2-913-568 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society, at Lincoln, 1854. 'In countries where the competition of cattle shows does not exist, the governments are obliged to keep male animats for the use of farmers. Without such assistance, cattle bred merely for the dairy or the market from the male animals that happen to be nearest, would steadily deteriorate. Now this is the direction in which our local and Royal Agricultural meetings are so useful. They give the breeders of superior pure breeds of any kinds an opportunity of making known by the best possible kind of advertisement where the general public may resort with confidence to obtain the best blood and the best form, whether it be in Short-horns, Herefords, Devons, or even fancy Long-horns...We have no doubt that the next five years will see an immense improvement in the Lincoln sheep in consequence of the Cotswold competition at Lincoln'. From "Illustrated London News", 1854.