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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



The half-yearly general meeting of the Society was 

 held Monday, May 23, in Hanover- square. The chair 

 was taken at noon by his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, 

 President for the year. Among those present were Earl 

 Powis, Colonel Challoner, Messrs. Raymond Barker, 

 Milward, Fisher Hobbs, B. Gibbs, Burch Western, T. 

 Crisp, H. Corbet, S. Sidney, Beale Browne, T. Pain, 

 T. Scott, Barnett (Stratton), Clutton (Notts), James 

 Howard, Johnson, V. Simpson, S. M. Hilton, and 

 G. Rochfort Clarke. 



In the absence of Mr. Hudson, in consequence of in- 

 disposition, Mr. Brandreth Gibbs officiated as secretary 

 pro tern. 



The order of the proceedings, and the powers in- 

 vested in the meeting, having been read, 



Mr. R. Milward moved the election of the Presi- 

 dent for the year ensuing the Warwick Meeting. He 

 said he gave notice to the Council of his intention to 

 propose Lord Feversham, having inferred from a con- 

 versation which he had with him that his Lordship 

 would accept this office. But at the last meeting of 

 the Council his Lordship said he feared that he would 

 not be able to devote the requisite amount of time to 

 the duties, and that he hoped, therefore, the Council 

 would select some other gentleman ; adding that 

 he thought Lord Walsingham, who was sitting 

 near him, would make a very good president. Lord 

 Walsingham, on being appealed to, said that if he 

 were elected, he would do his best to promote the in. 

 terests of the Society ; and he (Mr. Milward) had very 

 great pleasure in now proposing that his Lordship should 

 be the President for the next year. 



Col. Challoner felt very great pleasure in seconding 

 the nomination, knowing that Lord Walsingham farmed 

 in Norfolk, and took great interest in the proceedings 

 of the Society. 

 The motion was carried unanimously. 

 On the motion of Col. Challoner, seconded by Mr. T. 

 B. Western, the Trustees were re-elected. 



Mr, W. F. Hobbs, in moving the re-election of the 

 Vice-Presidents, paid a tribute for the services which 

 many of them had rendered to the Society. 



The motion, after being seconded by Mr. R. Milward, 

 was carried unanimously. 



Mr. B. Gibbs then read the report of the Council, 

 which was as follows : — 



REPORT. 

 The Society consists at the present time of— 

 78 Life Governors, 

 130 Annual Governors, 

 927 Life Members, 

 4,008 Annual Members, 

 18 Honorary Members, 

 Making a total of 5,161 names on the list. 



The Council has elected Lord Leigh, of Stoneleigh 

 Abbey, a member of the Council, to supply the vacancy 

 caused by the resignation of Sir Archibald K. Mac- 

 donald, Bart. 



The funded capital of the Society stands at ^10,000 

 Stock, in the New Three per Cents. 



The Council has appointed Professor Spooner, of the 

 Royal Veterinary College, joint Veterinary Inspector 

 with Professor Simonds, at the Annual Country Meet. 



ings of the Society. This step has been found neces- 

 sary in order that every facility may be afforded for a 

 thorough examination of the animals sent to the shows, 

 more especially as to their freedom from any hereditary 

 diseases, which might be transmitted to their progeny ; 

 and also as to whether the state of dentition fully bears 

 out the ages stated in the certificates. 



The Council has decided that Professor Voelcker, the 

 Society's consulting chemist, shall investigate the follow- 

 ing subjects : — 



Ist — The change? that take place in liquid manures, in 



passing through different soils. 

 2nd— Experiments on top-dressing of wheat and barley. 

 3rd — The different modes of applying manure in autumn 



and spring. 

 4th — The nature and physiology of cultivated turnips, 



being a continuation of his experiments connected with 



this subject. 



The Council has determined to amend the wording of 

 the rule regulating the Members' privilege of analyses, 

 so as to prevent dealers or manufacturers of manures 

 availing themselves of the reduced scale of charges, 

 which has been secured for the benefit of such Members 

 as may require these analyses bond fide for their own 

 personal use as agriculturists. 



The Warwick Meeting (to be held in the week com- 

 mencing Monday, July 11th) promises to be of a highly 

 interesting character. The arrangements for the Meeting 

 are steadily progressing. The entries for implements 

 are so extremely large as to require six sheds to be 

 added to last year's plan, in the implement department 

 alone; and the applications for space in the yard 

 devoted to " machinery at work " are also far greater 

 than on any former occasion. 



The entries for live stock will, as usual, be received up 

 to the 1st of June. The numerous applications for 

 certificate-forms that are being received daily indicate 

 that this portion of the Show will at least be equal to 

 any former exhibition. 



The Local Committee at Warwick having declined to 

 undertake the arrangements and expenses connected 

 with the dinner during the Society's Meeting, the 

 Council has determined to adhere to the resolution of 

 last year — not to take these responsibilities on itself on 

 the present occasion. 



The special attention of the General Warwick Com- 

 mittee has been directed to the subject of the supply of 

 refreshments for visitors, in the show-yard, during the 

 exhibition ; and such arrangements have already been 

 made, and are still in progress, as, it is hoped, will 

 secure to the public due accommodation in this respect, ' 

 at a fixed tariff of charges. 



Since the Society first prominently drew attention to 

 the important subject of the application of steam-power 

 to the cultivation of the soil, by offering a special prize 

 of large amount, several inventions and improvements 

 have been brought before the public ; and the advance- 

 ment made was such as to lead the Council to award the 

 prize of £'500 at the Chester Meeting, last year. As, 

 no doubt, further improvements have since been made, 

 it may be confidently expected that the trials to be car- 

 ried on at Warwick, under the direction of the Society's 

 Judges, vfill prove an interesting feature in the meeting, 

 by affording agriculturists an opportunity of personally 

 inspecting the different inventions that will then be 

 brought together in competition. 



The Council has decided that the Country Meeting of 

 next year, for the South-eastern district (comprising the 

 counties of Kent and Surrey), shall be held at the City 

 of Canterbury. The accommodation offered and gua- 

 ranteed by the authorities promises to be unusually con- 

 venient and complete. 



The Council has the satisfaction of recording that the 



