THK FARMER'S MAGAZINE 



77 



Still, he ventured to thiuk, and in that opinion he waa sup- 

 ported by the great body of the farmers, tliat that measure 

 had not been carried far cnougii, and that there were yet a 

 considerable number of geutlomeu on the Council who, 

 though of the highest respectability, were little better than 

 ciphers in an agricultural point of view. He knew that it was 

 said at Salisbury by a geullcman who defended the Council, 

 and was a lenaut-farmer himself, that tlie tenant-farmers 

 would not attend. Hut with regard to that argument he 

 thought he could give (acts which would at once set it com- 

 pletely at rest. He had had the honour of belougiug, for a 

 considerable number of years, to tlie Central Farmers' Club— a 

 society not so numerous as this, but celebrated for containing 

 within its ranks a large body of practical men. That Club met 

 seven times in the year to hold discussions. It had a large 

 Committee, and he believed he should be borne out by the 

 memberj of the Club then present — at any ra(e by those who 

 took an active part in its proceedings, when he said that the 

 meetings of the Club always comprised a great proportion of 

 practical farmers. And the importance of those meetings — 

 an importance which might be easily imitated by the Royal 

 Agricultural Society, if it chose— could be gathered from the 

 fact that the papers and discussions of the Club, having been 

 immediately reported and spread throughout ihe length and 

 breadth of the laud, ha! led to great and important cliauges. 

 Indeed, at a recent meeting of the Society of Arls, it 

 was stated that the discussions of the Central Farmers' 

 Club on the steam-plough had done much to promote 

 the application of ste^m to autumnal cultivation. He 

 trusted, then, that the Council would take into conside- 

 ration that, since the Royal Agricultural Society was founded, 

 the number and intelligence of the tenant farmers of England 

 had greatly increased, and seize the earliest opportunity of 

 introducing a larger portion of that elemen' i„to their own 

 body. If they would do that, they might rely upon it that 

 they would find no difficulty in getting gentlemen to attend 

 their meetings as punctually as they did in the compa- 

 ratively small society, the Central Farmers' Club. He 

 would not make any remarks about the Journal, which he ad- 

 mitted had been put in a more satisfactory stat? since last he 

 addressed them upon the subject, neither would he refer to the 

 prize-list; because, although he had been told that any change 

 was unnecessary, it had nevertheless been thoroughly con- 

 sidered, several changes had been introduced, and the list placed 

 upon a better footing. But there was one point to which he 

 was very anxious to direct attention— he meant the weekly 

 meetings. At present, in consequence of the exclusion of re- 

 porters, those meetings were nothing better than a farce. Now 

 the society had immense means at its command, and a great 

 number of its most intelligent members were anxious to con- 

 tribute to the usefulness of those meetings ; but they did not 

 like to come forward with useful papers, if it was their fate to 

 be buried and never heard of more, as he feared was the case 

 with many a valuable contribution of the sort. He trusted 

 that the weekly meetings of the Society would not be much 

 longer treated like a French police court, as if there were some- 

 thing dangerous in reporting what the members might have 

 to say. The value of an immediate report of a useful discussion 

 was strikingly proved by the Central Farmers' Club, of which his 

 lordship in the chair was a member. Some years ago the Farm, 

 ers' Club did not publish its discussions, but left it to the 

 newspapers to do so, and that alone gave very great support 

 to the Club. But when it went a little further, and circulated 

 a report of its discussions amongst the members, a great ac- 

 cession was made to its ranks. He kuew that it was not pos- 

 sible to do this in the Royal AgricnUural Society ; but 



he should be borne out by every practical man who heard 

 him in saying that when useful papers were brought forward 

 the Council might allow the Press to disseminate them, with 

 the view of obtaining criticisms upon them ; so that if they 

 were good they might be made useful, and if not that their 

 fdllacies might be exposed. Any gentleman who took the 

 trouble of turning to the seven discussions of the Central Far- 

 mers' Club during the past year would at once see that those 

 which were useful created immediately a great deal of atten- 

 tion. No sooner, indeed, was the ess-ay upon autumnal culti- 

 vation published than the newspapers were literally over- 

 whelmed with corre3poiideure of the most interesting descrip- 

 tion in reference to that subject ; and he had been informed 

 by a gentleman who was engaged iu promoting stesm plough- 

 ing that the discussion had done more to accoiijplish that 

 object than anything else. He would also 'ake that oppor- 

 tunity of observing that he thought the time had arrived when 

 the Royal Agricultural Society should take stock of what it 

 had done. He was certain that nothing could more contri- 

 bute to its usefulness, or forward the great object for which 

 it was originally established, than now, at the end of twenty 

 years from its (ouudation, to adopt some means, such as the 

 preparation of a seiies of questions relating to every subject 

 connected with agriculture, and the circulation of those ques- 

 tions amongst its members iu the various counties, of ascer- 

 taining what progress had been made in every department 

 of agriculture since the year 1838, when the society was 

 first instituted. If they would only make use of the very 

 intelligent members who were to be found iu the ranks of 

 the society, and other gentlemen who would be quite as 

 ready to render their services in circulating a series of 

 questions throughout their several districts, as to what 

 changes had been effected in the management and breeds of 

 live stock, what progress had been made in the use of im- 

 proved implements, and what implements had been found to 

 be the most successful ; what changes in, and additions to, 

 manures had been made, and what had been the general re- 

 sult ; he was sure that the answers to such questions as he 

 had thus faintly indicated, when digested into a rtport, would 

 prove to be a document far exceeding in value anything in the 

 shape of agricultural statistics that could be obtained, and 

 that without prejudice to any one (hear). It would tend still 

 further to promote the usefulness of the society, and to raise 

 it in the estimation of the great body of the agricultunsts of 

 the kingdom. He hoped that, in what he had said, he had 

 not laid himself open to a charge of egotism. It was rather a 

 bold thing for a man like himself to stand up there, and make 

 these observations. That he was quite aware of ; but, since 

 last he addressed the society, at one of its meetings, he had 

 taken considerable pains to obtain the confidence of the a-^ri- 

 cultural public, and he believed that, without being egotistical, 

 he had achieved some measure of success. He confessed that 

 he could have wished some more influential person had come 

 forward aud addressed the meeting on this occasion ; but he 

 trusted the observations he had taken the liberty of making 

 would be regarded as intended to 'promote the usefulness of 

 the society, which no mau was more desirous of assisting to 

 increase than himself. 



The Chairman said he could bear his meed of praise 

 to what had been accomplished by the Central Farmers' 

 Club ; but this was not a debating society, and it was 

 most desirable that it should not be permitted to lapse 

 into anything of the sort. Mr. Sidney had the advantage 

 of the press being represented here to-day, and there was 

 no doubt that his remarks would go forth to the public, aud 

 be appreciated by the council in the manner they deserved. 



