PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 11 



ing, appointed in February last. But he had been unable to attend, and 

 neither was Mr Gibson of Woolmet present. In their absence he would 

 simply read the report of the committee's proceedings so far as they had 

 gone. The report was as follows : — 



" On the 19th of March 1866, the committee made their first inspection, 

 visiting the farms of Messrs Sadler, Ferrygate ; Tod, Castlemains ; 

 Begbie, Queenston Bank ; Hope, Fenton Bams ; and Beid, Drem, with 

 the view of examining the work which had been done on these farms 

 after the reaping of the previous year's crop. They found that Messrs 

 Sadler, Tod, and Begbie had worked Fowler's machines ; Mr Hope, 

 Howard's ; and Mr Beid, Coleman's. 

 " The inspection occupied two days. About forty fields, extending to nearly 

 900 acres, were each carefully gone over, and the depths at which each 

 field had been ploughed, smashed, or cultivated, were taken. These mea- 

 surements were made from the pulverised surface to the solid at the 

 bottom of the furrow ; above 150 measurements were taken, and, where 

 necessary, were checked by dipping with the spade ; 295 acres had been 

 steam ploughed to an average depth of 10^ inches ; 470 acres had been 

 grubbed or cultivated to an average depth of 9| inches; and 118 acres 

 had been dug or smashed to an average depth of lH inches. 

 " On the 4th May the committee visited Markle Farm, possessed by Mr 

 Henderson, and saw Mr Fowler's latest improved machine, worked by 

 two engines, which had arrived shortly before from the manufactory. 

 It was harrowing land which had been ploughed in autumn with the 

 common plough, 8 inches deep. Although the soil was clay, and the 

 surface of the furrow very hard, the harrow penetrated and pulverised it 

 well to the depth of 3J to 4 inches, covering a breadth of 14 feet ; it 

 was afterwards sent to grub or cidtivate in the same field to the depth 

 of 10| and 12 inches, and did the work well. The committee were shown 

 other two fields where it had done the work most satisfactorily and with 

 no breakages. 

 u With the object of arranging to have a comparative test of the produce 

 from land worked by the common plough and that which had been steam 

 cultivated, the committee visited the farms of Messrs Sadler, Tod, 

 Begbie, and Hope on the 4th September. All these were much pleased 

 with the appearance of their crops after steam cidtivation, but Mr Sadler 

 alone could favour the committee with a comparative trial of the pro- 

 duce from land cultivated with the common plough and that by steam, 

 and being able to do this with a crop of wheat after potatoes on a field 

 of equal soil, he kindly consented to stack equal portions, and acquaint 

 the committee with the result. This they had not yet received. None 

 of the other parties had crops to which such a comparative test could 

 be applied. 

 " The committee, not having as yet had an opportunity of inspecting the 

 different machines at autumn work, are now arranging for this to take 

 place on an early day. (Signed) John Gibson." 



The Secretary added, that since the dates referred to in this report two in- 

 spections had taken place — one, on the 19th November, at Dirleton, where 

 several farms had been visited ; and another at Yester, on the 4th December, 

 to examine Lord Tweeddale's horse ploughing. 

 The report was unanimously approved of. 



The Glasgow and Aberdeen Shows. 



Mr Kinloch, yr. of Gilmerton, reported the preliminary arrangements 

 entered into for the two next general shows of the Society. Some few altera- 

 tions had been made in the regulations for the Society's shows. He would 



