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CHAPTER VIII. 



THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



On 9th December, 1868, Mr. Jasper More gave notice that 

 at the next Council meeting he should move that a deputation 

 wait upon the President of the Board of Trade on the subject 

 of a Government Department for Agriculture. This was 

 moved on 2nd February, 1869, but after some discussion 

 was adjourned for further consideration. On 2nd March, 

 1869, a resolution in favour of the establishment of a separate 

 Government Department was carried unanimously, but a 

 further motion proposing that the deputation should wait 

 upon the Board of Trade was not carried, and the question 

 was deferred indefinitely. 



This was not quite the first time that this matter had been 

 raised, for a paper had been read before the Farmers' Club on 

 1st April, 1867, by Mr. J. A. Nockolds, of Bishop Stortford, 

 entitled " The Desirability of a Board of Agriculture as a 

 Government Department." 



The next reference in the minutes is on 14th April, 1874, 

 when, in response to a communication from the Association 

 of Chambers of Commerce, resolutions were unanimously 

 carried again expressing the desire of the Council for the 

 establishment of a separate Agricultural Department, and 

 appointing a committee to confer with the Associated Chambers 

 of Commerce with respect to their proposal for a Minister of 

 Commerce and Agriculture. The Committee consisted of 

 Mr. George Storer, M.P., Mr. Pickering Phipps, M.P., Cap- 

 tain Craigie, Mr. Thomas Willson, Mr. Jabez Turner, Mr. 

 William Stratton, Mr. H. P. Price, M.P., and Mr. John Ford. 



