THE FARMliR'S MAGAZINK. 



183 



of tlioir watches — all, no doubt, to show how uiiluir it 

 wa8 to cut corn with a reaper or a scythe instead of a 

 sickle. It is a somewhat melancholy cominentary on 

 the advance agriculture has lately been making there 

 to add, as we must, that this occurred in Ireland. It 

 was only at Waterford , last year, that we heard from 

 Messrs. Garrett, and the active Mr. Norton, of the lirni 

 of ilichniond and Chandler, how the Irish were coming 

 to appreciate good implements. And it is within but a 

 stage or station or two of Waterford that this outrage 

 has been committed. 



The Kilkenny Journal, dating from the scene, thus 

 describes the disturbance : — " On Monday morning, 

 at daybreak, the streets rang with the rioters, who held 

 a sort of council of war, in which it was decided that 

 all the machinery in the county should be forthwith 

 destroyed, as the only chance of employment for the 

 labourer. After parading the streets for some time, 

 they proceeded at G o'clock to Oldtown, about tjvo 

 miles from this city, to the residence of a fiirmer named 

 Walsh, and commenced breaking his reaping machine, 

 which they soon smashed into fragments. Walsh 

 offered no resistance, as he considered it useless, but 

 looked on quietly, and the mob proceeded on their 

 work of destruction ^^ithout offering him any personal 

 violence. At 9 o'clock they reached Pigeon-park (near 

 Danesfort), the residence of Mr. Ilowson, a Scotchman, 

 and prepared to attack his machine also. Mr. Howson 

 and his family, on the other hand, prepared to defend 

 it ; but at the very outset his gun was knocked out of 

 his hand by a blow of a large stone, with which he was 

 struck on the arm. One of his sons seized the gun and 

 ran off with it, but while in the act of doing so he was 

 closely pursued, when he turned round and fired, but 

 without effect, upon his pursuers. He was instantly 

 seized, and the gun taken from him and broken; but 

 he suffered no personal violence at the hands of the 

 rioters. We regret to say that his father was not so 

 fortunate, for, while striving to defend the machine, he 

 was knocked down, and received several severe injuries 

 in the head and jaw; but though severely hurt, we are 



iiappy to say his lite is not in danger. While Mr. 

 Ilowson was lying on the ground, his daughter, with 

 the courage of a heroine, seized a pitchfork and held it 

 above him, threatening instant death to whomsoever 

 should touch a hair ol' his head ; but she also, after 

 ^ome vain resistance, was speedily disarmed, and re- 

 ceived some slight injuries in the struggle. The machine 

 was then broken to pieces, and, more disgraceful still, 

 Mr. Ilowson's gold watch was carried off by the rioters." 



Even here the leven is ( asily recognisable. The farm 

 labourers of the district were led on by disbanded 

 militiamen from the adjoining counties. It was the 

 stranger, in fact, who took the way to Oldtown and 

 Pigeon Park. The disaffected of his own neighbour- 

 hood came on here, equally prepared for uproar and out- 

 break. Without these ho had neither position nor in- 

 fluence; as floating on the waves of such a storm he 

 had a chance of appropriating something from the 

 wreck. It is only to be regretted that the people were 

 so easily incited, and more so still that the authorities 

 suffered the riot to reach the height it did. What good 

 can come of bi-eaking Mr. Walsh's reaper, or stealing 

 Mr. Howson's watch ? 



But wo will make this no one-sided question. In 

 England, too, there has been another demonstration 

 against the reaping machine. It emanates amongst 

 us not with the lowest, but rather with the highest of the 

 three classes. During this present harvest a farmer in 

 the Midland Counties received an intimation, through 

 the agent, that his landlord would prefer a reaping 

 machine not being used on the estate ; the reason 

 being, that it cut the stubble too close ! The tenant 

 responded with the spirit of an Englishman, that if he 

 could not reap his corn as he chose, he had better go. 

 And the notice was explained and withdrawn. Come 

 from what quarter it will, any such intimidation had 

 better at once be " withdraw-n." We say it advisedly, 

 that the landlord or labourer who seeks to use such an 

 influence over the agriculturists of this country will 

 " come to grief." A mob is no longer a tyrant, as 

 assuredly a tenant-farmer is no further a serf. 



YORKSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 MEETING AT NORTHALLERTON. 



The twenty-first anniversary of this show, which has 

 gradually become another peaceful battle-ground, on 

 which the Royal July decisions may be overthrown or 

 confirmed, was held at Northallerton, during the first 

 week in August. The prizes amounted to i902, of 

 which ^42 was contributed by the locality, and took a 

 wide range over stock, horses, poultry, long and short 

 wool, green flax, grain, and labourers' cottages; for 

 the latter of which seventy-five designs were ^ent in. 

 It was stipulated by the giver of these £20 and £i> 

 prizes, that the cost of the single cottage should not be 

 more than ^'110, and of the double not more than £^200; 

 such cost not to include building ground and garden, 



and each cottage not to contain less than three bed- 

 rooms. 



In point of numbers, the implements and poultry fell 

 considerably below last year ; as, indeed, did the stock 

 in a slight degree. On the Thursday, in spite of its 

 being the very height of the early harvest every where, 

 the tykes flowed in amain from eight o'clock, and took 

 their station all round the acre-and-a-half ring, into 

 which the horse classes were led, one after another, for 

 decision, with as much zest as if they were struggling 

 for early places by the side of the rails on a Doncaster 

 St. Leger morning. Still the other candidates were not 

 neglected, though the sheep had a somewhat scanty 



