THP: FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



481 



speech amounted simply to this, that the Council did 

 not contain a fair representation of the farming classes ; 

 and probably it would be os well, and no doubt the 

 Council themselves so thought, that the great body of 

 practical agriculturists should be more fully represented. 

 He had not the honour of knowing all the members of 

 the Council ; but he had no reason to suppose that they 

 were not perfectly capable of discharging their duties, 

 and promoting the objects of the Society, although Mr. 

 Sidney had applied to them the words — Jjoie natits, 

 bene situs, moderate doctu.t. He wished that the mode 

 of election of the Council was somewhat different, and 

 on a future occasion he should certainly move an altera- 

 tion in that respect. 



After a few words from Mr. Raymond Barker in de- 

 fence of the House List, 



Mr. Barrow, M.P., did not profess to have any 

 very practical connection with agriculture, having 

 been occupied in other wtys; and when he joined 

 the Council it v.-as as the representative of a par- 

 ticular class of farmers whose interests he was 

 anxious to protect. He accepted a seat in the 

 Council with the feeling that if he did not apply the 

 information which he might acquire himself, he would 

 be able to communicate it to his tenants, whose interest 

 he could not promote without at the same time promot- 

 ing his own. He was quite sure there was no land- 

 owner on the Council, however large might be his in- 

 terest in the land, or however he might be an amateur 

 rather than a practical farmer, who did not desire to 

 communicate to the tenantry all the useful information 

 which he obtained as a member of the Council. He 

 admitted, however, that it was very desirable that re- 

 presentatives of the farmers of this country should have 

 frequent opportunities of free intercourse with land- 

 lords at the Council board, and he would say indi- 

 vidually, that if it were generally considered an 

 objection to a candidate that he had no farm in 

 his own occupation. As regarded the ricent tlections 

 of officers, he would observe that one of them took 

 place before the last half-yearly meeting, and as no ob- 

 jection was made then, the Council could hardly have 

 expected to hear any objection on that occasion ; while 

 as regarded the second election, no peer was on the com- 

 mittee, and the members of that committee were, he 

 believed, selected for their practical knowledge and ex- 

 perience. He could not believe that those who objected 

 to the Council wished it to become a mere farmers' club. 

 Such clubs might be very agreeable and very useful, 

 but in his ojiinion the great value and importance of 

 that Society arose iVom there being a mixture of landlords 

 and farmers, and he was quite satisfied that it was not 

 the interest of farmers that it should become a farmers' 

 club or a debating society. He would only add, that as 

 questions closely afl'ccting agriculture often arose in 

 Parliament, it appeared on that account desirable that 

 the Council should include a certain number of mem- 

 bers of both Houses. 



Mr. Dent, M.P., said there cfi'tainly was a 

 wide-spread feeling that there were on the Council 

 too many persons connected with the landed, and 

 too few connected with the farming interest (Hear, 

 hear.) That feeling had no doubt been in a great de- 

 gree strengthened by the comparative secresy of the 

 proceedings of the Council (Hear, hear) ; but he would 

 not enter at length into that question, because a com- 

 mittee had been appointed to consider whether or not 

 it was desirable to make the proceedings more public. 

 As regarded the selection oi' an editor for the Journal. 

 having had the pleasure of meeting the new editor there, 

 he hoped that in his hands that publication would be 

 well conducted ; but there certainly was a feeling that 

 the proceedings connerted ^jtl] the pe]ectioij vras ca>Tied 



on in a very close manner, and the fact that Mr. Frcre 

 was not known to the agricultural world tended to in- 

 crease the general dissatisfaction on the subject. When 

 all the leading agricultural papers, and even the Econo- 

 mist, came forward complaining of the course pursued, 

 one could hardly help feeling that where there was so 

 much smoke there must be some fire. As regarded the 

 election of the Council itsol^", he must say that ho 

 thought it would be far better if the candidates were all 

 proposed and seconded in the usual manner. In 

 conclusion, he would remark that though there might be 

 notliing in the present management that was very faulty, 

 that was no reason why they should not endeavour to 

 bring about improvements (Hear, hear.) 



Mr. Slanev, M.P., fully agreed with previous 

 speakers, that there ought to be in the Council a fair 

 and reasonable infusion of intelligent practical farmers, 

 lie happened to have been one of the earliest members 

 of the Society, having attended with Lord Spencer tho 

 preliminary meeting which led to its formation, and he 

 had deeply rejoiced to observe its progress and to see 

 such wide-spread benefits diff'used by means of the 

 Journal and in other ways among the members. He hoped 

 that the little differences of opinion which now existed, 

 owing perhaps greatly to some mistakes which were 

 made by their late unfortunate Secretary (" No, 

 no"), would soon disappear. During the latter 

 part of his life, the late yecretary did not perhaps 

 do all that he might have done to promote the useful- 

 ness of the Society. Looking forward, however, he 

 thought there was a good prospect of the Society's con- 

 ferring increased benefits on agriculture throughout the 

 length and breadth of the land. He was quite sure the 

 Council would receive in good part the wish which had 

 been expressed, that it was desirable that there should 

 be a lirger number of j ractical farmers on the 

 Council, provided they could attend ; for frequent, if 

 not constant, attendance was necessary. As one of the 

 humblest members of the Council, one who was getting 

 an old man, and was not able to devote as much time 

 to the affairs of the Society as he did formerly, he 

 should be most happy to withdrav/ his name, in order 

 that some other name miglit be substituted for it ; and 

 lest his feeling towards the Society should be misun- 

 derstood, he would at the same time offer a prize 

 for the best essay on the construction of labourers' 

 cottages, deep ploughing, or some other subject. He 

 trusted they would all unite together in support of a 

 society which had done so much good to the agriculture 

 of the country. 



Mr. ToRR said, as a practical farmer who was a 

 member of the Council, he wished to lell Mr. Sidney 

 and those who concurred in his views, that he thought 

 there were improved prospects for the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society, and that some of its late pro- 

 ceedings would bear comparison with the best pro- 

 ceedings of the early period to which he referred. In 

 short, he believed that the Society was in an improved 

 position in every respect. One word with regard to 

 the selection of the Secretary and of the Editor of the 

 Journal. He would not say one word against either 

 of those gentlemen ; but he certainly thought that one 

 election ought to have been conducted on more popular 

 principles. (Hear, hear). He had no doubt of the 

 efficiency of Mr. Frere, but he thought a more popular 

 mode of election would have strengthened his position, 

 and at the same time have strengthened the Council by 

 showing that it was not afraid to appeal to the members. 

 (Hear, hear). As regarded Mr. Amos, he was con- 

 fident that the Society could not have an abler consult- 

 ing engineer, or one who would devote more time to its 

 affairs. He might remark that he had himself gone to 

 Mr. Amos to request hjni to set ns a judge for othpf 



