Report of Society's Meetings. 415 



42. Corn. — The samples shown were of fine quality. 

 42. Starch. — Samples prized were of excellent colour and general 

 quality. 



44. Leaf Tobacco : — No exhibit. 



45. Ra-M Cotton (cleaned). — The prizes were awarded to two samples of 

 excellent quality, of long staple, good colour, and very cleanly picked. 

 A sample shown in the carded state was disqualified as it weighed much 

 less than 3 lbs. 



Class v.— Miscellaneous. 



1. Flower Pots. — A second prize only awarded to pots made of con- 

 crete. We considered that the desire of the Committee in offering the 

 prize was to encourage the manufafture of clay flower pots. 



2. Orchid Baskets. — An exhibit in this class much inferior to that of 

 last year. 



3. Plant Baskets. — One exhibit only could be considered as fairly 

 coming under this heading. 



4. Plant Tubs or Boxes. — A very inferior exhibit. 



5. Piece of Bamboo or Rustic Furniture. — The first prize was awarded 

 to a very excellent exhibit of rustic furniture, the second to a merito- 

 rious exhibit of bamboo work. 



6. Hive for Bees.— No exhibit. 



Several specimens of perverted ingenuity and patience were exhibited 

 in this seftion such as elaborate places of confinement (and torture) 

 for birds, elaborate arrangements of articles in narrow necked bottles, 

 etc. When we see these we can only regret that the very evident abili- 

 ties and great patience of their makers have not been direfted into more 

 useful channels. 



On the whole we must congratulate the Royal Agricultural and 

 Commercial Society on the very evident success of their endeavours in 

 the encouragement of the exhibition of Economic produ6ls. We con- 

 sider the articles shown in this class with few exceptions to have been 

 superior in quality to those exhibited in former years, and the manner 

 in which the prizes were competed for in many of the classes of exhibits 

 point to there being several Minor Industries in the Colony to which 

 attention has been given. While the quality of the articles exhibited, 

 as far as regards those due to conditions of cultivation, was in most 

 cases satisfactory, we consider that in the majority of cases far better 



3G 



