TIU-: I'ARMliil'S MAGAZINK. 



23 



(Uiliuury entry. T lie i)igeoiis I'urnisliod oiio of the best 

 collections ever seen ; Mr. Adkins carrying off the cup, 

 as having the best " cot." The ohl Dorkings were (juitc 

 up to their chartered excellence — the single game-cock 

 a very neat bird; and the Aylesbury ducks, as a whole 

 chxss, very good. Mr. Fowler, of course, had a lead 

 here. The judges, who had plenty to do, were Mr. 

 licwett and Mr. Tcgehuier. The Society has a dis- 

 creet dislike to putting dealers in office. 



An old and well-qualified correspondent will hcli) 

 us out with the record of the implement business. 

 Here matters once more did not run quite so smoothly. 

 There was the disinclination of last year on the part of 

 cert;un great houses to enter for competition. But 

 this, at best or worst, is an evil that cuts both ways. 

 One of the most intelligent agriculturists of the dis- 

 trict, a magistrate for his county, and the chief sup- 

 porter of a local society, expressed his surprise at what 

 he saw. The prize for the steam-engine was carried 

 off by a comparatively little man, against such firms as 

 Clayton and Shuttleworth, Garrett, Ilorusby, and Tux- 

 ford, ranged side by side vvitli him ! The fact was our 

 Monmouthshire friend hnd naturally supposed all these 

 had been entered for trial. On meeting one of the 

 judges shortly afterwards, we told him of the mistake. 

 His only comment was, " I hope you did'nt undeceive 

 him ; I should like everybody here to think so." It is 

 but right to add, however, that the conditions for the 

 steam engine trials were considered unprecedentedly 

 exacting. There were so many subsequent particulai-s 

 to be given in, and so much minutice to be unravelled, 

 that, with the Great Chester contest before them, the 

 more formidable firms discreetly reserved themselves. 

 Otherwise, the secret must have been out before now ; 

 and the interest of the Great Triennial Stake more or 

 less anticipated. 



We do not know whether Mr. Fowler with his steam- 

 plough, or Mr. Smith with his steam-cultivator, had 

 any similar cause for their conduct. But both availed 

 themselves of the introduction and influence of the 

 Society, while neither would condescend to enter for 

 the premium offered. Why should Mr. Fowler submit 

 to such a test elsewhere and not here ? The Society 

 might have well put the question. As regards Mr. 

 Smith, his would have been just the triumph every one 

 would have sympathised with — a farmer fighting his 

 way on, entirely through his ov^n energy and ability. 

 Nothing, we are assured, could have been fairer than 

 the trials, and nothing better than the behaviour of the 

 Society. We only wish we could speak as decidedly 

 for that of some of the exhibitors. As it is, of 

 course Mr. Fowler says he did very good work, and Mr. 

 Smith that he did capital work ; while the prize-list 

 declares that a premium of twenty-five pounds for the 

 best application of steam-power to the cultivation of 

 the laud brought no comjietition. Wo have already 

 quoted the opinion of o!ie of the Judges on this subject ; 

 and another gave his a little more publicly. At the 

 dinner, on the Thursday, Mr. Caldwell, in one of his tell- 

 ing practical speeches, regretted the want of more com- 

 petition. His tone, it will bo found, was very moderate. 



but not the loss ofl'ectivo on tiiut account. Some new 

 system— the triennial j)erhaps — may be under con- 

 sideration; but, until it be adopted or rejected, wo 

 certainly think more respect should bo paid to the So- 

 ciety and its intentions. 



In addition to Mr. Caldwell, who has just bought an 

 estate near Chippenham, and is now a West of England 

 man, the dinner was remarkable for the number of 

 good speakers drawn out. Mr. Robert Smith, another 

 of the judges, Mr. Acland, the leading member of the 

 direction, Mr. Pitman, and Mr. Jonathan Gray, all 

 went well to the business before them. Lord Courtc- 

 nay proved, again, a most judicious and able chairman ; 

 while a gentleman of the county, Mr. Thomas, relieved 

 the more scrhius subject matter with a little speech 

 that, for quaint humour and nice telling, it would have 

 been difficult to beat. An American, singled out as " a 

 visitor," was also found quite equal to the occasion. 

 The day previous the Mayor of Cardiff, Mr. Croft 

 Williams, entertained some two hundred neighbours 

 and strangers most hospitably in the Town Hall, where 

 everything was of the best, but the attendance, and 

 that was infamous. Amongst the local supporters of 

 the meeting, Mr. Williams occupies a deservedly pro- 

 minent position. He has proved himself, indeed, 

 as good a mayor for agricultural purposes as even Mr. 

 Pain did at Salisbury. This is high praise, too ; but 

 Mr. Williams honestly earned it. 



Every one, in fact, would seem to have done his best 

 here but the railway people ; and they by no means 

 over- exerted themselves. They ran very few excursion 

 trains until just the last day. They refused, we believe, 

 certain of the customary facilities in the carriage of 

 stock, and they were thanked twice over by the Society ! 

 There certainly cannot be a more courteous set of gen- 

 tlemen than the Council of the latter : but so much 

 thanks for such small favours reads almost ironical. 



We now proceed to 



THE IMPLEMENT DEPARTMENT. 

 We have never attended an exhibition of implements 

 where all the points and details so much accorded with 

 our notions of what they should be. Here was a first- 

 class collection of great agricultural value, and all ar- 

 ranged in the most convenient and attractive way imagin- 

 able, thanks to the good taste of the steward of shedding, 

 Mr. Jonathan Gray — a real West of England man of true 

 national type — to whom on this, as on many other like 

 occasions, the Society is vastly indebted. The shedding 

 itself is exceedingly good in quality, and very orna- 

 mental. It occupies about 4,200 feet in length, of which 

 2,200 are appropriated to the use of the implement ex- 

 hibitors. These sheds have a peculiar appearance, from 

 their lightness and the absence of much of that cum- 

 brous poling and roping so often in the way. One of 

 the great novelties is that their safety is almost insured 

 from boisterous winds by india-rubber fastenings. These 

 sheds presented a very pleasing r.ppearanco, as on en- 

 tering the beautiful yard, at the point chosen for the 

 entrance, the cud of every shed was to be seen, and the 

 little gay flags by which tliey were marked gave a very 



