AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS IN ENGLAND. 



97 



AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS AND SCIENCE. 



WHAT THEY ARE DOING FOR AGRICULTURE IN ENGLAND. 



The "Rotal Agricultural Society" of 

 England met at the Society's House. Hanover 

 Square. London. 21st May, 1B4.5 — Duke of Rich- 

 mond, President. One of the points to which 

 the Society's attention had been directed the 

 last half year, was — a chemical analysis of the 

 ashes of plants grown on different soils, and in 

 different localities, throughout the kingdom. 



That Societj' now consists of 96 life-Gover- 

 nors: 204 annual Governors; 495 Life-Members, 

 and 6123 annual Members, making' a total of 

 6,933 Members. It appears from the statement 

 of arrears that, on the 1st day of the present 

 month, 35 Governors and 2,281 Member|^vere 

 in arrear of subscription, the sum amountiug to 

 £5,730; that at the General Meeting in Decem- 

 ber last the amount of such arrears stood at 

 X6,609, a reduction of £879 havin^een effect- 

 ed during the last six months. The present 

 amount of invested capital is £8,200 — a purchase 

 of £500 stock in the 3^ per Cents, having been 

 made during the last month. The current cash 

 balance in the hands of the Society's bankers at 

 the present time is £2.038, not including the 

 sum of £1,000 contributed by the town of 

 Shrewsburj-, towards the expenses of the ensu- 

 ing Countr}' Meeting, and already paid over to 

 the credit of the Society's account. 



To show the grand scale on which these as- 

 sociations for the improvement of Agriculture 

 are conducted, a few items may suffice. 



It has been seen that the town of Shrewsbury 

 gives S5,000 for the sake of ha\'ing the ensuing 

 County meeting held there. 



" At the suggestion of the British Associa- 

 tion for the advancement of Science, the Coun- 

 cil have resolved that a chemical analysis of the 

 ashes of plants, erown in different localities and 

 on different soils throughout the kingdom, shall 

 be made at the expense of the Society ; and 

 they have voted the sum of £350 towards car- 

 rying out that desirable, and important object." 



Here, then, it appears that for a chemical anal- 

 ysis of the ashes of plants, they appropriate near 

 $2,000 ! What State in this Union, even in its 

 corporate capacity, and out of its public treasnrj-, 

 would give that much to have even a complete 

 geological survey of any one, or of every coun- 

 ty in the State? Whereas every county ought 

 to be sur\-eyed geologically and agriculturally. 

 Then again — 



'• At the request of the Stalham Farmers' 

 Club, the Council have instructed their consult- 

 ing chemist, Dr. Playfair, to analvze, at the ex- 

 1205).... r 



pense of the Society, specimens of the soil and 

 subsoil of a wheat-field in Norfolk, remarkable 

 for its productiveness." 



Who shall say, after this, that Agriculture has 

 no need of the lights of science ? Here they 

 have a regular "consulting Chemist," vsrho is 

 probably paid four or five thousand doliais a 

 year. True, these members of the Royal So- 

 ciety of Agriculture are men of immense in- 

 come, but it consists also of men of distinguished 

 ability, who, in all their proceedings, indicate a 

 confidence that agriculture under the applica- 

 tion of chemical and m^echanical science, is in 

 the full progress of successful improvement. 



Look now at their list of premiums — in res- 

 pect of its tendency, particularly, to excite in- 

 quiry and to insure the application of intellect- 

 ual (the best of all) po'wer to Farming con- 

 cerns ! In our country we are too apt to doubt 

 whether Agriculture is to be improved by any 

 thing but early rising and hard work; and 

 when ■we do call on men whose science is the 

 fhiit of years of toilsome study, we expect 

 them to give their time for nothing, and take re- 

 luctant thanks for pay ! Sometimes, when em- 

 ployed by the State on a small salary to make 

 scientific explorations, demagogues soon per- 

 suade the people, or rather their popularity- 

 hunting representatives, that it is money thrown 

 away. Here, in the case before us, $200 are 

 given in many instances for a single report on 

 the farming of a particular District. What 

 would tlie Agricultural Society or even the State 

 of Virginia give for a report on the farming 

 practices and improvements — Grasses, Manures, 

 Implements, Domestic Animals. Management 

 of the Dairy, Sheep Husbandrj-, &;c. &c. ot 

 any, the most thriving county in the United 

 States ? When we speak of Virginia, tliough 

 seemingly in a tone of reproach, it is always in a 

 spirit of (we %vere going to saj', of overweening) 

 afi'ection. If -we instance her, >f\-e generally 

 mean as much, Maryland, North and South Car- 

 olina, Georgia, Alabama, and all the old grain- 

 growing and planting States South and West of 

 Delaware. But to return to the list of pre- 

 miums awarded, look at them in the light we 

 have already indicated ! It will be seen that 

 these do not embrace but are over and above 

 the thousands of dollars given for best imple- 

 ments and animals— cheese and butter, fi-uit and 

 poultrj-. They are aU for the written results of 



