THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



57 



rendered chiefly memorable by the followiug passage 

 ill it : — 



" The advantages which, on the first formation of the insti- 

 tution, we held out to the pubhc have been amply reaUzed, 

 and that any further incentive to improve the breeds of cattle, 

 sheep, and s^ine, is become whoUy useless. The only object 

 was to increase the animal production of the kingdom, and 

 this object has been fully attained. The markets of the me- 

 tropolis aTid throughout the kingdom are abundantly supplied ; 

 the best and most profitable breeds of cattle and sheep have 

 been brought into notice, and have made rapid and extraor- 

 dinary progress in the estimation of the breeder and grazier." 



Fortunately the other members did not fall in with 

 the Duke's opinion ; but struggled on. The very next 

 year the judges pronounced the Show to be one of the 

 best ever witnessed And, in short, the Club has never 

 done so much good as from the time its President de- 

 clared the incentive it offered to have becomewhoUy un- 

 necessary. If iic could only have lived to see one of our 

 gatlierings of this present day! But the Bedford 

 title is slill one that will ever have a high place in the 

 records of the Smithfield Club. 



What a common, everyday question it is to be asked 

 " Which is our best breed of stock ?" "Which have 

 really done best at our i>ublic shows?" And what 

 answers you have, turning of course on the bias or 

 prejudice of the authority you consult! Thoroughly 

 independent of rank or person, lot the Club itself for 

 once stand as Sir Oracle : — 



"The short-horns (oxen 10,cow3l6) have won 26 gold medals 

 The Ilerefords (oxen 9, cows 1).. „ 10 ,, 



The Uevous (oxen) „ 3 „ 



Cross-bred (cows) „ 2 „ 



Whilst in the general prizes— 



The Hereford oxen have won 185 prises £2758 2 

 „ cows „ 22 „ 231 



£2989 2 



The short-horn oxen „ 82 „ £1399 5 



cows „ 92 „ 1132 15 



£2532 



" The result obtained is that the total number of gold medals 

 is much in favour of the shorthorns. This is chiefly owing to 

 the short-horn cows having won the greater proportion of them. 

 On the other baud the number and amount of general prizes 

 are vastly in favour of the Herefords, their principal winnings 

 having been in the oxen and steer classes, while the short- 

 horns owe the fact of their approaching the Herefords at all, 

 in total amount of winning, to the success of the short-horned 

 cows." 



Comi)letc lists of all the gold-medal animals are given, 

 for sheep and pigs as well as c ittle. The most in- 

 teresting deductions obtained from weighing the stock 

 are recorded. The several alterations and additions 

 to the prize sheet are methodicnUy dated ; and the 

 names of all those noblemen and gentlemen who have 

 ever taken an active part in the administration are 

 classified in accordance with the offices they have 

 filled. Information of this kind was much wanted ; and 

 we can well understand, while meeting but just once 

 a year, " how little was generally known by the mem- 

 bers of the History of the Club." For their especial 

 benefit has their secretary thus employed liimself ; 

 and to them, with his Grace the Duke of Richmond at 

 their head, is his work dedicated. The offering, we 

 repeat, is a most acceptable one. For agriculturists in 

 general, however, it contains so much interesting in- 

 formation as to necessarily demand for it a circulation 

 far beyond the few hundred members, over which it 

 appears the Club has never extended. 



BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND 

 SOCIETY. 



An important monthly Council meeting of this Society 

 was held, on Saturday, Nov. 28,atWaghorn's Railway Hotel, 

 Taunton, John Sillifant, Esq., of Coombe, Crediton, in the 

 chair. There were also presi-nt — Messrs. W. Porter, J 

 E. Knolly'?, W. E. GiUett, T. D. Acland, J. Hooper, J. 

 Gray, C. Gordon, J. Widdicombe, R. Smith, R. Dymond, 

 G. Poole, D. Adair, R. K. M. King, W. Thompson, E. 

 Vidal, M. Farrant, T. Danger, W. Wippell, R. May, .1. 

 Fry, H. G. Moysey, J. Belfield, J. D. Hancock, T. B. 

 Morle, S. Pitman, J. Gould, &c. 



Appointment of Veterinary Inspector. — The re- 

 port of the committee appointed to consider the subject of 

 the Veterinary Inspector was brought up and discussed. 

 The committee represented that the services of Professor 

 Brown had been retained on behalf of the Society in this 

 department for the forthcoming meeting at Cardiff, in 1858 ; 

 and the selection appeared to meet the unanimous approval 

 of the Council. 



The Implement Prizes. — Mr. Knollya presented the 

 report of the committee, to whom the preparation of the im- 

 plement prize sheets for the ensuing year had been entrusted. 

 A report was presented with the implement schedule at the 

 last monthly meeting, when the list was referred back for 

 further consideration, and the same as now revised was re- 

 ceived and adopted. 



The Meeting of 1859. — A deputation from the in- 

 habitants of Bridgwater attended with a view of urging upon 

 the attention of the Council the great facilities presented by 

 that town for holding the annual exhibition of the Society in 

 1859. In reference to this subject a coramnnication was read 

 from the promoters of a public meeting at Barnstaple, which, 

 it was stated, was attended by the leading inhabitants and 

 many of the influential landowners and leading yeomen of 

 North Devon, called for the purpose of securing a proper re- 

 ception of the Bath and West of England Society there, 

 should the Council think fit to select Barnstaple for the site 

 of the meeting of 1859. Mr. Smith, on behalf of the latter 

 place, mentioned that active measures were being taken by 

 the tradesmen of the borough and the agriculturists of the 

 vicinity to give the Society a reception in eveiy way worthy of 

 its high character and importance. The decision of the ques- 

 tion was, after some discussion, deferred to a future meeting. 



Terms for the Cultivation of Land in the West 

 OF England. — The question as to the d.sirabdity or other- 

 wise of the Society takiug steps to secure a form of covenant 

 between landlord and tenant, better adapted to the advanced 

 condition of agriculture in the West of England, has been 

 several times before the Council, and it was again introduced 

 to-day, when, alter a lengthened di-cussion, it was resolved 

 on the motion of Mr. Charles Gordon, seconded by Mr 

 Knollys, "That a committee beappcinted to consider whether 

 the Society may, with advantage, prepare some suggestions of 

 terms for arrangement between landlord and tenant for the 

 cultivation of land in the West of England, which may be suit- 

 able to the advanced state of agriculture, and to consider other 

 subjects connected therewith, which may tend to promote its 

 further progress." 



The Cardiff Meeting. — Two members of the Council 

 — Mr. Jonathan Gray and Mr. J. Widdicombe — were autho- 

 rized, on behalf of the Preliminary Committee, to enter into 

 the various contracts necessary at the meeting at 1858, and 

 requested to report the same to the Council Meeting in 

 January. 



New Members. — The undermentioned gentlemen were 

 elected members of the society : Mr. Frederick May, Courier 

 Office, Taunton, Somerset ; Mr. Winter Gibbs, Taunton, 

 Somerset ; Mr. Frederick Knowles, Wnngton, Somerset ; Mr. 

 Williams, Barnstaple, Devon ; Mr. Francis Trood, Netherexe, 

 Devon ; Mr. T. Goldie Harding, Ualsannery, near Bideford, 

 Devon; Mr. C. Roe, Eyiunouth, Devon ; Mr. W. Hemming, 

 Coldioott, near Moretou-iu-the-Marsb, Gloncesteishire; Mr. 

 11. Eutwislle, Llaubelhiuu, Cowbridgc, South Wales. 



