No. 9. 



Enslhh Asriculiural Meetings. 



275 



For tlie Farmers' Cabinet. 

 English Agricultural 3Ieetings. 



As the pleasant season for tillafje has again 

 come round, we believe that we cannot serve 

 the interests of our numerous friends more 

 effectually than by copying from our tiles of 

 late English papers, a few notices relatino; to 

 some of the numerous Agricultural meetings, 

 chiefly with a view to impress upon them a 

 greater degree of interest concerning that 

 most important of all operations, PLOUGH- 

 ING, which, it must be confessed, docs not 

 receive from us that attention which its high 

 importance demands. Perhaps no part of our 

 labour is attended to with so little care as 

 that of ploughing; while in Europe, the di- j 

 rect reverse is the fact, every encouragement 

 being given to a business which requires the 

 best skill of the husbandman, for upon that, 

 much of the success of all his other opera- 

 tions depends. 



The first we notice is, " The Anniversary 

 of the Royal Buckinghamshire Agricultural 

 Association." The business of the day com- 

 menced with a grand ploughing-match, when 

 £68, besides articles of wearing apparel, hats, 

 &.C., were distributed amongst the competi- 

 tors, one of whom received a new plough as 

 a premium. One of the speakers who ad- 

 dressed the meeting, adverted at some length 

 to the necessity of making some improve- 

 ments in the science and economy of agricul- 

 ture, and amongst others, that of substituting 

 the plough with two horses for that of four 

 or six. He proposed to give, next year, a 

 premium of j£5 to the owner of the horses 

 of the successful two-horse plough, anticipat- 

 ing that the success attending their use would 

 induce the Bucks farmers to dispense with 

 the needless number of horses (six in a plough) 

 which they at present employ. 



2. Bradwell Grove. It is the custom in 

 this part of the country, when a person en- 

 ters upon a farm, for the neighbours around 

 to send their teams and assist him to sow his 

 first wheat crop. Mr. Gloon having entered 

 upon Down's farm, the adjoining farmers met 

 iand ploughed a 24 acre field in the most per- 

 fect manner in four hours, taking the oppor- 

 tunity to form the meeting into a ploiighhig- 

 match, as a stimulus for the different plough- 

 men, when a subscription, upon the spot, en- 

 abled them to offer three prizes, which were 

 most ably contested. The day was remark- 

 ably fine, and the view was most gratify- 

 ing; and it is intended to form upon this 

 an anniversary meeting, for the encourage- 

 ment of the art of ploughing. 



3. Surrey Agricultural Association com- 

 menced with a ploughing-match, which was 

 the leading attraction of the day. There 

 were fifty-three competitors ; and all tho no- 



bility of the country, a great proportion be- 

 ing ladies, were present, who, with the large 

 company of farmers and their men, felt the 

 greatest interest in the result of the match 

 while going forward. The arrangements of 

 the field were admirably adjusted, and £59 

 were distributed to the different labourers 

 and servants upon the farm — male and female 

 — besides premiums to the ploughmen. 



4. South Buckingham Agricultural E.xhi- 

 bition. The business commenced with a 

 ploughing-match — 60 ploughs in the field: 

 the first prize, five guinea?, was given by 

 Queen Victoria. The second prize was a 

 match between South Bucks and the South- 

 VVest Middlesex Association, and was won 

 by the latter. Several other competitors^ 

 with three and two-horse ploughs, attracted 

 vast numbers of spectators ; and the Chair- 

 man, Mr. Harcourt, M. P., remarked, as a 

 proof of the progress of the Association, that 

 when first established, in 183:3, they were 

 able to reward but 22 persons with £04 ; this 

 year the number was 122, with £100. 



5. Hertfordshire Agricultural Society com- 

 menced with a ploughing-match, in a field of 

 forty acres. The premiums awarded were : 

 Class 1st. A medal for farmers' sons under 

 23 years of age, who had never been to ser- 

 vice, and whose fathers occupy not less than 

 two hundred acres of land, awarded to the 

 son of Mr. Nightingale. Class 2. Five two- 

 horse ploughs started, four premiums award- 

 ed. Class 3. Thirty ploughs started, seven 

 premiums awarded — and in addition a silver 

 medal to C. Fry, the maker of his own plough. 



6. Stamford Agricultural Society, A beau- 

 tiful wheat-plough, surmounted with a wheat- 

 sheaf and surrounded by a semi-circle of 

 sickles, the blades of which shone brilliantly 

 when illuminated by the gas, occupied the 

 centre of the dinner-table. On giving the 

 health of the judges of stock, the Chairman 

 remarked, although the duties which these 

 gentlemen had to perform were arduous and 

 unpleasant, yet he had not heard one word 

 of dissatisfaction expressed at their decision. 



7. Weatherly Agricultural Association 

 commenced with a ploughing-match, which 

 was numerously attended and well contested. 

 Two classes of premiums were awarded, one 

 to men, the other to youths under eighteen 

 years of age. 



8. Surrey and Sussex Agricultural Exhi- 

 bition. A ploughing-match on a very grand 

 scale opened the business of the day ; much 

 superb stock being also exhibited. 



9. East Suffolk Agricultural Exhibition 

 was extremely well attended. The show of 

 horses and cattle peculiar to that county 

 was fine beyond any former precedent, and 

 brought large prices at sale. 



Weal Firle lean-stock and sheep show was 



