PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 



GENERAL MEETING, 15th JUNE 1887. 

 The Earl of Elgin, Vice-President, in the chair. 



Apologies for Absence. 



The Secretary read apologies for absence from the Duke of Athole, President, 

 who wrote that tliere was not the slightest chance of his being in Scotland on the day 

 of meeting ; and from the Earl of Haddington, Vice-President, who also regretted 

 his inability to attend. 



Jubilee' Address to the Queen. 



The Chairman said that before they proceeded to the ordinary business of the 

 Society, it was thought right that they slioidd unite with all classes of Her Majesty's 

 subjects in presenting to her an address on the completion of her Jubilee year. With 

 the permission of the meeting, he would read the address which had been framed and 

 submitted to the Directors, and approved by them. He then read the address, 

 which expressed the loyalty of the Society. It also stated that the Society had been 

 instituted for the advancement of agriculture, and the useful arts therewith con- 

 nected, and incori>orated for this purpose by an early charter of George III., confirmed 

 by "William IV. and by Her Majesty. It also expressed grateful appreciation of 

 the special recognition of Her ]\Iajesty in condescending to allow her name to be 

 enrolled as an ordinary member of the Society. He did not think he need add 

 a single word to the reasons which were exjiressed in the address, and he begged to 

 move that the Society adopt it. 



The address was unanimously agreed to. 



Free Life Members. 

 The following holders of the Society's diploma were elected Free Life Members, in 

 terms of the Bye-laws : — N. N. Bannerjee, Calcutta; George Carrington, M.R.A.C. 

 Missenden' Abbey, Great Missenden, Bucks ; Edward Smith Davies, Claverley, Bridge- 

 north, Shropshire ; Andrew T. L. Dunlop, Morriston, Maybole ; Robert Haig, Dollar- 

 field, Dollar ; Harry Reid Maitland, Muiryf old ; AVilliam Somerville, 46 Findhorn 

 Place, Edinburgh ; Daniel Steele, Merkland, New Cumnock. 



Pleuro-Pneumoni.\ Inquiry. 

 l\Ir Paterson of Birthwood reported with reference to the in(]uiry instituted 

 by the Directors regarding pleuro-pneumonia. He said that at the meeting of 

 Directors of 4th May, a committee was appointed to discover whether there were 

 good grounds for instituting an inquiry into the methods at present adof)ted for 

 the purpose of preventing the spread of pleuro-pneumonia in the country, and 

 whether any investigation or experiments of a j^iactical kind might profitably 

 be undertaken by the Society to improve the methods at jiresent in force, or to 

 discover some other method by which the disease might be held in check, or be 

 entirely swept from the country. The committee consisted of l\]r Paterson of 

 Birthwood ; the Hon. R. Baillie Hamilton ; Mr INIaxwell, yr. of Munches ; Mr Marr, 

 Cairnbrogie ; Mr Murray, Catter House ; Mr Middleton, Clay of Allan ; Mr Stirling 

 of Kippendavie ; and Dr Aitken. The importance of such an inquiry, he thought, 

 would be patent to every one. The committee had met three times, and had before 

 them farmers who had large herds of cattle, and who had been engaged in the cattle 

 trade for periods up to fifty years. One man had his cattle free of disease for twenty- 

 four years, and previous to that for twenty-six years he had it constantly. The other 

 witnesses were large farmers, some of them in the immediate neighbourhood of Edin- 

 burgh, having large dairies. Their evidence was most interesting. In one case, where 

 there were 80 head of cattle on the disease breaking out, seven were slaughtered, and 

 the rest inoculated ; and from that hovir to this, although there were animals brought 



