AGRICULTURAL DINNERS 



as merely a preliminary canter preparatory to 

 doing full justice to the baron of beef, a standing 

 dish on these occasions, and any minor comestibles 

 coming his way. 



This happened a good many years ago, before 

 the Education Act and other influences had done 

 something, as the Latin grammar phrased it, to 

 " soften men's manners," and to induce them to 

 cultivate the amenities to a larger extent than was 

 thought necessary in those more rough-and-ready 

 days. So, if the old dinner is still kept up, there 

 is no fear, especially now we are under a Food Con- 

 troller, of such individual commandeering as I have 

 described. It is, nevertheless, satisfactory to feel 

 that the general adoption of diner a la russe puts 

 it out of anyone's power to favour such an unequal 

 system of rationing as was possible in more 

 primitive times. 



At agricultural dinners a considerable volume 

 of liquor was required to wash down the eatables, 

 and it was of a very varied description. Agri- 

 culture was fairly prosperous at that time, so there 

 was not much stint in the matter of wines, and 

 after a generous allowance of sherry, champagne, 

 and port had been enjoyed by the whole party 

 collectively, individual groups adjourned to the 

 bar-parlour and fortified themselves for the home- 

 ward journey by draughts of either hot brandy 

 and water or lemonade and gin ; the former being 

 the drink most affected by the older and more 

 matured section of the company and the latter by 

 the younger and more dashing contingent. I 

 daresay, however, that the liquors varied in 

 different counties. Whiskies and sodas had not 



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