AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 139 



but those have mostly taken prizes here, all the society allows, 

 and they no longer come. If you would see them, go to the 

 farms. Every year sifts out the stock, the superior pass through 

 and take prizes, and were it not for the patriotism, if I may call 

 it, of individuals who send their stock, year after year, the show 

 must soon become insignificant. There appears to be a senti- 

 ment that the pretty equal distribution of the society's surplus 

 funds is desirable ; that if the same individual draws money 

 twice, although in different years, upon the same thing, there is 

 ground for complaint. It does not occur to them that the 

 premium is for services rendered, and that the public has more 

 interest in its being rightly awarded than the individual. In 

 my view a premium is offered to secure the exhibition of stock, 

 and it is on the part of the society a mere saying, that of stock 

 exhibited, so and so has the best, and in saying so, if it say truly, 

 the public is greatly served. I suppose your society is managed 

 quite differently ? " " No ; it is quite the same. Some of us 

 have thought to change the matter, but it has been objected that 

 if the society were not to encourage the entering of the inferior 

 animals, almost as much as the better sort, our pens would be 

 only half occupied, and people come to take little interest in the 

 show. As it now is, every one expects something. When it is 

 suggested that it is better to show a few animals that are good, 

 over a poor lot, but many, it is difficult to get attention. But, 

 however, last year the orator of the day remarked, luckily, that 

 the best animals upon the ground, he observed, the judges passed 

 over as of no account. ' But I suppose,' continued the orator, 

 1 the judges know a cow frdm a mule, and these must have been 

 improperly entered.' Upon this, one of the judges who was 

 present, popped upon his feet, and not hearing all that was said, 

 took offence, and after saying much beside the point, it came out 

 that the best, three years ago (somebody remembered the date), 

 were the best now, ' but it would be a bad affair, just because 

 Hoofman has these brutes and money enough to keep them on 

 timothy and corn, he is to shut us farmers out from getting any- 

 thing.' Well, there was lively times for a few minutes, you may 

 depend. The orator, after the uproar had somewhat subsided, 

 said he would now take the occasion to discuss the aims proper 

 to an agricultural society. He ventilated the matter consider- 



