Annual General Meeting, December 11, 1912. xlv 



hoped, and it was ouly a hope, that they might be able to throw some light on 

 these difficulties, and give some assistance to the Board in the matter. He 

 assured Mr. Huband that the matter had not been lost sight of by the Society. 



The President, in answer to Mr. Cooke, said that the next Volume would 

 be issued in March, but that the suggestion that had been made would be 

 referred to the Journal Committee. 



Mr. C. W. Le May (Croydon) begged to call attention to the fact that 

 England was the only civilised country in the world that had not a Seed Testing 

 Station. The seed trade of the United Kingdom had taken steps to try to get 

 one in this country, but the President of the Board of Agriculture had not 

 done anything. They had approached the Council, and asked them if they 

 would use their influence, and at a meeting held on Monday night he understood 

 that the Seed Trade Association thought that the Council of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society gave it their favourable consideration, but they wanted the 

 seed trade to contribute towards it. The Association maintained that it should 

 be started by the Government, and would soon be self-supporting. It would 

 be a great advantage to traders, seed merchants and all farmers to be able to 

 send samples of seeds, have them tested, get value for their money, and get good 

 seeds. He really thought the Society might take some steps in the matter to 

 bring pressure to bear on the Board of Agriculture. 



The Chaikman said that this question would be referred to the Council. 



Thanks to the retiring: President. 



Sir Thomas Elliott, K.C.B., was sure that it would be the unanimous 

 desire of every Member present to exjjress to Lord Middleton their grateful 

 thanks for his services as Presiiient of the Society during the past year. (Hear, 

 hear.) They all knew that during his year of office he had displayed and 

 exemplified in his own person some of the very best qualities which distinguished 

 true agriculturists — loyalty, good sense, tolerance, and public spirit had all been 

 shown by Lord Middleton during his term of office in a most conspicuous fashion. 

 From some points of view they could wish that Lord Middleton's term of office 

 had been more prosperous, happy and successful than it had been. They also 

 remembered that in the time of trouble and difficulty a Society like theirs 

 needed to be well led, and it was fortunate for the Society that during the time 

 they had great difficulties to contend with Lord Middleton should have been 

 President. Both at the Board of Agriculture and the Royal Agricultural Society 

 they had had many bitter experiences in the past year. There had been a 

 bright side, for it had brought out the loyalty, hard work, and devotion of his 

 colleagues on the Board of Agriculture in a marked fashion. There was not a 

 man there who had not devoted himself, when necessary, day and night, 

 Sundays and weekdays, to get rid of the scourge. The bright side showed them 

 the loyalty and goodwill of all the agriculturists of the country, small and large, 

 in the troubles they had had to contend with. He remembered very well the 

 outbreaks in 18it2, his first year at the Board of Agriculture, when hardly an 

 hour passed witliout the arrival of deputations of farmers asking that the 

 restrictions might be withdrawn, and saying that the remedy was worse than 

 the disease. They had had nothing of the kind this year. There had been the 

 general support of agi-iculturists, and the measures taken to get rid of the 

 disease had been supported by the Council of the Society, and not the least by 

 its President, Lord Middleton. He asked them cordially to express their thanks 

 to Lord Middleton for his conduct in the chair. 



Mr. G. L. COUETHOPE, M.P., had very great pleasure in seconding the vote 

 of thanks moved by Sir Thomas Elliott. The steering of great organisations like 

 "the Royal" through all the difficulties that must necessarily arise even in a 

 year when all was smooth and easy, was a considerable task, and one t hat deserved 

 the gratitude of every one concerned. To do so as Lord Middleton had done 

 that year in a time of difficulties and disappointments, not only without disa.ster, 

 but with conspicuous success, deserved, he thought, the tenfold gratitude of the 



