THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



123 



all good — the finding cheap food for the population of the 

 empire ? Let them not, then, debase the association by 

 calling out about the difference between theoretical and 

 practical men. What was a practical man but a theoretical 

 man who reduced his theory to practice ? In the Royal 

 Agricultural Society there were practical men, and men 

 who knew nothing about the business in regard to which 

 they pretended to know a great deal. So much the better. 

 If there were not such men, how on earth should others 

 have the opportunity of contradicting them (laughter) ? 

 Argument brought out truth and valuable facts, and there 

 was nothing more conspicuous in the Royal Agricultural 

 Societ_v than their anxiet}- to hear sentiments freely ex- 

 pressed -, and nothing could exceed the attention paid to a 

 practical man who delivered his opinions. The quality of 

 the animals exhibited during the day was certainly far 

 above the common lot ; and he believed some of them would 

 go from the yard and win prizes against all England. To 

 return to the quettion of practical men, he would ask, who 



were the great winners at the Royal Agricultural Society's 

 meetings ; were they Mr, Snooks, or Mr. Dicks, or Mr. 

 Box? No; they were Lord Walsingham, Lord Berners, 

 and other lords. And how was it that these noblemen 

 beat practical men? By giving to some intelligent men 

 power to spend their money. From the newspapers one 

 would fancy Lord Walsingham and Lord Berners passed 

 the greater part of their time in pulling hairs out of their 

 cows' tails or clipping their sheep (laughter). The principle 

 which had been very much repudiated in Norfolk, with 

 regard to the exhibition of animals, was a very correct one. 

 If he had to get up a young lady for a show, he should put 

 as much bustle on her as she required (laughter). And so 

 it was with sheep : the only difference being that as little 

 "bustle" as possible was taken off them. Gentlemen 

 should be left to bring up their animals as they pleased, 

 and to look the best they could •, for the tup-hirer was a 

 fool who was deceived by a little millinery (laughter). 

 After a few other toasts the company separated. 



THE SUFFOLK AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 



MEETING AT IPSWICH. 



For the first time since the centralization of Sufiblk 

 in one united Society, has the meeting been held in 

 the capital of the county. The Association has so 

 come to test, at a very early period in this its modern 

 history, how far any such change or extension is likely 

 to be for the better. If a greater breadth and width of 

 country would promise to support any gathering, it 

 would be one at the acknowledged head-quarters of the 

 district. There may scarcely, perhaps, as yet have 

 been sufficient opportunity to develop this enlarged 

 scheme, or to count upon all who will hereafter be 

 found susceptible to its influence. Still with all our 

 recollections of what East Suffolk alone has done here, 

 a county show at Ipswich ought to be a good one. 



And so it has been. It must be encouraging to the 

 promoters of this amalgamation to see their views 

 so soon and so amply confirmed. Regarded as 

 a general exhibition of stock, this is considered 

 to be one of the best ever held here. Taken, 

 again, for its especial feature, as a show of 

 horses— and that has always been the great strength 

 of the Suffolk meetings— we have no hesitation in 

 recording the present years' as surpassing any 

 previous occasion. In saying thus much, we do not 

 speak of SuflPolk horses only. In those for " riding 

 and coaching purposes" the improvement was even 

 yet more remarkable. The entries were much more 

 numerous than heretofore, and the style of horse 

 in many classes proportionatcdy advancing. We will 

 not stay to consider how far this satisfactory result may 

 be attributable to the okl blood or the new. The rather 

 let us arrive at once at the consummation wished for. 

 The shows of the whole county are even by this time 

 better than those of East Suffolk alone. In a word, 

 the object aimed at in this alteration is already 

 achieved. 



There are few more experienced judges of draught 



horses than Mr. Spooner of Southampton. Both by 

 his profession and his own innate abilities he stands 

 well qualified for the office he is now so frequently 

 called upon to fill. He was once more summoned upon 

 such a duty to Ipswich ; and in that capacity, as one of 

 the judges of Suffolks he was fortunately allowed to say 

 a few words at the dinner. These few were all to the 

 point. He had never before — and he was one of those 

 in authority at Chelmsford— never had he seen such a 

 show of Suffolk horses. He characterized it as an ex- 

 hibition that no district in the whole world could 

 have equalled. With nothing, too, was he more im- 

 pressed than the marked improvement in the young 

 stock. The Suffolks, it would seem, are coming 

 not only to be more generally bred, but at the 

 some time more carefully cultivated. There was one 

 rather striking example of this growing superiority. 

 Mr. Badham's three-year-old colt, that took the first 

 prize in his class, also took the second amongst the aged 

 horses. The entry against him in the latter was still 

 very strong. While the judges were debating over their 

 several merits, a countyman assured us there were 

 three or four first prize horses in the ring, win- 

 ners at the Royal Agricultural Society, as well as at the 

 local meetings. They were, certainly, a magnificent 

 lot to look at ; and a Yorkshireman, who stood at our 

 side, confessed he had never seen such a sight 

 before. Still the mares and young stock, as we 

 have already intimated, were the most fancied. 

 There was one three-year-old filly, especially, not 

 sent before the judges when we left her, really a 

 model of strength and symmetry. She had, more- 

 over, a kinder head and better eye than many of 

 the sort can show. Indeed, as we thought, there were 

 many others improving in these hitherto weak places. 

 If, amongst the recommendations of the Suffolk, he 

 had only a little harder colour and more lively look, 



