30 PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 



member of the association making them aware of the whole facts ; and when any 

 fraudulent sales were rei^orted among forty or fifty farmers in a locality, it made the 

 district too hot for the scoundrels, wlio had to betake themselves elsewhere. The 

 Highland Society could not do more. The Directors liad hitherto sliown very prudent 

 caution in doing what the English Society did — publishing through the jxipers the 

 number of fraudulent transactions tliat came to their knowledge. They were like the 

 canny Scots, trying to keep themselves on the windy side of the law. He could not 

 much blame them for that. But there was the work being done in the important 

 districts of Scotland by these associations, and it would be a work of supererogation 

 altogether for the Highland Society to appoint a man for what could be done other- 

 wise. It seemed to him that the proposal put before tliem was self-contradictory. 

 They were, as he understood, to set apart L.700 a-year for these joint purposes ; and 

 'then, in administei'ing the L.70(), they began by appointing a chemist at L.oOO a-year, 

 and another functionary, whose duties he did not well understand — a practical agri- 

 cultural inspector — who was to get L.150, and another L..50 for travelling expenses. 

 There was L.500 of the sum gone. It reminded one of Falstaff's intolerable deal of 

 sack to a halfpennyworth of bread. To eat up L.500 in salaries, and start e.xperi- 

 mental stations with L.200 a-year, was ludicrous altogether. Mr Lawes of Rothamstead 

 had been devoting for some time past L.2,000 a-year on these e.\penments. Fancy the 

 idea of the Highland Society gravely proposing to go into these experimental stations, 

 and expending on them the magnificent sum of L.200 a-year ! He thought they had 

 better employ the whole L.700 in suljsidising those Aberdeenshire friends who were 

 setting themselves to work on their own resources, and apparently conducting them 

 with prudence and energy, as was their ^\ont. The proposal to squander two-thirds of 

 the money to be devoted for this purpose in the payment of salaries appeared to him 

 futile. He would far rather see the Highland Society letting its funds accumulate for 

 some years, and then, when they took up the matter, take it up to good purpose. The 

 present proposal for going into the thing would seem to be a practical embodiment of 

 " how not to do it. " It would be something worthy of the Highland Society if they were 

 to take a decided steji in advance with regard to experimental stations. Much of their 

 proceedings as jiractical farmers were taken in the dark. When they spent large sums 

 of money on manures there was no man who knew with any confidence what the results 

 of these were to be ; and it would lie most important if they could j^roceed with any- 

 thing of the confidence which arose from an assured basis of fact. It was only by expei'i- 

 ments proceeding in the way indicated by those experimental stations that these 

 matters could be cleared iip. What the Society had hitherto been doing in the way of 

 awarding premiums for stock and other things were well enough in their way, but they 

 really had had no connection with the progress of agriculture. Reference was often 

 made to the progress of agriculture, and it was attributed to the Highland Society. 

 Progress would have gone on although the Highland Society had never existed. He ad- 

 mitted that the Highland Society had done well in regard to its annual show, which was 

 important as a means of education. Young farmers could go there and see in one day a 

 representation of the live stock in the county, and of implements and machines in use 

 •which they could not afford time or money to see for themselves in detail. But as to 

 its having to do with the im^jrovement of stock, to that he demurred altogether. He 

 qirestioned whether it had not done a good deal of damage to the breeding of stock, 

 and whether the excessive over-feeding of animals had not had a very serious effect as 

 to the improving of some breeds. He concluded by moving that the resolution at the 

 meeting of the Society in June last be adhered to. 



> Mr Milne Home, in seconding the amendment, said that there were several points 

 of complete agreement between the general body of the Society and the Directors. 

 The only point in dispute was whether or not the Directors shoidd be authorised to 

 appoint a chemist for life — a permanent chemist, as it was called in the report — or 

 left free to choose a chemist for any particular duty ibr which the chemist should be 

 required. He felt surprised that the Directors should have referred to the experience 

 of the last twenty-eight years. Any one who loolced back on what had happened 

 dirring that time should have avoided proiMsing such a scheme again. Dr Anderson 

 was an excellent chemist and excellent man ; but, according to his own admission, his 

 field experiments were an entire failure. He was so occupied with work in the 

 laboratory that he had not time to attend to them. Then, for the last three years 

 they had to give him L.900 or L. 1,000, for which Jthe Society got no value. They 

 appointed arrother chemist, Mr Dewar. What service did he render to the Society, 

 except come there twice a year and read a report occupying five minirtes? They had 

 paid L.150 for these two reports. He did not know what other service Mr Dewar had 

 rendered. As to the Society established in Aberdeenshire and the stations appointed 

 there, he was at one time most anxious that this national Society should have the 

 prestige of starting these stations. It was, he proceeded, a very remarkable fact that 

 the Directors had orgairised a scheme for tlieir stations, and would it be believed that 

 •during the whole of that time they never consulted Mr Dewar at_all ? Let them look 



