THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



75 



filed a larger number of persons than even that society itself? 

 If it were an honour to be counected with any leadiujj society 

 of the country, more especially did he feel it to be an honour 

 to be connected witn a society which was so closely connected 

 with agriculture. Of agriculture, indeed, he had always been 

 one of the warmest advocates, and he might say of lier in the 

 words of the poet Burns — 



" She found me at the plough. 

 And cast her inspiring mantle over me." 

 He was sure that the most pleasurable part of his life had been 

 spent in the pursuit of agriculture ; whether or not his efforts 

 as an agriculturist had proved heneficial to others as well as 

 himself, he must leave it to others to decide. The great ob- 

 ject of that society was, like that of the Royal Agrica'tural 

 Society, to blend science with practice. With this view they 

 had had scientific lectures bearing upon agriculture. How the 

 subjects iutroduceii v ere treafed,'it was not necessary for him 

 to state ; nor need he remind them how a subject of great 

 importance was treated on the previous evening by a very able 

 member of the club, or of the valuable discussion which fol- 

 lowed (Hear, hear). For his own part, he must confess that 

 he had derived very great benefit from the club. He had ob- 

 tained much information there, which he probably would never 

 have obtained elsewhere (Hear, hear) ; and, more than that, 

 he had been brought into association with many ol the lead- 

 ing agriculturists belonging to different parts of the kingdom. 

 Formerly faruaers used to live constantly on their farms, and 

 were hardly ever brought in contact with persons of their own 

 pursuit in other districts ; and the associations which that club 

 had produced among the leading cultivators of laud was cer- 

 tainly not one of the smallest benefits conferred by it on the 

 agricultural community (Hear, hear). lu that club farmers 

 were brought to know each other; each member commu- 

 nicated any important information which he possessed for the 

 benefit of the whole, and by means of the press that informa- 

 tion was disseminated throughout the whole of England. He 

 thought, therefore, it might be saiil that the Central Farmers' 

 club had done its duty, and fulfilled the expectations which 

 were raised with regard to it at the time of its formation. 

 (Hear, hear.) It was as one of the oldest members of the 

 club that he had been selected to respond to the toast. He now 

 called upon them to look forward to its increasing usefulness, 

 more especially in connection with the various political or 

 financial events which might hereafter affect the interests of 

 agriculture. There had of late, as they were all aware, been 

 a great prostration of the monetary interests of the country. 

 It was not to be supposed for a moment that that did not 

 concern them. (Hear, hear.) He believed there was no class 

 of persons in the kingdom who were more affected by the 

 money-laws than farmers were; and, although the question 

 might appear to some present an abstract one, it appeared to 

 him that they ought, as a body, to watch the proceedings of 

 Parliament, and to give their best attention to a matter in 

 which their interests were so clearly involved. (Hear, hear.) 

 They would all, no doubt, be very much surprised and alarmed 

 if it were enacted by the Legislature that the bushel, instead 

 of holding four pecks, should hold five, and that they should 

 still sell at the same price that they did before ; they would all, 

 of course, regard that as a robbery of them to the extent of 

 twenty per cent, of their property in corn. That was exactly 

 what was done, however, by the money-laws; and they might 

 depend upon it that, without some change in this state of the 

 law, an act which worked as the present one did would be set 

 aside from time to time whenever it was considered necessary 

 to suspend its operation. The present law was not based on 

 honest and just principles. There were a number of individuals 

 who reaped their harvest at the farmers' expense ; and when 

 times of pressure occurred, and a large rate of interest was 

 being exacted from mercantile houses which were in a state of 

 difliculty and dismay, the Government, under the pretence of 

 stopping the evil, stepped in and suspended a law which was 

 not based on a proper foundation. He felt that he was now 

 touching on a question of which he was not master ; he had, 

 however, studied the law in some of its bearings ; he had fore- 

 told some of its consequences, and he would predict that, un- 

 less some remedy were applied, farmers would be stid more 

 seriously affected even than they had been. As there was a 

 gentlenaan present who had made the monetary system his 

 special study — he referred to Mr. Bell — he hoped thnt gentle- 

 man would favour them with his views on the subject : more 



especially as regarded the bearing of the existing slate o 

 things on agriculture. In conclusion, he would remark that 

 .igriculture, as now carried on in this country, might justly be 

 regarded as a science ; and it was as a science as well as an 

 art that it was being carried on, and its present position was 

 not only the strength of our own country, but tlie admiration 

 of all surrounding nations (cheers). He thanked them most 

 sincerely for the manner in which tiiey had received the toast. 



