22 EARLY SOCIETIES. 



to discover that the Society of Improvers in the Knowledge 

 of Agriculture in Scotland was followed in Ireland by a 

 similar Society, just as we find that the Highland and 

 Agricultural Society found an imitator in the sister isle. 



Besides answering queries, the Society of Improvers 

 issued directions on points of husbandry, gardening, and 

 the fattening of cattle. These directions are now more 

 curious than valuable. For example, the directions for 

 fattening of cattle began by recommending that the animals 

 be ' not under seven years old.' The feeding is to be 

 mainly hay, oats, and pease, the pease to be bruised in a 

 mill, so as to make them like bran ; ' and if you want to 

 bring the cattle very fast forward, give them more pease 

 than oats.' One piece of advice is as good as ever as to 

 the fattening and tending of cattle : — ' Be sure to prepare 

 a careful hand to attend feeding of them, for upon this 

 depends the whole success of the attempt.' 



Though it is not within the scope of this work to refer 

 to manufactures, it may be noticed that the Society of 

 Improvers, in the very first year of its existence, requested 

 one of its members, Mr Gordon of Cluny, to write Mr 

 Robert Arbuthnot at Rouen to treat with weavers and 

 bleachers of linen and dressers of hemp, to ascertain ' on 

 what terms they would come to Scotland to instruct the 

 people in this country in their several trades.' They 

 procured and circulated information respecting the linen 

 manufacture. At one meeting, indeed, the Society, in its 

 zeal for home manufactures, adopted a resolution which, 

 however patriotic, would now be regarded as savouring of 

 protection, and as contrary to sound economical law. The 

 mover of the resolution was the Duke of Hamilton (James, 

 4th Duke of Hamilton and ist of Brandon), and the resolu- 

 tion adopted was to the effect that * the Society, for the 

 encouragement of manufactures, resolved that they, by 

 themselves, wives, and children, should buy no linen for 

 shirting, wearing cloaths, bed-linen, table-linen, or any 

 other household furniture except such as were of the manu- 

 facture of Great Britain.' This resolution was sent to all 

 the members, and the Secretary was directed to ' insert the 



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