representation for the Ayrshires. In the female department, class four presented fourteen as fine. cows as a dairy maid would wish to draw the milk from, rated in the class as cows in milk of any age." The Earl of Powis, of Powis Castle, Montgomery; the Duke of Buccleugh and Queensbury, Dumfries; the Earl of Strathmore, the Duke of Athole, and Duke of Hamilton were among the exhibitors. The Duke of Athole was awarded the first prize of £10 for his 7 year old cow "Colly Hill;" the Duke of Hamilton got the second prize £5 for "Merryton," 4 years old, and Miss Wilson, of Forehouse, Renfrew, received the silver medal, as the third prize for her 5 year old cow. Class five, "cows in calf of any age." The first prize £10, was again carried off by the Duke of Hamilton for his "Kilburnie," 6 years old. The Earl of Strathmore secured the second prize £5 for a three year old heifer, and the third, a silver medal, to the same for a 4 years old cow. In this class there were fifteen very fine animals. The sixth class, "heifers calved after the 1st of January, 1860," also had fifteen promising animals, among which "Corslet," 2 years old, carried the first prize £10, for John Stewart, of Lanark; and Alexander Oswald, of Ayr, received the second prize £5, for "Edith," 2 years old, and third prize a silver medal for "Elizabeth," 2 years old.

The seventh class closes the list with a dozen "heifers calved since the 1st of January, 1861," and John Stewart, of Lanark, carries off the three prizes of £8 for "Koxey," 15 months old, £4 for "Basey," 14 months old, and silver medal for "Rosey," 15 months old.

Who ever feels inclined to cross the Atlantic in search of purely dairy stock, would be very likely to select the Ayrshires, and could hardly fail to be satisfied with his choice, if he was as fortunate with his selections as

our friend Sanford Howard was in selecting the herd for Mr. Henry H. Peters, of Southborough, Mass. The examination of the Ayrshires, at Battersea, enables me the more fully to appreciate this choice American herd, but it does not remove the conviction from my mind, that the thorough bred Short-horn bull, upon our common milking stock will produce the best cows for the American dairies.

Having gone through with the English, Irish and Scotch contributions to this great show of cattle, we now come to the department of "Foreign live stock," headed by the following: "Note. The prizes for foreign live stock, in every class, are: 1st prize, a gold medal; 2d prize, a silver medal, 3d prize, a bronze medal." The first entry in this department is a “Charolaise" bull, exhibited by Comte Charles de Bouillé á Villars, of France, two years old, mouse colored, bred by the exhibitor. The same gentleman exhibited a cow, four years old, same breed and color. They were both in high condition, and possessed much of the form and excellence of the Shorthorns.

A "Garronnaise" bull was the third entry, by Henry Joseph Eluard. Then follows, exhibited by the same gentleman, "Norman bulls." There were three animals in this class; they were brindle and roan in color, large and coarse, but nothing particularly attractive about them.

Four "Norman cows" fill the next stalls; they are brindle and white, very large, and apparently good milkers, but nothing to commend them to American dairymen.

Two "Pyrenian bulls" fill the next stalls; they are of medium size, upright, sharp horns, heavy dewlaps; what I should call the Spanish type.

The "Breton bulls" come next, and the increasing numbers of the entries indicate the greater popularity of the stock. There are seven of these Breton bulls; the first exhibited by S. A. Madame la Princesse Baciocchi, of France. The same lady exhibits four cows of the same breed, and twenty-eight cows and heifers. They are generally black and white, small size, and apparently very good milkers for the size of the animals. There is one bull and one cow exhibited under the class of "Other French breeds," but they possessed nothing remarkably attractive.

Two Flemish bulls and one Flemish cow claim the next attention. They are large, coarse animals; the cow, much the type of the Yorkshire cows, appears to be a large milker, and is undoubtedly a large consumer. A half dozen Dutch cows occupy the next places. In color, they are red and white and black and white, large size, and good milkers.

