66 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



they did not, he might go away under the imputation of not 

 having done his duty, and possibly of being a coward. The 

 second article of tneir bye-iawa was to the effect that '' the 

 judges would be instructed not to award prizes m classes where 

 the animals exhibited did not poaseas sufficient merit." Doubt- 

 less there were in the class referred to animals which in their 

 eyes possessed some merit; but the judges were placed in a 

 very onerous position when they considered that they were 

 adjudicating upon animals which were to produce stock not 

 only in this county, but in England generally; for he must 

 say, as a breeder of stock, that unless they bred from animals 

 per'ectly sound and free from blemish, they could never arrive 

 at perfection. 



yit. Samuel Jonas being called for, also replied to this 

 toast. 



Lord Eayleigh gave the hedth of "The Chairman;" 

 becomingly acknowledged. Mr. Western followed with 

 " The Vice-Presidents and Committee." Introducing this he 

 said, it had been asked, with all the intelligence, ability, and 

 capital invested in the cultivation of the soil in Essex, and 

 with similar societies existing in neighbouring counties, why 

 this county had so long been without one, and why they had 

 met that day for the first time as members of an Esses Agri- 

 cultural Society ? Probably many reasous might be given for 

 this, and he was not at all sure that he had hit upon the right 

 one, but it might possibly have arisen from the circumstance 

 that they had not in Essex any particular breed of stock iden- 

 tified with the county. Suffolk was celebrated for its horses, 

 and other counties for particular breeds of cattle or sheep ; 

 but with the exception of the improved Essex breed of pigs — 

 to which he meant no disparagement — Essex was not cele- 

 brated as a stock-breeding county ; and therefore it was that 

 the agriculturists of Essex had occupied themselves more par- 

 ticularly in the cultivation of the sod, and more especially in 

 the growing of corn crops, for which there was no doubt they 

 were highly celebrated. The society whose establishment they 

 that day commemorated might be looked upon as an off-shoot 

 of that great national society which was so useful in showing 

 counties what their wants were in respect to agriculture, and 

 which held its meeting in this town two years ago. It was 

 that circumstance which turned the minds of the landowners 

 and farmers of Essex to this particular subject ; and although, 

 as he had said, their county was not celebrated for any parti- 

 cular kind of stock, he had no doubt the establishment of this 

 society would stimulate them to show what might be accom- 

 plished by perseverance even under circumstances less favour- 

 able than those of other parts of the country. 



Mr. Fisher Hobbs replied. They had inaugurated that day 

 the establishment of a society of which every Essex man 

 might be proud. The success of that inauguration bad sur- 



passed the expectations of the committee, and had proved 

 what the county of Essex was able to do, not only in the cul- 

 tivation of the soil, but in the rearing and bree;ling of stock ; 

 for although, as had been said, they were not thorough breeders 

 of stock, and although this climate and soil were not so propi- 

 tious as some other localities, they had had ample proofs of 

 what perseverance could do ; for he did not hesitate to say 

 that there were in the show-yard that day animals as well bred 

 as any stock in the kingdom ; and he would further assert that 

 no county society could bring togetrer a better exhibition 

 than they had witnessed that day. They had had a good be- 

 ginning ; they did not mean to be contented with an exhibition 

 of stock, but should endeavour gradually to embrace every 

 branch of agriculture. 



The other toasts included " The Stewards," proposed ty 

 Mr. Perry Wallin^ton, and answered by Mr. Oxley Parker; 

 " The successful Candidates," in replying to which 



Mr. HoNvwooD said, it must be admitted that in breed- 

 ing horses Essex was wofuUy deficient compared with other 

 counties ; but he had nevertheless felt it to be his duty to 

 send as many as he could. 



Mr. Alderman Mechi hoped nothing ironical was intended 

 in allotting to him the duty of proposing the health of the un- 

 successful candidates (laughter) . To his mind they owed a debt of 

 gratitude to those gentlemen, because, if there had not been 

 unsuccessful candidates, and if no inferior animals had been 

 exhibited, they could not have so fully appreciated the merits 

 of those which were successful. To pass at once to the sub- 

 ject of that day's show. It had been said that Essex was not 

 famous for any particular breed of stock — though by the way 

 he had always understood that it was celebrated for Essex 

 calves (laughter) — but if nature had not blessed them with 

 those light and sandy sods which were so favourable for the 

 production of good stock, they had had abundant proof that 

 day that by means of oil-cake, covered buildings, &c., they 

 were able to produce a highly respectable show (cheers). He 

 congratulated them upon the progress agriculture had made du- 

 ring the last few years : he withed they could say they had 

 arrived at perfection ; but he had been struck to-day with the 

 fact that while everybody was running after the reaping- 

 machine — which was thought nothing of a few years ago, but 

 which was certainly no longer a novelty — nobodj' went to see 

 the steam-plough, which was one of the new elements in agri- 

 cultural operations, and was destined to produce the most im- 

 portant results in the cultivation of the soil. 



Lord Rayleigh replied as an unsuccessful exhibiter, his 

 Lordship having previously taken the place of Mr. Du Cane, 

 who had been compelled to leave. 



"The Ladies" came as the concluding toast, many of the 

 company having previously retired. 



NORFOLK AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 MEETING AT NORWICH. 



Oq Friday, the I8tli of last month, the Norfolk 

 Agricultural Society once more brought its annual 

 exhibition to Norwich. The meeting was held under 

 somewhat exceptiimal circumstances — the all-ab- 

 sorbing topic in Norfolk just now being not 

 farming, but the impending election struggle between 

 Sir Henry Stracey and the Hon. Major Coke. 

 Politics always exercise an under-current influence in 

 English affairs, but especially among farmers on the 

 eve of a contested county election. No wonder, then, 

 that conversation, on Friday, was frequently turned 

 from the merits of this or that implement, or the points 

 of this or that animal, to the for the time absorbing 

 topic of Stracey v. Coke. In another respect, how- 

 ever, the meeting profited greatly. The intensely hot 

 weather ot" the last few days was brought to a sudden 



check on Thursday, with heavy showers, which cooled 

 the parched earth, and enabled exhausted nature — 

 human, anirnnl, and vegetable— to exhibit symptoms 

 of returning vigour. On Friday, the favourable change 

 continued, and the state of the elements left little or 

 nothing to bo desired ; so that the visitors to the ex- 

 hibition, who numbered about 1,500, were enabled to 

 perambulate the show-yard with unlooked-for comfort. 

 The site, wliicli was the spot usually selected by the 

 Society for its Norwich meetings, is known as the 

 " cricket-ground," and is well calculated for an agri- 

 cultural show, as it is within toLrably easy distance 

 of the city, and has sufficiently rural accessories to 

 render it in keeping with such an exhibition. 



The stock and implements occupied three sides of 

 the field, and the sheep and pigs, which did not take 



