THE FARMER 1(39 



"Well," replied the Farmer. ''It's my oww /" thinking to 

 silence the reprover with the information. " So viucJi the 

 worse" retorted the Huntsman, adding, " there s the force of 

 example." 



Farmers are the most easily pacified and soonest satisfied 

 race of men under the sun. The smallest kindness, the 

 smallest attention, the smallest consideration, is never lost 

 upon them. Let a Master of Hounds only show that he is 

 sensible of any damage he may have done thern, or of any 

 accommodation he may have received, and they do not know 

 how to stop the expression of his thanks soon enough. It is 

 in these sort of trifles that Masters of Hounds show their tact 

 and management. We have seen some Masters desperately 

 uncouth with the Farmers, taking no notice of them either at 

 the meet or the finish. Others again have always something 

 polite or good-natured to say, and a felicitously presented 

 "brush" has atoned for the tramplement of much wheat. 

 We remember when it used to be a favourite topic of 

 discussion, whether riding over wheat did it harm or good, 

 and we have seen stout pen and ink champions in favour of 

 the system, but, like many plausible things upon paper, the 

 theory and practice are very dissimilar. It is quite clear that 

 Farmers do not think so, otherwise they would turn their 

 cattle in to their wheat fields. 



In some countries Farmers' cups are given, to be contended 

 for by the horses of Farmers in the limits of the hunt, and 

 certainly, as a mark of gratitude and attention to this most 

 praiseworthy class of men, it is a tribute deserving of com- 

 mendation, but we almost doubt whether the prizes generally 

 reach the objects the givers would like to see them go to. In 

 the first place, hunting and racing are such totally different 

 amusements, that one seldom sees a taste for both combined 

 in the same person, added to which, Farmers, least of all 

 people, are likely to cultivate an inclination for both, and if 



