Agricultural Organisation 



sciously endeavouring to consolidate the interests 

 of the agricultural industry. It is as essential 

 that such associations should be intensely 

 political as it is that they should be entirely 

 non-party in character. 



The first association of this type to appear 

 was the Central and Associated Chambers of 

 Agriculture formed in 1865. 



Though at one time the Tory element may 

 have dominated to some extent, any impartial 

 observer will, I think, admit that the debates at 

 the monthly meetings in London have been for 

 years non-party in character, or at all events 

 that both political points of view have received 

 a fair hearing. Those who founded this society 

 undoubtedly hoped that it would become repre- 

 sentative of the whole of the agricultural interests 

 of England. That it never attained to this posi- 

 tion is undoubtedly due entirely to the attitude 

 of landowners and that of the farmers them- 

 selves — to their apathy and failure to understand 

 the absolute need of combination. The monthly 

 meetings of the Central Chamber are certainly 

 impressive gatherings of agriculturists, and might 

 indeed be termed the Farmers' Parliament if 

 only the membership of the Chambers were 

 100,000 instead of 25,000. 



The Royal and many of the County Agricul- 

 tural Societies have large sums at their disposal ; 

 shows are attractive, prizes tangible — there is 



261 



