THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



123 



well, a geatleman not only well known in his own 

 county, but latterly more generally as the author of 

 a paper on autumn cultivation, read before the 

 members of the Central Farmers' Club. With every- 

 thing thus cleared off, one would have supposed 

 there might have been room for some little edifying and 

 practical talk over an entertainment, well attended and 

 well served. It is seldom, however, that we sat out 

 anything more generally tedious. How every man doled 

 out his allotted pint of wine to the toasts we will not try 

 to calculate. They drank everybody and everything 

 almost, but agriculture. " The Queen," of course 

 three times three. " Prince Albert," three times 

 three. " Rest of the Royal Family," three times throe. 

 "The President," nitie times nine, "The Suffolk 

 Agricultural Society," nine times nine — with nothing- 

 said about it, and nobody to return thanks for it. " The 

 Bishop and the Clergy," three times three— viit\i a 

 reverend gentleman up, who got at last to " The poor 

 of Old England," nine times nine. "The Army and 

 Navy," nine times nine and one cheer more — and one 

 gallant gentleman to thank us for the Army, and an- 

 other for the Navy. " The House of Commons, and 

 especially the Members of the Eastei'n Division of Suf- 

 folk" — who did not come, but who providentially sent two 

 other Members to i-eturn thanks for them. "The Vice- 

 President," three times three — Another honourable 

 gentleman, who had discovered a paper about Kooria 

 Mooria Guano in his place in Parliament, and who de- 

 livered an essay on Town Sewage, and what a capital 

 thing it would be for the farmers if they could only get 

 at it ! And then at last we did get something worth 

 hearing irom Mr. French, which we have reported, and 

 something more from Mr. Spooner, which is also to be 

 read. Mr. Ransome for the Royal Society, conscious, 

 perhaps, that a good deal too much of some sort had 

 been said already, did not do himself justice. "The 

 Mayor and Corporation," nine times nine ; "Manu- 

 factures and Commerce," nine times nine ; " The 

 Ladies," m?te times nine; and last of all, the honorary 

 secretary, Mr. Biddell, who deserved the compliment 

 if any one did, and who of course would have been 

 left out altogether, if it had not been for the pluck of 

 one of the judges, Mr. Clayden, who brought the 

 chairman back to his seat to do honour to a man who 

 not only merited it, but who spoke to the point, and 

 told the meeting how the Society was going on. 



All this is worse than absurd. If it is to be continued 

 there had i-eally better be no dinner at all. Drink her 

 Majesty, certainly, and loyally — no company of English- 

 men would be happy without doing so — and the Army 

 and Navy, and the President. But don't ignore agricul- 

 ture, or bring it in when everybody is tired out. At 

 these meetings we want to hear the practical men tell 

 us home truths of what they have seen that day, and not 

 to be bored and buttered over with town sewage and 

 stale news about Kooria Mooria ; or wearied out by 

 prosy parsons and too-fluent M.P.'s; or sworda turned 

 into ploughshares, or the strength of Russia as a fight- 

 ing country. Suppose, as well as Mr. Spooner, they 

 had up another one or two of the judges — Mr, Torr, 



for one, to tell us what he thought of the pigs and sheep 

 (of which, by the way, there was a short show, 

 with some very good Downs of Mr. Sexton's); and 

 Mr. Burton, from Yorkshire, to say something about 

 the hacks and hunters. The " successful and unsuccess- 

 ful exhibitors," again, might improve on the occasion, 

 and in due time, too—not when everybody has been 

 thinking for the last half hour or so that he had better 

 be off. We say not only to the Suffolk, but to many 

 other local societies, cut down your toast-list to one- 

 half its length, and encourage, instead of ignoring, your 

 practical men. People do not — or, at least, we hope 

 they don't — go to these dinners for the empty compli- 

 ments, and the nine times nine. 



In other respects nothing could be better arranged 

 than this Ipswich meeting. The Stewards of the yard 

 and the Secretary have especially to be thanked for 

 their arrangements, and the trouble they took to do 

 everything well. As one great improvement, we may 

 mention the rings into which the horses were brought, 

 class after class, for the judges' inspection. This is in 

 every way preferable to the rambling roundabout cir- 

 cuit their worships have had hitherto to travel. 



The Suffolk Society is in one respect even in advance 

 of the times. It offers no prizes nor encouragement 

 of any kind for implements. The chief makers, how- 

 ever, of the district sent the majority of those inven- 

 tions and improvements they are famous for. Amongst 

 such exhibitors were Messrs. Garrett, Ransome, Howard, 

 Turner, Woods, Whitmore, Page and Girling, Bentall, 

 Sims, Picksby, and Mason, 



PRIZE LIST, 

 AGRICULTURAL HORSES AND COLTS. 



Judges. — Mr. R. Beard, Bardwel],Ixworth. 



Mr. J. ClaydoD, Littlebury, Saffron Walden. 

 Mr. W. 0. Spooner, Southampton. 



Class I. — Entire Cart Horses (all Suffolks). 



First prize of £10, to Mr. N. G. Barthropp, Cretingham, 

 Suffolk. 



Second prize of £5, to the breeder of the best entire cart 

 liorse, to Mr. Crisp. 



Third prize of £5, to Mr. G. D. Badham, Sparrow's Nest 

 Ipswich. 



Highly Commended — Mr. N. G. Barthropp's horse. 



Commeiided—Mt.W. Clarke, Ikeu, horse. 



Class H. — Three-year-old Entire Colta. 



First prize of £6, to Mr. G. D. Badbam. 



Second prize of £5, given by Sir E. Kerrisou, to Mr. W. 

 Wilson, Baylham Hall. 



Third prize of £4, to Mr. S. V/olton, Kesgrave. 



Commended — H. Laws, Kirton, colt. 



Class HI.* — Two-year-old Entire Colts. 



First prize of £5, given by Mr. R. Garrett, to Mr. Walter 

 Strutt, Groton. 



Second prize of £i, to Mr. Joseph Smith, Hasketou. 



Third prize of £3, to Mr. G. D. Badham. 



Cointnended— Mr. J. W. Williams, Trimley, colt. 

 Class HI. — One-year-old Entire Colts. 



First prize of £4, to Mr. J. Everett, Brightwell. 



Second prize of £3, to Mr. C. Frost, Wherstead. 



Uifjhhj commended — Mr. T. Crisp, Butley Abbey, colt. 

 Class IV. — Mares with foals at foot. 



First prize of £6, to Mr. S. Wriach, Great Holland, Essex. 



Second prize of £4, to Mr. Moses Criap, Letheringham. 



Commended— Mx. J. Ward, Mersea, Essex, mare. 

 Class V. — Cart foals. 



First prize of £6, to Mr. J. V/ard, Mersea, Essex. 



