1866. ] Agriculture. 563 
Great Exhibition, and it was proposed that Government should 
subscribe an equivalent amount, engaging to advance money for 
preliminary expenses at a moderate rate of interest. The guarantee 
fund was intended only to make advances or loans, and the sub- 
scriptions were to be called for by instalments only in cases of 
necessity. An appeal should be addressed by the Statistical 
Department of the Privy Council to all the principal stock owners 
of the kingdom, requesting their concurrence. The concurrent 
stock owners would then be requested to send in classified lists of 
their stock and its value. The premium to be demanded would 
have to be sufficiently high to cover the risk, and it was believed 
that 1s. per month would insure 10/. on a healthy beast exposed to 
ordinary risks under good arrangements. No beast worth less than 
5/1. should be insured. The policy might be transferred on the sale 
of cattle being registered. Horses and sheep might be insured upon 
terms to be agreed upon. Payment of premiums might be made 
through the post-office. All payments on policies might be made on 
the authority of a specially-appomted officer in every county, acting 
under the inspection of the committee. The accounts should be duly 
audited and published annually, with a digest of the returns and 
report made by the actuary, to be appointed by the Home Office. 
All cattle imported diseased should pay adequate premiums, and if 
healthy, receive policies covermg a term of one month or more; 
the premium in such cases to be collected by the officers of her 
Majesty’s Customs, and paid by them on account of the Society 
into the Bank of England. No person having cattle uninsured 
should under any circumstances receive compensation from any 
public rate. Landlords, for their own protection, might insist upon 
the imsurance of stock, and clauses might be inserted to that eftect 
in the leases or covenants. Under these encouragements it was 
probable that half the live stock in the kingdom would be insured. 
This would give an amount of 2,000,000/. or 3,000,0002., which 
would be sufficient to cover all losses and expenses, and whatever 
profits might accrue should be divided among the insured upon the 
mutual principle. 
These were the main features of the plan; but we fear, with 
Mr. Torr, who followed Dr. Farr at the meeting in question, that 
nothing of a purely voluntary character has any chance of being 
taken up by the farmers of the country on a sufficiently large scale 
to ensure its success. The occurrence of a great calamity of this 
land is so new, and has been so rare, that the lesson of self- 
preservation which, were it to be of frequent recurrence, it must 
ultimately teach cannot be expected to be learnt at once. 
To turn to the vegetable world, we have in the first place to 
report the marked success of the Metropolis Sewage Company in 
growing great crops of Italian rye-grass upon sheer sea-sand. 
