248 ECHOES OF OLD COUNTY LIFE. 



appreciate the benefits of science, but, when once aroused, 

 their spirit of enterprise bore a favourable comparison 

 with the much-lauded manufacturing brother. The best 

 instance of this is in the support given to the manu- 

 facture of agricultural inij^lements, which in its im- 

 portance not only to England, but to her colonies, and 

 to the whole world, rivals that of the most celebrated 

 inventions for the manufacture of cotton, wool, or hard- 

 ware. The introduction of the steam cultivator by a 

 Buckinghamshire tenant-farmer, W. Smith of Wolstone, 

 commenced a new era in the history of agriculture, an 

 invention further improved upon by Fowler of Leeds 

 and Howard of Bedford, follow^ed by the steam thrasher, 

 and this again followed, in its turn, by improved reaping 

 and mowing machines, — all proving unmistakcably that 

 the fire of enterprise was not dead, and only needed the 

 spark to kindle it into a flame. 



The establishment in 1S39 ^f the Royal Agricultural 

 Society of England was the outcome of many important 

 local agricultural associations, around which, as a centre, 

 landlords, tenants, men of science, manufacturers, and 

 the general public could circulate their opinions, and put 

 in practice many of their theories, and it raised the tone 

 of agriculture most materially. Agriculture thrived, land 

 soon went up in value, the landlord had more money to 

 spend in trade, the farmer's home was improved, his 

 children were better educated, the labourer's wages 

 were increased, his dwelling was made more habitable — 

 when suddenly these halcyon days were rudely ended 

 by the intrusion of the Irish famine. The miseries 

 endured by a whole people brought home to the mind 



