134 THE FUTURE OF OUR AGRICULTURE. 



Mr. Secretary Wilson there can be no question as to the 

 utility of these gatherings. 



In several countries of the Continent, more particularly 

 in Germany — where, according to Heine, the fancy for 

 forming associations is so pronounced that if two Germans, 

 being strangers to one another, were by chance to meet on 

 the top of Chimborazo, they would forthwith proceed to 

 form a " Verein "- — discussion, more in particular of a 

 conversational sort, at local association gatherings, is very 

 much turned to account for the diffusion of agricultural 

 knowledge. We too have, of course, our agricultural 

 discussions, which are generally more or less of a full-dress 

 character, dealing rather with questions of agricultural 

 policy, of grievances and the like, than with matters of 

 pure Agriculture ; but all these debates assume rather a 

 front-bench character, failing to drive the information 

 imparted fully home, at any rate to the less prepared minds. 

 All these things have among ourselves assumed a very 

 formal, unpractical character, from the Chambers of Agri- 

 culture downward, which farmers for the most part distrust, 

 holding them to be " landlords' institutions." " As a rule," 

 remarks Mr. A. D. Hall, " the Chambers of Agriculture and 

 Farmers' Unions only draw in a small proportion of the 

 farmers in each district ; their action is often confused and 

 unenlightened and they by no means carry the weight that 

 the agricultural party ought to possess." In Germany, 

 where there are some thousands of purely agricultural asso- 

 ciations — not counting co-operative societies — the gather- 

 ings are more of a local and undress character and what 

 Frenchmen call "familial," often enough seasoned with 

 lectures or didactic discourses from local or cosmic lights, 

 but as to discussion of an infinitely more free and easy 

 and conversational sort. No one there need shrink from 

 expressing his own opinion freely, and accordingly no one 

 who has anything to say or to inquire about hesitates to 

 come forward and air his views. At these gatherings 

 large farmers and small meet, and accordingly the spoken 

 word, being duly challenged and vindicated, goes home 

 well to even the less erudite. It is such influence exerted con- 



