98 PKOCEEDINGS AT BOARD MEETINGS. 



subjected to deep cultivation, had beeu remitted by the Board on the 5th of 

 February, reported that they had held two meetings on the subject, and that 

 nearly all the owners of steam cultivators in Scotland had been applied to, and as 

 none had agreed to accept the terms of his lordship's letter, the trial for the 

 present was at an end. 



The Directors approved of the report. 



A letter was read from Mr Alexander Leslie, Turriff, transmitting a copy of his 

 patent "for improvements in apparatus for applying steam or other motive power 

 to cultivate the soil and to actuate wheeled carriages," and intimating that he 

 would be prepared to give any further information with reference to his invention, 

 and, if desired, to show the apparatus at work. 



The letter and relative papers were remitted to the Special Committee on Steam 

 Cultivation. 



Aberdeen Show.- — Letters were read from Mr Angus, Town-clerk of Aberdeen, 

 transmitting official excerpt from the minutes of the Aberdeen Town Council 

 granting permission to the Society to use a portion of the Links for a showyard, 

 and voting £75 towards the Premium Fund. On the motion of the Chairman, 

 the Secretary was instructed to convey the thanks of the Board to the Town 

 Council for their liberality. 



A communication was submitted from Mr Anderson, Clerk of Supply for For- 

 farshire, in which it was stated that a voluntary subscription had been agreed to 

 by the eastern division of that county, as had been done by the whole of the 

 counties embraced in the district of the show. 



A letter from Mr Stuart, Aldich, Secretary of the Spey, Avon, and Fiddochside 

 Farming Association, intimating that the Society had resolved to subscribe twelve 

 guineas in aid of the show at Aberdeen, was reported, and the thanks of the 

 Board were voted to the Association. 



A letter from Mr Geddes, Orbliston, transmitting one from Mr M'Combie, 

 Tilly four, on the subject of forage for the showyard, was submitted. The Board 

 resolved to adhere to their former decision, and to furnish, as usual, forage at a 

 certain tariff through the hands of a contractor — a local committee being appointed 

 to see that the contract is properly carried out. 



District Shows. — It was intimated that circulars, with premium books and 

 relative blank returns, had been sent to 148 conveners and secretaries of local 

 agricultural societies in regard to the competitions to be held during the present 

 year. 



Testimonial to the Rev. Patrick Bell, LL.D. — The Secretary, in submitting 

 the accounts connected with the testimonial to the Rev. Dr Bell, of Carmylie, as 

 the inventor of the first efficient reaping machine, stated that, irrespective of the 

 subscription papers sent to all the bank agencies in Scotland, upwards of 5300 cir- 

 culars had been issued, and the result had been that 753 individuals had subscribed. 

 The newspaper press in England and Ireland, as well as in Scotland, had given 

 every publicity to the testimonial, and the three daily newspapers in Edinburgh 

 (the Scotsman, Courant, and Review) had inserted the advertisement at a reduced 

 rate, while the two agricultural papers (the North British Agriculturist and The 

 Farmer) had made no charge for the subscription lists and other notices. The 

 accounts as closed are as follow : — 



Charge. 



Amount received and advertised £1000 13 6 



Interest from Royal Bank, 4 18 7 



Discharge. 



Paid Rev. Dr Bell £859 10 8 



Paid for plate 27 



£1005 12 1 



£886 10 8 



Postages and bank charges, £47, 2s. Id. ; printing, £27 ; sta- 

 tionery, £3, 9s., . . . 77 11 1 



Advertising : Scotsman, £15, 3s. 3d. ; Courant, £10, 10s. 4d. ; 



Daily Review, £7, 9s. 6d. ; country papers, £8, 7s. 3d., . 41 10 4 



£1005 12 1 



