THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



223 



tality of Mr. Hall Maxwell. He did uot see why tliey should 

 uot have them, but the difficulty would be to get the fanner 

 to give the returns. The matter had been discussed over 

 and over again ; and lie thought if they had a proper mode 

 of obtaining the statistics, it would be a great boon to the 

 country. He believed that the machinery adopted in Scot- 

 land was sufficient, and the same might be adopted in this 

 country ; that was through the farmers themselves. He 

 could uot see what jealousy there ought to be in giving the 

 returns, because every one must be awake to the importance 

 of knowing the actual produce of his farm. With all due de- 

 ference to JMr. Chrisp, however, he would ask him to witli- 

 draw liis resolution ; because he thought it would not be 

 wise for the meeting to pass so serious a set of resolutions, 

 as to clioose the parties to do the work. 



Mr. CiiRisp replied that the resolutions did not confine it 

 to any particular form. He had cautiously avoided making 

 any plan by which to obtain the statistics. 



Mr. Glover — Do you propose that the resolutions be for- 

 warded to anybody ? 



Mr. Chrisp — No : I can scarcely go so far. I think it 

 would be sufficient to let it go forward in a newspaper ac- 

 count. 



Mr. Sample — Do you not think it might be well to send 

 it to each Farmers' Club throughout the country? 



The Chairman observed that that question could be dis- 

 cussed after tbe motion was put. 



Mr. WiLso.v thought that, before they could obtain the 

 information they would require, they would have to prove 

 to the farmers that it would be an advantage to them. For 

 his own part, he could not see what advantage it would be 

 at|present to the British farmer, although,it might be to the 

 general public. 



Mr. CheisP observed that Mr. Lawson, who was to have 

 seconded the motion, was ill, and could not therefore at- 

 tend ; but he understood that he had devised a plan by 

 which to obtain the returns. He had no doubt that a very 

 satisfactory plan would be traced out, which was the reason 

 that he had avoided suggesting any. He did not wish them 

 to understand that he wanted the returns to be obtained by 

 any Board of Guardians, but by the officials of the Poor 

 Law Commission. He thought that if every man was to 

 give his own return acreage, and then to gei the return of 

 tlie average quantity in November, and forward it to a pro- 

 per person to be appointed, all private affairs would be ex- 

 cluded from the public, because that officer would be in the 

 same position as a tax-collector. 



The Chairman concurred in the necessity of obtaining 

 agricultural statistics, but would advise them not to have 

 any dealings with the Toor Law Commissioners upon the 

 point. He also agreed in the view advanced by Mr. Wilson, 

 and believed that some difficulty would be found in persuad- 

 ing a farmer of the benefit he would derive from the mea- 

 sure. 



The motion having been seconded by Mr. Sample, waa 

 carried unanimously. 



Some discussion took place about forwarding a copy of 

 the resolutions to the Farmers' Clubs throughout the coun- 

 try; but the consideration of this matter was ultimately 

 postponed, in order to allow time for a series of questions 

 to be drawn up to be put to the diflferent societies, soliciting 

 opinions. 



A vote of thanks to Mr, Chrisp and the Chairman ter-» 

 minated the meetiog. 



IMPORTANT T(J BREEDERS — A PROTEST. 



Every one of u.s has his weak point. If we be not 

 sallying forth to succour beauty in distress, or couching 

 a lance at a windmill, we may still be as easily identi- 

 fied with some pet partiality or prejudice. One man 

 shall have a taste for toasted cheese, and another a 

 horror of black stockings. The otherwise best and 

 quietest of hacks will do anything but face a wheel- 

 barrow, and the most dutiful of daughters yield to an 

 unconquerable weakness for her music-master. A 

 good citizen must, nevertheless, be always in hot water 

 with the parson of his paiish ; a too-intimate acquain- 

 tance with the currency question has brought many 

 such a student to grief; while old Beppo, commonly 

 the sweetest-tempered of house-dogs, goes raving wild 

 with rage at the sight of a red cloak or a stray donkey. 



Let us couch our lance once more. Or, avert our 

 gaze as the well-spread crinoline displays an inch or 

 two of that sable hose. Or, fly in tear from the gardener's 

 barrow ; or rush irate on the travelling tinker's much- 

 enduring friend. What is it that we would avoid so care- 

 fully, or attack so furiously ? Strange as it may sound, 

 what many of our friends love so much. Our great 

 antipathy, our invincible aversion — the red cloak of 

 Beppo, or the black stocking of Benedick — is the too 

 well-fed beast. For years now have we been protesting 



against this manifest abuse of the show-ground. I'here 

 has been scarcely a great meeting during the past one but 

 we have made it a duty to refer to the evil. Here, 

 "breeding" pigs die of positive suiFocation. There, the 

 best bull has been pampered up to a condition of 

 thorough sterility ; while cows in calf are so fattened, 

 simply, as it would seem, to endanger their own lives, 

 or to deteriorate their produce. But it was in vain 

 that we continued to complain. The most spirited 

 Shorthorn-breeder of the day, the late Lord Ducie,had 

 himself denounced the practice, and had failed to cor- 

 rect it. His fellows would not support him. " It was 

 impossible to make such restrictions," or " to give such 

 instructions." The entries would fall off, and a leading 

 exhibitor at once went so far as to decline showing, 

 unless he were permitted, without prejudice, to feed his 

 cattle as highly as he could. 



The consequences are such as might have been an- 

 ticipated. Encouraged to deceive the judges and mis- 

 lead the public, successful men have resorted to the 

 most extraordinary devices. One lot of animals have 

 been kept at home to breed from, and another set 

 brought out for competition. Cows that never had 

 calves have been, wittingly or unwittingly, distinguished 

 at Royal meetings; and judges, in their integrity, hare 



