The Annual Auction 1 1 1 



personal interest attaches to many of the races because 

 the horses are local horses, and the riders known to the 

 spectators. Some of these meetings are moveable ; they 

 are held near one town one year and another the next, so 

 as to travel round the whole hunting district returning, 

 say, the fourth year to the first place. Most of the market 

 towns of any importance have their annual agricultural 

 show now, which is well attended. 



In the spring comes the rook-shooting ; the date varieu 

 a week or so according to the season, whether it has been 

 mild and favourable or hard and late. This still remains 

 a favourite occasion for a party. Sheep-shearing in sheep 

 districts, as the .Downs, is also remembered ; some of the 

 old folk make much of it ; but as a general rule this 

 ancient festival has fallen a good deal into disuse. It is 

 not made the grand feast it once was for master and man 

 alike at least, not in these parts. With the change that 

 has come across agriculture at large a variation has taken 

 place in the life of the people. New festivals, and of a 

 different character, have sprung up. 



The most important of these is the annual auction on 

 the farm : the system of selling by auction which has 

 become so widely diffused has, indeed, quite revolutionised 

 agriculture in many ways. Where the farm is celebrated for 

 a special breed of sheep, the great event of the year is the 

 annual auction at home of ram lambs. Where the farm ia 

 famous for cattle, the chief occasion is the yearly sale of young 

 short-horns. And recently, since steam plough and artificial 

 manure and general high pressure have been introduced, 

 many large arable farmers sell their corn crops standing. 

 The purchaser pays a certain price for the wheat as it 

 grows, reaps it when ripe, and makes what profit he can. 



In either case the auctioneer is called in, a dinner 13 



