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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



THE TRIAL FIELDS AT WATERFORD. 



Sir,— I was one of the very many who were privi- 

 leged to attend the Royal Irish Agricultural Society's 

 Meeting at Waterford. It was one of the most pleasing 

 sights a true agriculturist could witness. The Show- 

 yard was complete, even to minute details ; not perhaps 

 elaborated in the unexampled way of our own Society, 

 under its inimitable director, the triennial establishment 

 of stewards, and now the constant contractor. Thus 

 everything is provided for ; and our Irish brethren are 

 fast approaching us — indeed in some of the details they 

 excel us. With us, each locality successfully. competing 

 for the honour of entertaining our Society deposits a 

 specified sum, to be at the disposal of the Society. In 

 Ireland the local committee have the disposal of the 

 sum thus raised, and lay it out as best they can to pro- 

 mote the success of the Meeting. We like our own 

 plan best, as being most economical. Local committees 

 must consist, for the most part, of new men, and of 

 course not well acquainted with a Society's require- 

 ments. This year they have done admirably : the site 

 of the Show-yard is all that could be desired. It is in 

 a field, or park, in which stands the Court House, a 

 building worthy of the country, with a noble front and 

 handsome flight of steps of great length. In this front, 

 and radiating from it, so as to include at one view the 

 numerous classes, were placed the cattle and sheep under 

 their well-contrived boarded shed ; further to the east were 

 the pigs ; and around the outer boundary of this inner 

 park were the horses. The implement department was 

 in the adjoining park (now inaugurated by the Lord 

 Lieutenant), to which is an entrance over a pretty 

 bridge recently erected over a branch of the beautiful 

 river Suir. The same idea appeared to advantage here. 

 The whole of the sheds were so arranged as to present a 

 front towards the centre in a modified octagonal form ; 

 thus giving it a pretty appearance to the numerous 

 visitors patrolling the interior, and listening to the two 

 bands, stationed conveniently for effect and to relieve 

 each other. The whole arrangements reflected great 

 credit upon the indefatigable secretary, the stewards, 

 and local committee; to the latter body much had been 

 delegated, and these powers they carried out with great 

 spirit. Their promptitude was also very commendable : 

 no sooner had the judges made their selections of imple- 

 ments for trial, than they were forthwith despatched to 

 their respective trial-fields. 



The first day, or rather the afternoon of Friday, was 

 devoted to the trial of ploughs. But here we were dis- 

 appointed, for instead of our favourite ploughing match, 

 and the desire we had to witness a trial of Irish skill in 

 ploughing, we were doomed to submit to view the unin- 

 teresting efforts of a single ploughman straining himself 

 to make all the ploughs do equally well, and to produce 

 the same clean-cut furrow, and good workmanship from 

 every implement. This, of course, he failed to do; and 

 the judges had the novel task of deciding upon the 



merits of the ploughs in the hands of a single chosen 

 workman. I don't dispute the correctness of this mode 

 of arriving at a right decision, but it detracts much from 

 the interest of the trial. 



On Saturday, the American Eagle mowing machine, 

 the haymaking machines, and hay-rakes were tested, 

 and very satisfactorily ,as the judges were enabled, through 

 the good management of the stewards, to pioceed in 

 their duties without hindrance, in an orderly and syste- 

 matic manner, and who rendered to them every assist- 

 ance. 



On Monday the trial of reapers, mowing machines, 

 grubbers, and ploughs took place ; the latter being a re- 

 newed trial, to prove their usefulness in loose work, or 

 as " general purpose ploughs." Here I would observe, 

 that as the business of the meeting proceeded the excite- 

 ment and interest of the visitors increased, and the num- 

 bers attending on Monday were inconveniently large, 

 amounting to some thousands, all anxious to see the trials 

 for themselves. After a time the efforts of the stewards 

 and their assistants appeared in a slight degree to flag, so 

 that about four o'clock p.m. all seemed verging into con- 

 fusion. In our Society we have always a senior steward, 

 who assumes the supreme direction in bis year. At 

 Waterford there appeared to be no presiding steward 

 or managing director, so that very frequently orders 

 were contradictory, and arrangements hastily made 

 clashed with each other. The stewards were evidently 

 gentlemen of high standing, and intent upon doing their 

 duty ; but when eight or ten gentlemen, or even 

 more, including the society's stewards, the local stewards, 

 with their assistants, proceed to act without a recognized 

 leader, or a leader without prominence, it is not to be 

 wondered at that some confusion resulted. However, all 

 went on smoothly and pleasantly, until about the close of 

 the reaping trial, or when sufficient ground had been cut 

 to permit the trials of the ploughs, grubbers, &c., &c., to 

 proceed. The reaper (for only one appeared — i.e., Dray 

 and Dean's) had cut round a large plot of wheat, and 

 some difficulty arose relative to clearing it away for the 

 next bout ; and it was amusing to see one of the judges 

 hopelessly engaged in instructing some brawny fellows 

 in the mysteries of sheaf-tying, both by example and 

 precept. They could not do it, and it was not till some 

 ten or twelve strong women could be brought forward 

 to tie, that the work could proceed ; and it is but common 

 justice to these women to say they did their work well, 

 and with all that pleasing heartiness which gives such 

 zest to any new engagement. At length a sufficient 

 space was cut on either side the wheat-plot, and, as 

 time was fast receding, the judges decided to take the 

 ploughs and grubbers into worlc at the same time on 

 either side this plot, to be visited by the judges, as re- 

 quired in exchanging. Well, here lay the difficulty. 

 These spaces were filled with anxious beholders, intent 

 upon seeing every novel reaping-machine. To c'ear 



