2IO 



XVII.— AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



OF the many efforts which have been made for the improvement 

 of agriculture in the county, none has had a greater or more 

 lasting effect upon it than the various agricultural societies, by promoting 

 shows and offering prizes for the best in every branch of husbandry. 

 There is no county in England where this form of agricultural encourage- 

 ment has been developed to a greater extent, almost every village 

 at one time or other, during the century, having had its own little 

 society and show. The stimulus has in this way been carried to the 

 smallest class of farmers in the remotest dales, and the general effect 

 for good on the agriculture of the county has been greater than 

 could have resulted from the centralizing of effort on a large single 

 county show. 



The Kendal Agricultural Society was founded in 1799, and for 

 the first thirty years of the century had the field to itself ; it had not 

 the meteoric success of the Workington Society, which was founded 

 in 1805 and owed its success entirely to the personality of that renowned 

 agriculturist, John Christian, who, marrying as his second wife the 

 last of the Curwens, his ward, afterwards assumed her name, and was 

 better known as John Christian Curwen. The Kendal Society 

 would have the advantage of his help, for he resided a part of each 

 year at Bell Isle, his Windermere home, which he had purchased in 

 1790, and had instituted there an annual sheep-shearing competition, 

 which continued for the first few years of the century. The first 

 show held by the Kendal Society was on October 19th, 1799, and 

 was of small dimensions, having only three classes for sheep, the 

 prize for which in each class was a silver medal. Arthur Robinson 

 won the prize for the best ram of the Fell breed, Robt. Dennison for 

 the best ram of the Improved breed, and Joseph Faulder of Calgarth 

 for the best two ewes of the Improved Lowland breed. The President 

 of the Society was Daniel Wilson of Milnthorpe, with Daniel Campbell, 

 M.D., as Secretary. Dr. Campbell remained secretary till about iSio, 

 when William Gray, M.A., a schoolmaster, succeeded to the post. 

 The rules of the Society were : — 



