The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-12-12 00:00:00

MR. tNSOR'S CHRISTMAS SHOW AND

SALE.

Year after year Mr. Ensor's Repository Sales find
increasing favour with agriculturists and dealers, and
an enormous amount of business is transacted there
every fortnight, satisfactory at once to both buyer
and seller; but the great event of the yea: is the show
and sale of fat stock that takes place jest before
Christmas, and which has hitherto annually brought
tcgether a display of stock unequalled for many a
long mile, and attracted a large assemblage of farmers
and dealers from far and near. On Saturday last,
however, though the sheep pens at Mr. Eusor's Re-
pository contained as fine specimens of Dorset breed-
ing and feeding as before, and the pigs were equally
beautiful in their helplessness as in previous years,
through the inconstancy of our chief magistrate in
regard to the preventitive measures to be adopted
within the borough relative to the plague, the cattle
stalls presented a beggarly array of emptiness. This
had the effect of rendering the attendanoe not so
large as usual. A large number of excellent sheep
were penned. The first prize of £3 for the best ten
Down ewes, given by Messrs. Dixon and Cardus,
oilcake and manure merchants, of Southampton,
through their agent, Mr. G. J. Vertue, was won by
Mr. J. Tett, of Milborne, with a lot which were
much admired for their great size and prime quality;
some of them were sold to Mr. Slade, of South.
amptoa. at 775., and the others to Mr. Bolt, of
Weymouth, at 71s. The second prize of £l, given
by Mr T. Ensor, was alsq awarded to Mr. l'ett.
Those penned by Mr. T. Homer were of great site
and good quality, but not: so large as Mr. Tett's
which realized 71s. each The first prize of £3, for
the best ten fat Down wethers, given by the Dorset
County Express, was won by Mr. Reader, of
Winfrith, with an extraordinarily fine lot of
sheep, which on being submitted fin sale were
purchased some at 87s. each by Mr. Lock
and others at 80s. by Mr. SouL In this
class the second prize of £l, given by Mr. T. Ensor,
was awarded to Mr. Wake. Mr. Bsuuton, of
Weymouth, carried off the pride of £2 for the five
best Portland sheep, and they realised 61s. each,
Mr. G. J. Wood exhibited some ewes of prime
quality, which were purchased by Messrs. Fudge,
Hayward, and Lock, of Dorchester, and Mr. Slade,
of Southampton, at from 67a. 6d. to Os. each. A
fine lot of wethers, belonging to Mr. Saunders,
realised from 675. 6d. to 635. 6d. Some choice
wethers were also sent for sale by Mr. A. Martin, of
Evershot; and they were bought by Mr. Munckton,
of Wimborne, and Mr. Clifton, at prices tarying
between 60s. and 645. The wethers offered be.
longing to Mr. Royd, of Fleet, sold at 50s, and
some nice Portland sheep, from the same farm, at
48s. 6d. A very choice lot of horn ewes was sent
from the estate of General Sir J. Michel, of Dewlish;
these were much approved for their size and quality,
and realised from 695. to 795. But the greatest
attraction to admirers of sheep *ea a let of 11 pure
Sussex liown wetherli, belonging to Ji J. Farquhar-
son, Esq. ; these were esteemed by good judges as
the best ever shown in Dorchester, for they rivalled
the Hampshire in size, and surpassed them in
quality. They sold at from 755. to 1205., averaging
about 92.8. each, and were purchased by Messrs.
Fudge, Lock, and Kellaway, of Dorchester, Mr.
Clifton, of Wimborne, Mr. Soul, of Poole, and Mr.
Slade, of Southampton. In the classes for pigs, the
prize of £1 for the best fat pig, not exoeeding eight
score, was Won by W. Manfield, Esq., with an
animal of eiceedingly choice quality, which realieed
13a. Sel. per adore; and was purchased at the auction
by Mr. Cox, of High Westeitreett Dorchester, who
succeeded in obtaining two of the right sort from
Portesham, now known as the English Porkopolis.
Mr. Neale showed an excellent animal, which
was highly commended. The £1 prize, for the
best fat pig, exceeding eight score, was awarded
to Mr. Fookes, of Abbey Milton, for an animal
which sweated the attention of everybody who
entered the sale ground. It was perfeetly blind
and helplesa with fat, indeed it lay in a Wooden
framework, from which it had not moved for weeks,
and grunted out a feeble expostulation when patted
llnd premed by its admirers. Its weight was
upwards of 30 score, yet it was as fine in bone and
quality as a pig of eight score, and was sold to Mr.
Bellamy, for £l6. Mr. Beach's prize of £l, given
through Mr. J. Drake, of Dorchester, for the beet
pig fatted with Beach's Farinaceous food, was woo
by Mr Christopher, with an animal that realised
be. Thers were many other pigs shown which
poaseseed great merit, especially one of the finest
quality by Mr. Syu3es, of ortesham, and a pig, of •
white breed, sent by N.r. Manfield, Fag, This last
was larger in frame than any of the others exhibited,
but it lacked the obesity the prize winner had
attained to.

CHICKERELL.
An exceedingly neat and pretty Wesleyan Chapel
was opened on Wednesday, when a masterly sermon
was preached by the Rev. F. A. West, Governor of
Singswood School, and Chairman of the Bath dis-
trict, at the slose of which tea meetings were held in
the Wesleyan Schoolroom and Independent Chapel,
attended by nearly 500 persons. In the evening,
public meetings were held in both chapels, presided
over by William Dingley, Esq., of Sherborne, and
Mr. Church, of Weymouth. Speeches were delivered
by the &vs. F. A. West, J. B. West, W. Lewis,
J. Birt, A. Perkins, and J. Platt, Messrs. Ricketts,
Anderson, and Sharron. Coneidersble interest has
been manifested by the neighbouring gentry in the
erection of this place of worship, and in the list of
subscriptions we were pleased to hear the name of
J. Boyd, Eaq., of Fleet Howie, for a handsome sum,
and Mrs. Mid, of Mount Video House. for a splendid
pulpit bible. The proceeds of the opening services
were about £BO.