THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



her trusted summons, these things are dehghts in 

 themselves, quite keen enough to make up a day's 

 pleasure. 



The huntsman recollects too with pride, the 

 successful cast he made when hounds were at fault, 

 how he held them past the sheep or over a bad 

 scenting fallow, and saw them put their noses down 

 and drive forward directly they had passed the 

 foiled ground. 



But it must be confessed that to hunt hounds 

 successfully, takes up a great deal of time and 

 thought. Many other duties and other occupations 

 were calling the Duke. There were the duties of 

 a great landlord, and the tradition of the Somersets 

 was to manage their estates liberally. They had, 

 moreover, that genuine interest in, and liking for 

 the details of farming, which only could give them 

 the real influence they undoubtedly wielded in their 

 own county. So the Duke was a farmer on a large 

 scale. A great landlord can afford to try improve- 

 ments and show farmers what they should aim at. 

 The English farmer is conservative and slow to 

 change. This is not because he is wanting in 

 intelligence, but because for him farming is his 

 livelihood and he cannot afford to spend capital on 

 doubtful experiments. This the Duke understood, 

 and he entered the lists as a grower and exhibitor of 

 choice stock. He frequently exhibited successfully, 

 and his flock of Southdown sheep was well known 

 throughout Wilts and Gloucester. The good blood 



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