16 PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 



novelty of this department of the work. A proper system of carrying out 

 these experiments had to be devised ; the advice and opinion of many persons 

 conversant with the best methods of experimenting had to be obtained ; and 

 many preliminary arrangements had to be made which will either not occur 

 in future years, or which can be carried out much more rapidly. These 

 experiments had been completed with success not unchequered with disap- 

 pointment. The peculiarly unfavourable season had been against them, and 

 had, indeed, entirely destroyed those of three different individuals. The 

 remainder had been finished with success, and carried with them some very 

 instructive lessons as to the mode of experimenting. He trusted their results 

 would induce the Society to continue, and eventually to extend a plan which 

 was calculated to be of great service to agriculture. A report of these experi- 

 ments would appear in the Transactions. The extent would, he feared, 

 exclude any other matters from the laboratory ; but as a great deal of interest- 

 ing work had been executed there during the year, he proposed to take an 

 early opportunity of bringing some of it under the notice of a monthly meeting 

 of the Society. 



The report was approved of. 



Premiums for Essays and Reports. 



Mr Irvine of Drum reported the premiums awarded for papers lodged in 

 competition 1866, and laid on the table a list of those offered in 1867. 



Proposed Testimonial to Rev. Patrick Bell. 



Mr Scot-Skirving, Camptoun, said he had great pleasure, not unmingled 

 with some anxiety, in making the proposition he had now to submit. He 

 had great pleasure, because he was sure what their opinion would be ; he had 

 some anxiety lest the success should not be adequate, or that this meeting 

 should not cordially take it up. A number of farmers principally had been 

 thinking for some years that the obligations under which Scottish agriculture 

 lay to the Rev. Patrick Bell were very great indeed. Many of them would 

 have wished to give him some pecuniary testimonial in proof of their feeling 

 on the subject ; but, as his Grace was aware, it was difficult for farmers to 

 act in a body except through some society. The proposal he (Mr Skirving) 

 was now about to make was that the Highland Society should give them, not 

 a grant of money, but what they valued much more — their countenance and 

 support, and the valuable assistance of the Secretary in carrying out the plan. 

 It would be necessary to say a few words on the claims of the Rev. Patrick 

 Bell to this honour which he now proposed. The honour of inventing the 

 reaping-machine had been claimed by America, it had been claimed by 

 England, and it had also been claimed by several individuals in Scotland ; 

 but a few facts would place the matter before them in its true light. The 

 Rev. Patrick Bell, whom he had not the pleasure of knowing, was far too 

 modest, far too sensible a man to claim to be the originator of the reaping- 

 machine. On the contrary, they all knew that reaping-machines of some 

 kind were used centuries ago ; but it was not so old a machine that the 

 records of the world did not let them see beyond. In the very perfect hiero- 

 glyphs of Egypt he had seen no trace of a reaping-machine. They had a 

 description given by Homer of reaping which exactly represented a field of 

 Aberdeenshire mowers. But there was no mention of a reaping-machine till 

 Pliny described the fields of Gaul. Pliny stated that the reaper was a large 

 box on wheels, which was pushed into the field by oxen. It was armed with 

 teetb, and these cut off the ears, which fell into the box — exactly what the 

 Times in its magnificent way told the English farmers to do last wet season. 

 Now, these ancient machines were not entirely forgotten, because he found 

 the eminent agricultural writer, Mr Arthur Young, in 1785, alluding to them, 

 and proposing that premiums should be given for reaping-machines. Imme- 



