THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



13 



amongst those present were — Lord Berners, Mr. Shearer, 

 Mr. Jonas Webb, Mr. K. Smith, Mr. James Wood, Mr. 

 Hudson (Castleacre), Mr. II. Trethewy, Mr.W. Ben- 

 nett, Mr. Aid. Mechi, the Rev. T. C. James, Mr. G. 1'. 

 Tu.Kford, Mr. H. Cheffins, Mr. J. C. Nesbit, Mr. 8kel- 

 ton, Mr. C. W. Johnson, Mr. C. Howard, Mr. John 

 Williams, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Coussmaker, Mr. Con- 

 greve, Mr. C. Stokes, Mr. E Purser, Mr. CreBsingham, 

 Mr. Sidney, Mr. R. Stedman, Mr. J. G. King, Mr. J. 

 F. Baincs, Mr. W. Eve, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Caporn, 

 Mr. Corbet, &c., &c. Mr, John Thomas, of Bletsoe, 

 the chairman-elect, acted as Vice-chairman. 

 After the usual loyal and patriotic toasts, 

 The Chairman said, he had now to propose a toast 

 which he was quite sure would be drunk by all present 

 with great cordiality, for it related to that in which they 

 all felt the deepest interest, namely, " The Prosperity of 

 the Central Farmers' Club." (Cheers). Itwasagreat 

 pleasure to him to see so large a company. It was also 

 a source of deep satisfaction to him to be able to an- 

 nounce the continued proj^ress of the Club during the 

 present year — an increase which had only to be followed 

 \i]> by a like exertion on their parts to issue in the 

 doubling and trebling of their numbers. (Hear, hear.) 

 Looking back to the period of the formation of that 

 Club, which was now 15 or 16 years sl'^o, and compar- 

 ing it with the state of things at present, he rejoiced to 

 see the great improvement which had taken place. And 

 where did those improvements for the most part 

 originate ? In societies and clubs, where men had 

 opportunities of gaining new ideas, anJ where projects 

 were formed which were afterwards carried out. It 

 was by such means that they had attamed the degree 

 of progress which had already been realized. Every one 

 must look back with delight to the gradual advance 

 which had been made since the old-fashioned plough 

 was the only one in use. He was himself living on a 

 farm where his grandfather lived (cheers), and recollect- 

 ing the kind of plough which was used in his grand- 

 father's time, and seeing the improved manner in which 

 they were now able to till the land, he felt that they had 

 great cause to congratulate each other that there had 

 been men amongst agriculturists who had had the talent 

 to suggest improvements, and the energy to carry them 

 out. (Hear, hear). It was by the diffusion of intelli- 

 gence, and the interchange of ideas, that agricultural im- 

 provements were most likely to be carried to perfection; 

 and he trusted therefore that they would all put their 

 shoulders to the wheel, and exert themselves to the 

 utmost in order that a club which had proved so useful 

 might attain increased prosperity. He proposed that 

 they should now drink " Prosperity to the Club ;" and he 

 begged to connect with the toast the name of his friend 

 Mr. Trethewy, one of their most active members. 

 The toast having been drunk with the honours, 

 Mr. H. Trethewy much regretted that that duty 

 had not devolved upon one who was more competent to 

 do it justice. As a member of the Club, however, he 

 felt bound to obey the call of the Chairman ; and, more- 

 over, the interest which he felt in the Club would pre- 

 vent him from shrinking from the performance of any 

 duty which was fairly imposed upon him. That Club 

 now numbered .'omething like five hundred members, 

 most, if not all, of whom were more or less connected 

 with agriculture; and it could also boast of the counte- 

 nance of many large and influential landowners, who by 

 their support manifested that they were not ashamed to 

 identify themselves with them (cheers). It would be a 

 bold assertion to say that their list of members com- 

 prised all the best farmers in England ; but they would 

 be fully justilied in saying that it comprised very many 

 first-class farmers. (Hear hear.) Constituted, then, as 

 this Club wasj he was sure it could not fail to prove a 



very useful institution. They were not leagued together 

 for the purpose of promoting their own interests, to the 

 ))rfjudice of those of other classes. On the contrary, 

 they had a national object in view : their object was the 

 improvement of the land — the advancement of agricul- 

 ture. If they succpcded in that object, the effect must 

 be increased production, and increased production must 

 be a national benefit. (Hear, hear.) That the discus- 

 sions of that Club had excited attention in other quarters 

 there could be no question. It would be easy to adduce 

 several instances, but he would refer only to one which 

 had recently come under his own notice, and which he 

 had no doubt had also come under that of many pre- 

 sent. Within the last week a paragraph had appeared 

 in the Times, to the effect that some Liverpool mer- 

 chants had lately met together for the purpose of con- 

 considering the question of securing a uniformity of 

 weights and measures ; and on that subject the " lead- 

 ing journal" had a very excellent article. Now that ques- 

 tion was first brought prominetaly before the country 

 through the medium of that Club, being introduced 

 there by their late excellent chairman, Mr. Owen Wallis, 

 whom he was sorry not to see now present. He 

 did not say that Mr. Wallis was the person who first 

 ventilated the subject, for it was discussed in several 

 market towns previous to its introduction iu the Club 

 by that gentleman; but to him, he believed, was due 

 the credit of having first brought it prominently before 

 the public. That was one proof of the beneficial influ- 

 ence which the Club exercised. No longer ago than the 

 previous evening they had a paper read to them on stock - 

 farming on stiff retentive soils, to which no one 

 could have listened without deriving instruction from. 

 (Cheers). It might be said that gentlemen of superior 

 information could publish books, or send letters to news- 

 papers, and that information might be diffused as well 

 by such means as by means of lectures and discussions. 

 Now he (Mr. Trethewy) could not subscribe to that 

 opinion. He thought that by far the best way of attain- 

 ing the object was to have dilferent subjects discussed in 

 a friendly manner, because in that way the various views 

 and opinions of the whole country might be brought to 

 bear on the question at issue— an advantage which 

 nothing in the shape of publications, or of correspond- 

 ence, would secure. (Hear, hear.) He quite concurred 

 in the opinion of their excellent chairman, that their 

 success depended very much on themselves. (Hear, 

 hear.) It was now something like sixteen years since 

 the Club was established; "' through good report, 

 and through evil ^report" it had flourished and pros- 

 pered, and he had no doubt it would continue to do so. 

 (Cheers). 



Lord Berners, with the greatest possible plea- 

 sure, rose to propose a toast, which had been en- 

 trusted to him by the committee of the Club — a toast 

 which he was sure would be received with equal plea- 

 cure by all present, namely, "The Health of their ex- 

 cellent Chairman." (Cheers.) They had heard from 

 that gentleman, and they had also heard from Mr. 

 Trethewy, that the prosperity of the Club was increasing, 

 and he had little doubt that much of the prosperity of 

 the present year was due to the efficient and admirable 

 manner in which the Chairman had conducted the busi- 

 ness. Every one with whom he had conversed respect- 

 ing the management of the Club had told him that the 

 Chairman was an excellent man of business, and he was 

 sure that the manner in which he had thus far presided 

 that evening was such as called for the approbation of 

 all present. One word modestly dropped from him 

 which touched him (Lord Berners) very much ; he 

 always rejoiced to hear a farmer • say that he occupied 

 the land which his grandfather occupied. (Cheers.) 

 One of the advantages of Clubs of that description— 