The Swiss bring up the rear, with a dozen bulls and forty-eight cows and heifers. The first entry of Swiss bulls is by Heinrich Dolder, Feld Mielen, near Zürich,—“brown, tall and heavy," two years and four months old. This bull has a rich dark brown color, with a white list along the back, is in fine condition, and takes the first prize. The second entry is a three year old white and black, large, weighing 2,000 lbs., good in the crops, poor flank, sway back, heavy dewlap, small horns, bottle-rump, hard and leathery side. Among the younger animals there were some better ones. The cows, of which there are forty-eight head under the general cognomen of "Swiss," are entered as "Spotted Fribourg race," "Tall Simmen, thal race," "Tall Spotted Simmenthal race," "Tall light-brown Switzer

land race," "Tall spotted race," "Purest Swiss race," &c., &c. In color they are black and white, red and pale white, brown, light brown, white, pale red, red, and various combinations and variations of those colors. They are large size, and good milkers. Nearly all of these Swiss cows had a bell hanging from her neck, attached to an elaborately decorated strap, generally made round of cast metal, varying in size and tone, ready equipped for ranging over their mountain pastures. While listening to the chiming of these bells, as the "animals were stirred up" by the multitude. of curious visitors, I could easily imagine that the cows of Switzerland furnished the idea that led to the founding of the corps of "Swiss Bell Ringers," which have rung their merry chimes to many an American audience. After a careful and patient examination, for several days, of this unequalled collection of animals from all the English islands, and several of the continental countries of Europe, I come to the deliberate opinion that in America we already possess all the elements of the finest and most useful meat and dairy producing stock that exist upon the face of the globe. England unquestionably stands at the head of the list for the production. of the most useful, neat cattle on the eastern side of the Atlantic.

And America, with the advantages she is deriving from the choice importations made during the last half century from the best English herds, will soon distance England in the production of fine cattle.

In the quality and value of dairy stock I am confident that we have no superiors, and that the American dairy cow stands to-day unrivaled. I should not hesitate to show one hundred dairy cows that I could select from the herds of my own county, against a like number from any county in England, or on the continent of Europe. And in conclusion, I will say to our dairymen that they have only to use wisely the means within their reach to keep their herds improving and place themselves beyond the reach of all rivals outside the limits of their own country.

Horses follow the cattle in the catalogue, and claim our attention next. In all classes there were 284 head, and as a whole, made an interesting show. The thoroughbreds head the list, with the following prizes offered: First prize £100; second £25; " For the thoroughbred stud horse, (having served mares during the season 1862), which, in the opinion of the judges, is best calculated to improve and perpetuate the breed of the sound and stout thoroughbred horse, for general stud purposes." There were a dozen horses in this class, and some of them were worthy of the high pretensions of the English thoroughbred horse; but as a whole, were not better than we sometimes meet at our State Fairs. The first prize, £100, was given Henry Richard Philips, of Middlesex, for "Ellington," dark brown, nine years old, sire, the Flying Dutchman; dam, Ellendale by Lauercost. The second prize, of £25 to Chas. Edward Johnstone, of London, for "The Marionette", brown, six years old, sire, Touchstone; dam, Marion by St. Martins.

In commenting on the horses, the Mark Lane Express says: "For a wonder, there was far less grumbling over the awards for horses, which may be registered by three different degrees of comparison. The carthorses were very good, the coach-horses very fair, and the riding-horses very bad."

The hunters followed the thoroughbred, and I must confess that the high notions that I had formed of the English Hunter, was such as to cause disappointment when I saw them. In the first class, "stallions thoroughbred or half bred", John Manning, of Northamptonshire, took the first prize, £30, for "British Statesman," very dark bay, five years old, sire, British Yeoman; dam, Madame by Retriever. Second, £15, to Rous John Cooper, of Suffolk, for "Billy Barlow", bay, three years old, sire, Royal Ravenhill; dam, by British Yeoman. There were ten stallions competing for the above prizes.* The second class had four "brood mares, with foals at foot, or in foal," sufficient to win the prizes, but not to elicit much commendation. Class third, "Geldings four or five years old," showed eighteen animals. If there was great excellence here, it required the practiced eye of a huntsman to detect it; I could not. Class fourth: mares four or five years old; there were only two entries. The first prize, £20, was awarded to one of them. The second prize was not awarded.

Carriage horses came next; and here there were only six entries in the first class, and the same in the second class "brood mares with foals at foot or in foal," and the dozen could find their superiors any afternoon on Hyde Park.

In roadsters there were a dozen stallions in the first class, and four mares in the second class; but no great excellence to commend in the animals. Any of our county shows would bring together a better lot of this class of horses.

