94 riELD AND FERN. 



vention or Improvement of Implements of Hus- 

 bandry/' The reports in the last section are re- 

 warded by medals or sums of money not exceeding 

 fifty sovereigns ; and in the former, the prizes range 

 from thirty sovereigns to a ^^ gold medium medal 

 or five sovereigns/^ Class II. is devoted to District 

 Competitions. All grants in aid for any year must 

 be applied for by the 1st of November previous, and 

 on the '65 list fourteen districts were down for cattle, 

 two for draught horses, three for entire colts, three 

 for Leicester sheep, two for swine, and five each for 

 Cheviots and blackfaced. "The Society's premiums 

 are granted to each district for three alternate years, 

 on condition that the district shall, in the two inter- 

 mediate years, continue the competitions by offering 

 for the same description of stock a sum not less than 

 one-half of that given by the Society ; and at the 

 intermediate competitions a silver medal is placed at 

 the disposal of the committee, to be awarded to the 

 best lot exhibited.'' The money premiums are 

 restricted to tenants, factors, and small proprietors, 

 farming the whole of their own lands. Proprietors 

 generally can only compete for silver medals ; and a 

 bull or tup, for instance, belonging to a tenant, factor, 

 or small proprietor cannot enter into competition for 

 these medals, unless it has gained a first money pre- 

 mium at a previous show. The competitions take 

 place between April 1st and October 10th, and 

 are open to all parties within the district, whether 

 members of the local Association or not. In some 



