AGRICULTURE 



given by members of the staff at various centres in the county, farmers' club 

 meetings, &c. These lectures have been followed with great interest by the 

 members of the farmers' clubs, and have undoubtedly been much appreciated. 

 Experiments are carried out on the growth of crops, manuring, &c., and as 

 the results are published the county at large gets the benefit. 



The college, which began in a small way, has largely increased its 

 numbers and usefulness, and the county generally should be grateful to the 

 East Sussex County Council for the satisfactory way in which it has carried 

 out its work of agricultural education. 



There are several farmers' clubs in the county, most, if not all, of which 

 have been started on the eastern side. The East Sussex Farmers' Club, with 

 its head quarters at Lewes, has a large number of members, representing a 

 very great portion of the acreage of East Sussex. This club, which is prob- 

 ably carried on on the same lines as the other clubs, has been in existence for 

 about twenty-five years. The club holds meetings every two or three weeks 

 during the winter months, which are well attended. Lectures are given on 

 every kind of subject connected with agriculture, discussion takes place, and 

 it is evident that the farmer of to-day is fully alive to the importance of hearing 

 the results of new experiments, &c., and is able to hold his own in technical 

 subjects, such as the constituents of artificial manures, which would probably 

 have been a sealed book to many of his predecessors. The club also takes 

 the lead, and organizes any local movement as desired by the general body of 

 its members ; also sends delegates to meetings in London and elsewhere on 

 any important agricultural topic. It holds discussions on all the Bills 

 brought before Parliament, and is in touch with the members for the county, 

 most of whom are members of the club. The club is affiliated to the 

 Central Chamber of Agriculture, to whose meetings it sends a delegate. 



Tunbridge Wells has a similar club, a very old-established one, but of 

 course more of a Kent club, and there are also clubs at Wadhurst, Herst- 

 monceux, Mayfield, and Rye. 



The Sussex Dairy Farmers' Association, with its head quarters at Lewes, 

 has of late years done much good work. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries has of late appointed agricul- 

 tural correspondents in various parts of the county, who report on the 

 various matters affecting agriculture, so that here again the country districts 

 are brought into immediate communication with a head authority. 



The Sussex Agricultural Society holds an annual agricultural and horse 

 show during the month of July. Started in 1887 in Viscount Gage's park 

 at Firle, as an outcome of the East Sussex, then the West Firle Farmers' 

 Club, with very modest proportions, it has grown to be one of the large 

 county shows ; from quite a small one-day show it blossomed into a two- 

 day show, visiting the various towns in East Sussex. Later, West Sussex 

 wished to join, and the society became a county show, and now visits the 

 West Sussex towns as well as those in East Sussex. 



The show possesses several distinctive features ; first, that it has since 

 its start been almost entirely managed by tenant farmers ; and, secondly, that 

 as far as is possible rules are made to show sheep and cattle in their natural 

 state. For instance, a special feature is made of the Hill flock, the ewes of 

 which are shown in pens of nine, three ewes from each age, and both these 

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