J2r, 



THE lARMliR'S MAGAZINE. 



^Ir. Pemberton. in acknowledging the complimeat, said 

 the present was a kind of public dinner given by a private in- 

 dividual, who had become as it were public property. Mr. 

 Webb, in raauy respects, resembled, he thought, the late George 

 Stephenson, who had been pronounced a fit inmate for a lunatic 

 asylum in consequence of his prediction with regard to the 

 speed of the locomotive. Who would not have said the same 

 thing of Mr. Webb, if he had predicted that he would ever 

 have received 197 guineas for the hire of a tup ? 



Mr. St. Quintin proposed " Prosperity to Agriculture," 

 assopiating with the toast the name of Mr. Clutterbuck, of 

 Hertfordshire, whom he eulogized as being, both in theory and 

 practice, a complete agriculturist (cheers). 



Mr. CnjTTERntJcK responded, and expressed his opinion 

 that the well-being of the county depended, and always must 

 depend, upon the prosperity of agriculture. Agricultural pros- 

 perity had now become a relative term, for that condition 

 which would have been prosperity in the days of the Tudors 

 would be stagnation in the nineteenth century. There could 

 be no doubt that science presented to the agriculturists of the 

 present day means of dealing with mechanical and physical 

 difficulties in a manner of which our ancestors knew nothing; 

 and that the agricult\irist could not now exist who dealt with 

 the same tools in the same manner as in the olden time. An- 

 other point, with regard to which he thought he might appeal 

 with confidence to practical men, was that a superior class of 

 labourers was required ; and no one could go into the premises 

 of a farmer who was dealing with the difficulties of agri- 

 culture in a scientific manner, without observing that the 

 labourers presented evidence of superior intelligence and su- 

 perior treatment. For himself he had only done what he be- 

 lieved every Englishman did who found himself face to face 

 with difficulties — he had done his best to get the better of 

 them. Mr. St. Quintin bad referred to some operations which 

 he had carried on in Hertfordshire, and every reasonable 

 facility should be afforded to any gentleman desirous of in- 

 specting thera; a certain amount of success had, he believed, 

 been obtained, and he trusted that he and his brother-farmers 

 might not only have increased produce, but better prices (Hear, 

 hear). 



Mr. IIiCKs, in suitable terms, proposed the health of the 

 buyer of the highest-priced tup — Mr. Heasman, of Sussex. 



Mr. Hidden, in the absence of Mr. Heasman, returned 

 thanks, and stated that he was himself the next bidder for the 

 sheep Mr. Heasman had hired. He (Mr. Rigden) congratulated 

 himself, however, that he had got Mr. Webb's best sheep, al- 

 though he did not pay the highest price for it (laughter). He 

 was greatly pleased to see some Sussex gentlemen present, for 

 he had no hesitation in saying that not only the county of 

 Cambridge, but also the county of Sussex was deeply 

 indebted to Mr. Webb. No man in England had done more 

 to improve the breed of Southdown sheep, and he (Mr. lligdeu) 

 felt deeply grateful to hira. He had for many years taken 

 some of Mr. Webb's best sheep, with the aid of which he had 

 been able to beat every breeder in Sussex, not excepting the 

 Duke of Richmond, although it was no easy matter to compete 

 with his Grace, who had sometimes been successful. He (Mr. 

 Rigden) trusted that Mr. Webb might go on and prosper for 

 many years to come. 



The CiiATRM-VN gave " Mrs. Webb and Family," a toast 

 to which a geutleman present added the eentiment, " May 

 their hearts be as large as their crinoline, and their faults as 

 small as their bonnets" (laughter). 



Mr. Webb, in reply, said he hoped the ladies would profit 

 by the fate of his poor sun-struck bull, and have bonnets 

 which would cover what brains they possessed (laughter). 

 Mr. Webb then proposed the " Royal Agricultural Society 

 of England," coupling with the toast the name of Mr. 

 Jonas. 



Mr. Jonas responded, and expressed hii belief that the 

 Royal Society had done much for the advancement of agricul- 

 ture. For his own part he was in a very different position 

 from his friend Mr. Webb ; that gentleman had gathered 

 honey, and he (Mr. Jonas) had spent his money (laughter). 

 With the exception of a prize for an essay, he had never de- 

 rived any benefit from the Royal Society ; but he hoped every 

 farmer throughout the country would endeavour to support it 

 to the utmost of his ability. He cordially wished prosperity to 

 every British farmer ; but if that prosperity was to be realized, 

 they must have better prices than they were receiving at the 

 present moment (loud cries of Hear, hear). 



The Chairman then gave " To our next merry meeting," 

 and some of the company adjourned to tea and coffee, while 

 others entered on their homeward journeys. 



THE ENGLISH FARMER IN FRANCE. 



SiK, — I have sent you a stem of sorgho above nine 

 feet high, and another I have forwarded to the Royal 

 Agricultural Society. 



But before I write further, would you be so good as 

 correct a typographical error in tlie fifth paragraph of 

 my last letter ? For " Agricultural Society' of Paris, 

 read " Acclintatising Society." It is a most useful 

 one, and must not be misnamed in the leading agricul- 

 tural journal of England. 



1 cannot help giving you further information on this 

 extraordinary plant, though I dislike continuing a sub- 

 ject in two letters ; but all I knew of it before was from 

 hearsay and letterpre.ss. Of course, they were well 

 authenticated, or I would not have written as I did ; but 

 I have now had ocular ilenwnstration, which is the best 

 of all ; and by sending the specimens to the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society and to your office, all may gee it who 



please. I took it from the cart-shed of a small farmer 

 ten miles from Lille ; he had grown them in his garden 

 last year, and how far he cut them from the ground I 

 cannot tell : it did not appear that he had taken any 

 pains with their cultivation; he had a few seeds given 

 him, and he had simply stuck them in his garden. They 

 must attain a most enormous height in hot climates. I 

 have also been to a distiller's about ten miles from here, 

 who has what is here considered one of the largest 

 farms — 250 acres. He had planted it, last year, in a very 

 imperfect manner, putting four or five seeds in each 

 hole: he sowed it the last day in April 1857, a yard 

 apart and two feet in the rows. At first it made very 

 slow progress, but after a month it took a more rapid 

 start, and when the plants were nearly as high as fiini- 

 .telf, middle of September, he removed about two-thirds 

 of them, and gave them to his fatting buU.icks, of 