Mv. Trethewey said he rose to propo.se a toast which 

 lie was sure would be well received — it was the health of 

 their excellent Chairman (cheers). In doing so, he felt 

 that the task entrusted to him was, in fact, a verj- easy 

 one. They had all heard a good deal, of late, about putting 

 the right man in the right place; and he thought they 

 could not possibly have a better ilhistration of that maxim 

 than they had in the case of their present Chairman. If he 

 were merely addressing theconiniittee, or if he were address- 

 ing only those members of the club who were in the habit of 

 attending the monthly discussions, he should feel that it was 

 unnecessary for him to saj' anything in reference to the merits 

 of Mr. Wallis ; but on looking round the room he saw a 

 great many gentlemen who had not had an opportunity of 

 meeting the Chairman of the club, and therefore he hoped 

 he should not be considered tedious if he showed how- for- 

 tunate the club was in having so good a president. That 

 evening was the last occasion on which Mr. Wallis would 

 have to preside over them that year. Another gentleman 

 would fill the chair ; and he earnestly hoped that, when Mr. 

 Wallis's successor quitted office, the chib would be as pros- 

 perous as it was then (Hear, hear). He had said, in effect, 

 that they had the right, man in tlie right place ; and if any 

 arguments were necessary to prove that, there could be no 

 difficulty in bringing it forward. He conceived that, for 

 the chairmanship of a farmers' club, it was necessaiy to 

 have a practical farmer, or, if not a practical farmer, at least 

 some one who had identified himself with the cultivation of 

 the land, and took a deep interest in agriculture. Now in 

 their present chairman they had a practical farmer (Hear, 

 hear) — a farmer occupying a very large amount of land, and 

 one whom his neighbours regarded as one of the best speci- 

 mens of their class. " Depend upon it," one of those neigh- 

 bours said to him that day — " dejiend upon it, wliatever Mr. 

 Wallis undertakes to do, he will do well" (Hear, hear). 

 Not only had they the testimony of his neighbours in his 

 favour, IJut his name was to be found among the list of the 

 judges of the Royal Agricidtural Society; and he really did 

 not know a more honourable position than'^that. He felt that 

 he had said quite enough in proposing the toast; and con- 

 gratulating the members on the improved prospects of the 

 club, he now left it in their hands. 



After the toast had been drunk in the most cordial man- 

 ner — 



The Chairman said he could not adequately express his 

 thanks for the %'ery handsome manner in which the toast had 

 been proposed and received. He felt that he was quite un- 

 worthy of what had been said with regard to him bj Mr. 

 Trethewy. He had, however, endeavoured to do his duty 

 during the past year, and he felt greatly indebted to the 

 members for the courtesey which he had met with on all 

 occasions. He was confident that there were many gentlemen 

 who would have filled his position with much moro ability and 

 with much greater advantage to the club than he had done 

 (No, no). When, however, they did him the honour to nomi- 

 nate him, he felt bound to obey the call, and he thould retire 

 from the chair with the feeling that he could never forget the 

 kindness which he had always experienced. He valued this 

 club very highly indeed, on account of the many valuable 

 friendships which he had formed in connection with it, and he 

 should endeavour to support it as long as he lived. He would 

 conclude by drinking to the good health of all present 

 (cheers). 



Mr. Bullock Webster said he had been entrusted with 

 a toast, which he felt great pleasure in proposing, namely, 

 " The Royal Agricultural Society of England" (cheers). That 

 society had now very great difticulties to encounter. Formerly 

 it was very easy for the council to dispose of the routine sort 

 of business, which constituted the bulk of their proceedings; 

 but the case was very different in the present day. There 

 were now no less than five or six different descriptions of the 

 steam cultivator brought under their notice, upon the compa- 



