368 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Browne's Cotswolds try their fortunes at the Irish 

 shows, and Captain 13all has in turn a nomination at 

 the English. Then the leading firms not only enter 

 for " competition" or " exhibition," but carefully seek 

 out for fresh agents, and a Garrett drill, a Ransome or 

 Howard plough, or a Crosskill clort-ernsher, is no 

 longer unknown in the land. But it requires a com- 

 manding influence to do all this — ^just, in fact, such an 

 agency as Wales alone has not, but that the Princi- 

 pality at length sees how much it requires. 



It is by no means difficult to trace how this 

 light has been let in. As wo wrote this spring, the 

 country has been fairly besieged by tlie forces of Mo- 

 dern Agriculture. She attacked it at Cardiff in the 

 South, and a few weeks later at Chester in the north. 

 As we also reported at the time, the attempt on either 

 was most encouraging. It was the people of the dis- 

 trict who were the great supporters of the meetings. 

 We never saw this more strongly demonstrated 

 than at Chester; while the habilues of the West 

 of England Society candidly confessed Cardiff was 

 out of their way, and left it all to the Welsh- 

 men. The lesson taught, moreover, has been any- 

 thing but a fleeting one. A circular letter we 

 published a month since, signed on behalf of the 

 provisional committee by Mr. Traherne, bodily pro- 

 posed the establishment of a Wehh National Agricul- 

 tural Society. We think such of our readers as gave 

 it the consideration it deserved will agree with us that 

 it was drawn up with remaikable force and ability — 

 going far, in fact, to prove all it advocated. This is now 

 followed by a second ; and that we hear has also been 

 addressed to a majority of our contemporaries in the 

 districts it refers to. It is evident the country is already 

 warming to the proposition • at the same time its re- 

 ception has been anything but one of indifferent or 

 passive support. Mr, Traherne and his committee 

 have already had a number of objections to reply to. 

 This second letter, indeed, is written chiefly to that end, 

 while it is written so well that we shall not attempt to 

 weaken its argument by doing more than calling atten- 

 tion to it. After all, there can be but one great point 

 toconsider — Should it be a Society embracing North 

 and South ? Or, as urged by some, of North Wales 

 only ? The answer to this is surely self-evident. To 

 be of any useful importance, to command any 

 general influence, such an association must embrace 

 the whole country. The South may, perhaps, 

 not be altogether so forward as the North. There are 

 already good local meetings established about Bangor, 

 Flint, and that quarter. We doubt, though, very much 

 whether there be at present a better or more creditable 

 show of stock throughout the whole of the Principality 

 than that which will take place in a few weeks at Trede- 

 gar in South Wales, If wo have Colonel Pennant at one 

 point, we have Sir Charles Morgan at another; and 

 certainly the neatest pony exhibited this year was 

 at the Cardiff Meeting, 



The iron is liot. The country itself is acting in an- 

 ticipation, as it were, of such a society : " The un- 

 wonted numbers and [improved character of stock 



exhibited tliis autumn in the various show-yards of 

 South Wales, Herefordshire, Monmouth, are distinctly 

 refirable to the reflow of the wave which swept on 

 Cardiff in .Tune." We may turn again to what The 

 Hereford Times, in the report of its recent meeting, can 

 say of its own increasing strength. " ^4 neto era 

 seeins to have dawned upon its operations." The 

 farmers themselves will clearly take their share of 

 the work when it comes to them ; but there are 

 many circumstances which warrant us in looking 

 to the landlords and gentry for the initiative. 

 Let them from both North and South go heartily into 

 the venture, and the Welsh Agricultural Society will 

 soon become an established fact. 



Sir, — At the risk of being tedious, will you allow us 

 through your columns to make a few further remarks in 

 regard to the scheme for the formation of a Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society for Wales : a scheme which we shall 

 then be glad to devolve upon a more influential advo- 

 cacy ? We should not ask this favour but that, after 

 considerable expense and trouble, it has been found 

 quite impossible to communicate directly with every 

 gentleman and leading farmer, as w'e should otherwise 

 have done; addresses and names being so difficult to 

 obtain. Notwithstanding a most favourable reception 

 of the project in the highest quarters, there have risen 

 to the surface a few objections, which we are bound at 

 once to discuss, and if possible dispose of. 



1st, It has been said that it might answer to have 

 one central show for South Wales, or one for North 

 Wales; but that a combined exhibition for the whola 

 Principality must fail ; mainly because of the difficulty 

 experienced in the conveyance of stock. 



This objection might hold good if it were not that it 

 is usual for the railways to grant a free passage and 

 most liberal treatment to animals entered at the shows 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society of England ; and we 

 scarcely think that the Welsh lines would depart from 

 this custom in the case of a Welsh national exhibition. 

 On a rough measurement of the map, we cannot find 

 that there are many, if any, spots distant more than 

 thirty miles from a railroad, either in existence or pro- 

 jected : and once upon the rail, what matter then how 

 far ? While to those who object thirty miles to be a 

 long way, we can only reply that the farmers of this 

 district think nothing of sending that distance to Sir 

 Charles Morgan's Tredegar show. 



2nd. We have read in a North Wales paper the 

 opinion of an eminent agricultural authority, (whose 

 promised communication has, however, not yet reached 

 us), that he thought a central society for North Wales 

 was an excellent idea ; but that a combined society for 

 North and South Wales would be a failure, for the rea- 

 son that South Wales was backward to compete at 

 Chester, and it was likely would be so also at a central 

 show. Surely this argument must cut the other way ; if 

 South Wales be stupid enough to desire to add her con- 

 tributions to a prize fund, for which yet she wants the 

 courage to compete, why what were this but the clearest 

 gain for North Wales ? 