We have now reached the "Suffolk Agricultural Horses;" and in my judgment, the crowning feature of this department of the show. In this opinion I do not stand alone, as will be seen by the following, which I copy from the leading article on the "Great Meeting at Battersea," in the Agricultural Gazette: "It is acknowledged by that portion of the public who take an interest in horses, that the Suffolks at the Battersea meeting formed the most striking portion of the horse show." The color of the Suffolk is almost uniformly sorrel, or chesnut as it is called in England. They are large, powerful animals, with smaller, more muscular, and better limbs. than is found under most horses of their size. Two of them would make a team of sufficient strength for the heaviest farm work in America, and would not be so logy as to be tedious when occasionally put to the road for a trip to mill or market. The Suffolk stallion would give us a useful and valuable cross on the farm mares of our country. There were sixty Suffolks on exhibition, of which eighteen were in the first class-stallions over two years old. The first prize, £30, was adjudged to Herman Biddell, of Ipswich, Suffolk, for his "Colonel," five years old, sire, Major, sire of dam, Briton. Second prize, £15, to Thos. Crisp, of Buttry Abbey, for his

The Mark Lane Express says of the above awards: "The forty-five pounds for the best Hunter Stallions was completely thrown away upon two half-bred ones. The first prize, a nice horse, is by British Yeoman, a thoroughbred horse; but it does not follow that the British Statesman, a half-bred, going to reproduce himself, or get stock like his thoroughbred sire. The second prize was awarded to another half-bred, an even, soft, mealy-legged bay, who looked as if his days had been spent in consuming oilcake and perfecting himself in the run of a dealer's yard."

"Marquis," twelve years old, sire, "Royal Duke." In the second class, stallions under two years old, were thirteen entries of very fine colts, and very large for the age. The first prize, £20, was taken by Henry Giles, Jr., Colchester, Essex, for his "Boxer," two years and three months old, sire, Hick's Prince; dam, Brock, by Scragg's Prince. This colt was sold for $1000, before leaving the ground. Second prize, £10, to Thos. Crisp. The third class, "Mares and foals," had fourteen entries; and fourth class, "two year old fillies," had the same number, all good animals. "Agricul tural horses, not qualified to compete as Suffolks," occupied the next stalls, and had forty representatives, large stout animals, and some very good; but a want of uniformity, that is to be found in specific breeds. The dray horse came next, filling a dozen stalls with massive, logy creatures, well adapted to the hard patient work of the dray.

The ponies, which are the next in order, and close the English part of the catalogue, were arranged into two divisions; those "above twelve and a-half and under fourteen hands," and those "not exceeding twelve and a-half hands." Of the former there were thirty-two, divided into three classes, and twenty-eight of the latter, with like division of classes. This department of the show attracted a large crowd of ladies and children, who greatly admired these beautiful little horses. The Welch mountains, Exmoor, on the borders of Devon, and the islands of the coast of Scotland, are the breeding places of most of this dwarfed stock. On the Exmoor and in Wales, I understand, the practice prevails to some extent, of turning out small-sized thoroughbred stallions with the pony mares, thus improv ing their progeny, and producing some splendid ponies. A yard of Shetland ponies, some dozen in all, and of all ages, shaggy, wild, and lean, brought direct from their native barren isles, ungroomed and uncultivated, gave the crowd of spectators an excellent opportunity to see how the noblest of animals could be dwarfed and degenerated by sterility.

The noble Clydesdale, which competes for the prizes offered by the Highland Society, finishes up the show of horses at Battersea. There were twenty-seven head in all, and I regard it difficult to bring together that number of finer animals from all Scotland. But the Clydesdale horse is too ponderous and sluggish for the American temperament, and I think would be less useful to our farmers than the Suffolk. The prizes offered for the Clydesdale horse, £30, £20, and silver medal in first class-stallions three years old and over. The first prize was taken by the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, for "Sir Walter Scott," seven years old; the second by Wm. Kerr, for "Champion," six years old; and the silver medal to Wm. Sterling, M. P., for "Forth," five years old. The Farmers' Gazette expresses the opinion that this first prize Clyde stallion was the best horse on the ground; and here I must leave the horses and take a look among the sheep pens.

Leicesters stand at the head of the sheep show, the first class being "Shearling rams, with an offering of three prizes, £20, £10 and £5, for which there were 37 competitors, the first being awarded to Wm. Sanday, of Holme, Pierrepont, the second, Thomas Edward Pawlitt, of Bedfordshire, and the third to Wm. Sanday. The second class embraced " rams of any [AG. TRANS.] 44