^11 E FARMER'S MAGAZINE 



211 



parochial business, or in correctiiij;? any of the atmacs or irre- 

 jiulariUes that had, or may, in the course of time, have arisen. 

 When I commcuced busineas, now over forty years ago, the 

 poor were managed by aasistaut or deputy overseers, who re- 

 ceived each a handsome sulary (for at the time I speak of we 

 had two). The parish doctor received from £100 to £110; 

 bailey-coustabhs, at handsome salaries — £35 each. At this 

 time the poor had nearly the mastery over the overseers ; 

 for it was only requisite for the pauper to go to a magistrate 

 and make oath that he was destitute, and at once to receive a 

 peremptory order for relief, and it was at the peril of the over- 

 seer to refuse it. The rates were consequently very high for 

 relief; but added to this it waa customary to pay the rents of 

 a great many paupers' cottages, so that the poor'a-rate became 

 an enormous burthen (63. to 7s. in the pound). A few of us 

 set about its reduction, and many unhappy dissensions we 

 had. We speedily got rid of the aasistant-ovcrseers, most of 

 the cottage rents, and by titablishing a system of labour 

 cither on the roads or otherwise, materially reduced the 

 relief list, and consequently the rates, as I believe with 

 real contentment to the poor. A great many gross in- 

 equalities had crept into the rate-book, and I have now in my 

 possession tlie book which I made out under direction of 

 our committee, which so forcibly showed the absurdity of 

 some of the ratings, that we soon had these rectified. Then 

 there was the making the rate (highway-rate) ; that is, a chosen 

 or customary party went to the vestry, an adjournment was 

 soon moved to the Bull lun, a capital dinner and wine, 

 was provided, the rate was made, and the dinner bill paid out 

 of it. The charities came next to be considered. These were 

 in a most unsatisfactory state. The lands were let to the 

 friends and relatives of the tiustees at low rents. The trustees 

 were very few in number, and in some charities nearly extinct. 

 The church rates also engaged our serious attention : they 

 were very heavy, and included mole catching, sparrow catch- 

 ing, besides all footways and bridges, &c. The steeple was 

 always under repair, and I believe much money was fictitiously 

 expended upon it. The rates hal been collected for eight 

 years without being accounted for. What would our church- 

 rate abolitionists say to this? Well, we set about reforming 

 all these matters, and we grad\ially effected them, and in a 

 way that works satis'actorily up to this time. — I often wonder 

 what our zealous young reformers would hHve done in those 

 days I tliose were real reforms in parochial alfairs ! now, I 

 reckon them only gleaners in the reform field. All this was 

 not done without some odium and unkinduess. It was thus 

 that I sought to make myself useful as a parishioner. 



I have one more point. I resolved to qualify myself to 

 become a useful man of business, both in public and private. 

 Well, this I found to be the most difficult thing to attain to ; 

 and which I have not, nor ever slnll attain. However, there 

 was nothing like setting about it. I recollect very well bor- 

 rowing of Mr. Thomas Peele a number of Evans and Ruffy's 

 Farmers' Journal, Ihe agricultural newspaper of forty years 

 back. I was greatly interested in reading about Ilolkham 

 sheep- shearings and Wobnrn gatherings, ploughing meetings 

 and the like. I soon began to take unusual pleasure in buch 

 matters at home ; and although we had no matches to test 

 the skill and po.vers of our workmen, yet the best of them 

 were pretty well known in the district— such as Carter's Will, 

 Forster's Billy Percival, Mr. Peele'a George Barton. As 

 time passed on, the whole country became aroused by the 

 success which attended the Ilolkham and Woburn meetings, 

 and the Holkham system of agriculture. Agricultural societies 

 began to spring up here and there, were soon on the 

 increase everywhere, and it was not likely that the 



inhabitants of this district, who have always stood promi- 

 nent in promoting every io/provement likely to benefit their 

 country, would long be without a society of their own. 

 In the meantime I paid great attention to the introduction 

 into this district of new varieties of grain, seeds, turnips, 

 mangolds, cabbages, kolil-rabi, chicory, carrots, lucerne, and 

 saiiifoiu ; and after a time the whole country was aroused 

 to enquiry, and now you hear of new " sorts" every where, and 

 every body getting them. 1 also endeavoured to promote im- 

 provements in culture, such as autumn culture, subsoil plough- 

 ing, hollow-draining : on the latter atii.ject permit me to state 

 that I wrote and published the first pamphlet ever printed at 

 Long Sutton (this was by Mr, Swain). 1 also undertook to keep 

 up a breed of large framed and heavy-wooUed sheep for the 

 use of the neighbourhood. It was in this way that I sought 

 in my small capacity to be a useful man of business. I now 

 come to the busineas of this to me very interesting day, and 

 wherein I have been enabled to act more in a public capacity. 

 1 have said that Long Sutton will never be behind-hand in 

 promotiujT improvements ; consequently the establishment of 

 an Agricultural Society was often talked over, and at length 

 a fitting time came, and it is one of the many good things 

 which have emanated from this annual meeting for the benefit 

 ofj the neighbourhood. It was at a meeting of this association 

 held on January 23td, 1837 (twenty-two years next Monday), 

 that the Long Sutton Agricultural Society was mooted. The 

 following Friday, February 3rd, was fixed for holding the 

 meeting for establishing tlie society and drawing up the rules, 

 aud by adjournment to the 17th, when they were finally carried, 

 and the society established upon its present basis. The ope- 

 rations, however, for the first year were restricted to the 

 parishes of Long Sutton, Sutton St. James, St. Edmund's, 

 aud Gcdiiey, but in the following year it was extended to its 

 present boundary. W. Ske'ton, Esq , was appointed treasurer, 

 and myself secretary. The premium list coraprised prizes for 

 stock, and rewards for labourers; aud this order was maintained 

 with varied success up to the meeting of IS14, when the prizes 

 for stock were discontinued. In the course of the first year 

 an amalgamation was attempted with a similar society formed 

 at Ilolbeach, which failed. In 1839 we numbered 130 mem- 

 bers. In IS II Mr. Skelton was elected president of the 

 society, and myself treasurer as well as secretary. In 1843, 

 the first prizes were offered for mowing wheat, which speedily 

 had the effect of putting down all prejudices against that 

 course. In 1844, the first prizes were offered for hollow- 

 draining. In 1847, the first prizes were offered for allotments, 

 la 1854, the All-England or Champion ploughing class waa 

 established, and the first educatioual prizes were given. la 



1857, the steam-plough was introduced, the potato-digger, 

 and a large collection of implements was exhibited. In 



1858, ateam-plo\ighing and steam-cultivation in several of its 

 best phases, a clever locomotive steam-engine, aud an econ- 

 omical reaping machice were shown ; indeed it has been 

 my aim as your officer to introduce to your notice specimens 

 of our most useful implements, or such as were obtaining the 

 greatest popularity, in order that they might be seen, aud, 

 if approved, adopted. I have now gone through with this re- 

 view, which is chiefly about myself. I ask you to forgive this 

 egotism : you must pardon this setting forth of my doings ; it 

 is meant in some sense as an answer to your distinguished 

 token of approval. You have this day honoured me above and 

 before all others in this district : this splendid testimonial is 

 the first given here to any individual for services of this charac- 

 ter, by the general public. I shall not stop to point out the 

 great benefit this society has conferred upon the locality : these 

 beautifiU and valuable tokens are a sufficient testimony that 



