THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



53 



THE DINNER 

 took place on Thursday, June 4th, at three o'clock ; Lord 

 Courtenay, as President, in the chair, supported by a com- 

 pany of between four and five hundred, including Lord 

 Portman, Sir J. Y. Buller, Bart., M.P., L. V. Palk, Esq , 

 M.P., Sir E. Baker, Bart., S. T. Kekewich, Esq., R. Durant, 

 Esq., the Hon. W. W. Addington, the Hon. and Rev. C. L. 

 Courtenay, the Rev. J. L. Brereton, W. M. Praed, Esq., Dr. 

 Miller, T. D. Acland, Esq., J. Sillifant, Esq., W. Hole, Esq.. 

 Rev. J. C. James, Captain Maxwell, and Messrs. Kaollys, 

 Pitman, Gillet, John Gray, &c. &c. 



After the customary loyal toasts. Sir J. Y. Buller gave the 

 health of the Chairman, who, in responding,' said I am not in- 

 ferior to any in warm and active interest for agricultural pur- 

 suits ; and especially am I interested in the proceedings of 

 this society, because I feel that it is one which is calculated to 

 do good — not merely to this county only, to which I am of 

 course especially attached, but to all the counties in the im- 

 mediate neighbourhood, which have many points in common, 

 by promoting the competition and facilitating the diffusion of 

 that information which is essential to the improvement of 

 every branch of human industry. (Cheers.) And I confess, 

 gentlemen, that it has been an especial gratification to me, in 

 the position which I have had the honour of being placed, to 

 be brought into contact with so many gentlemen of neigh- 

 bouring counties, with whom I had previously not the pleasure 

 of being associated or acquainted. ( Hear, hear ) I feel that 

 we in Devonshire will benefit very much by receiving friends 

 from Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, and Cornwall, and by a com- 

 munication of ideas promote the common object we have in 

 view. I cannot help, in one sentence, congratulating you as 

 members and friends of this society, upon its advancing pros- 

 perity, and upon the proof which this year's exhibition gives 

 (as did also former exhibitions) that it is regarded with con- 

 fidence by the agriculturists of this part of England, who look 

 upon it as an instrument of good, are disposed to wish it good 

 speed, and to promote, in every possible way, its interests and 

 its prosperity. When we know that the number of exibitors 

 of implements and stock is larger than on former occasions, 

 and when we see the increased number of people who have 

 visited us on this occasion, we cannot doubt but that this 

 society stands well in the judgment and opinion of agricul- 

 turists and the public. I would take leave to allude to another 

 movement, with which the society has so far connected itself 

 as to pass a resolution of sanction and approval— 1 mean that 

 movement which is now set on foot for the purpose of improv- 

 ing, through the medium of examinations, education in those 

 schools in which many of us as agriculturists are more espe- 

 cially interested. Gentlemen, it is probably known to most 

 of you that my valued and talented friend and relation. Lord 

 Ebringtou, with that liberal and enlightened philanthropy 

 which characterises his public conduct, two years ago placed 

 at the disposal of the public, out of his own funds, prizes for 

 the purpose of competition by the commercial schools of this 

 district. That answered well, produced much competition, 

 and resulted in the successful attainment of prizes by the de- 

 serving son of a farmer at no great distance from Exeter. The 

 hint was taken up, and a committee at Exeter, composed of 

 gentlemen of various positions in society — the farmers of the 

 neighbourhood, the tradesmen, and the magistrates, all acting 

 together — have agreed to try an extension of that plan, and I 

 heartily hope (because I believe it is an object of essential 

 importance to the agriculturists of this county) it may answer- 

 The plan, let me add, of instituting examinations, through the 

 medium of a local committee, contemplates no interference 

 with the independence either of the conductor of the agricultural 



school or with the parent who sends his children there. It 

 contemplates no system of government inspection ; it contem- 

 plates no inquisitorial investigation into the way in which the 

 school is managed. Such a proceeding would be unworthy of 

 its promoters, and would be calculated to defeat the object it 

 has in view. But it contemplates such a system of examina- 

 tion as by showing the world the most intelligent, and the 

 best trained boys, will at the same time show who are the best 

 qualified to train others. The plan in question will not inter- 

 fere with master or parent, but it will, I trust, gradually raise 

 the tone of education throughout the country ; gradually give 

 a sound and, I hope, a more practical character to much of 

 that education which the middle-class now receive, and thus 

 exercise a beneficial influence over generations to come. I 

 think the society in passing an approving resolution of that 

 scheme has acted quite within its province as being interested 

 in everything which benefits the agricultural community. 



Mr. Sillifant gave the " Local Committee ;" responded to 

 by Mr. Wall ; Mr. Brereton " The Labourer," aud Mr. KnoUya 

 The Judges." 



Mr. Caldwsll, in responding, said he should only make 

 a few remarks, in which, perhaps, he might be induced to ven- 

 ture a little farther than merely returning thanks at a jovial 

 dinner. He might look on the present as a dinner of agricul- 

 turists who had met to hear something, and who had come to 

 that meeting to see and learn, and to buy those instruments, 

 most conducive to the benefit of their land. The way to get, 

 over what he had to say was, first to return thanks on behalf 

 of the field-judges for the manner in which their healths had 

 been drunk, and at the same time on behalf of the judges to 

 thank the stewards who attended them : the judges also de- 

 sired him to return thanks to Messrs. Froude, Gooch, and 

 Belfield, for the provision of an efficient dynamometer to test 

 the ploughs. In reference to the remark made by the chair- 

 man relative to the good done by the society for Devonshire, 

 he might remark that Devonshire was well represented in the 

 present exhibition. The prizes for "the general purposes " 

 ploughs and the turnwrest ploughs, which latter were very re- 

 quisite here, were both obtained by Devonshire manufacturers. 

 This meeting proved that there were efficient men in the west 

 as well as in the east. But he would say no more on that 

 point, but would give the result of his experience in the yard, 

 for the good of the society and for the benefit of the farmers 

 of the district. The judges had had a very hard task, but 

 they had seen some very good implements. On first entering 

 the show-yard he saw on a shed " Garrett and Son," aud asked 

 for their machinery; but they had none in the yard. He 

 could not tell them why, but he knew why. He could assure 

 them that Garrett was a leading man : he was of his (the 

 speaker's) own neighbourhood: he had bought implements 

 of him, and should have liked to have seen him at the Newton 

 Show ; but it appeared to him (Mr. Caldwell) that the " big " 

 makers had begun to be afraid of the Devonshire men (laugh- 

 ter and cheers). One of the large manufacturers had come— 

 one that he would willingly trust in. He had a very nice en- 

 gine ; and they sought to have it tried. They asked him (the 

 exhibitor) if he was not going to run his engine ; he said No. 

 He (Mr. Caldwell) would go no further with the private con- 

 versation ; he thought its drift would be observable from what 

 he had said (Hear, hear). There were five or six leading ma- 

 nufacturers who would not come into the west ; he could only 

 put it down to Devon being too good for them (hughter). He 

 certainly thought that the implement yard was a proof of the 

 mechanical ability of the Devon men ; but when they came to 

 try the steam-engines, which were the production of men of 

 the west, it was found they could not get up the steam. It 



